BEAUTY BASICS Collagen and elastin... why should you care?

Think of collagen (which lives in the dermis, the deeper part of the skin) as the stuffing in a mattress and elastin as the springs. A new mattress is young and taut (see: your eight-year-old niece’s face). When damage occurs, the mattress begins to sag and deflate. What’s the best way to get your bounce back? Use retinol, which is one of the few ingredients that can actually help build collagen. Laser treatments and chemical exfoliants, like alpha-hydroxy acids, also help get skin reminiscing about the good old days. h

TRY NeoStrata Smoothing Cream ($39); Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Serum ($30). For details, see Shopping Guide.