Retin-A and Other Youth Miracles

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

A topical acne medicine, Retin-A can reduce the severity of some aging lines in the skin if used under the care of a knowledgeable physician, although, Bark notes, it is not FDA-approved for that use. Bark's ( Skin Secrets ) information is accurate, and his advice for Retin-A users is generally sound, but this dermatologist's conviction that everyone should use the drug from age 30 or so is highly questionable, playing on the fearful vanity of the would-be patient (``Nobody, man or woman, need look his chronological age these days''). His enthusiasm for virtually any medical technique that masks aging in the slightest, regardless of cost, will also give readers pause. Other recommendations range from the commonplace (use sunscreens) to the absurd (``we all need to become better `poker faces' '' to prevent facial wrinkling). The book also promotes cosmetic collagen injections and plastic surgery, liposuction, sclerotherapy for varicose veins and Dove soap. 50,000 first printing; Rodale Book Club selection. (June)

Library Journal

This first book on the acne medicine ballyhooed as a Fountain of Youth cream is totally uncritical. Dermatologist Bark bases his extravagant claims on his use of Retin-A with hundreds of patients and uncited reports of other researchers. Yet the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) urges caution on Retin-A; it has been approved only as an acne medicine, to be applied on small areas of skin for limited periods. In December 1988, the FDA formed an internal working group to examine the potential risks from extensive and unanticipated use of Retin-A. The other youth miracles Bark discusses--sclerotherapy, liposuction, collagen injections, etc.--are neither new nor miraculous. Paula Moynahan's Cosmetic Surgery for Women (Crown, 1988) presents better information on these topics. Responsible consumer health collections need not consider this title.-- Evelyn L. Mott, Palm Beach Cty . P.L. System, West Palm Beach, Fla.