Smoker is hoping to shrink wrinkles

Q. Smoking for years left me with fine lines and deep wrinkles around my mouth. What moisturizer should I use to decrease them? -- Hrefna

A. Don't expect too much from a moisturizer. It may help soften the appearance of your wrinkles, but nobody's going to wonder secretly whether you've had work done. Even moisturizers packed with the antioxidant vitamins C and E can't undo the damage that years of oxygen deprivation and inflammation from smoke exposure have done. Nor can they reverse the wrinkles created by continually pursing your lips around those burning sticks. If you really want to minimize those grooves, here's what to do:

u Quit smoking! Cigarettes steal a gas called nitric oxide from your arteries. This gas gives skin some of its flexibility, so your looks suffer when it's not around. After you quit, nitric oxide levels will return to normal in your arteries and blood flow to your skin will improve, allowing it to regain some flexibility.

u Get a prescription for tretinoin cream (Retin A). This cream can actually reverse wrinkles, increasing the skin's stretchy fibers, rebuilding some damaged collagen and replenishing the skin's natural moisturizer, hyaluronic acid. No non-Rx moisturizer will do as much.

u Get those wrinkles "filled." An injectable filler -- such as one using hyaluronic acid -- will temporarily plump up the crevices.

To erase the lines permanently, you need a heavy hitter, such as laser resurfacing, which blasts away the top layers of skin. Consult at least two dermatologists who specialize in wrinkle removal before going this costly route, especially if you have dark skin.

Q. I'm 69 and had measles when I was in my 30s. Do I still need to get a shingles vaccination? -- Anonymous

A. Yes, but not for the reasons you think. You've got your diseases mixed up: Painful shingles -- a k a herpes zoster -- can occur years after chicken pox, not measles. Even if you don't remember it, you likely had chicken pox as a kid. It's one of the most common childhood diseases, and most Americans over 40 have had it.

The virus can lie dormant in your body for decades, then reactivate and cause the painful rash known as shingles (unless you've already had it, in which case it's known by a few choice words we can't print here). The onetime shingles or zoster vaccine (Zostavax) won't protect you 100 percent, but will do these things:

- You'll have a 50-50 chance of avoiding shingles altogether.

- If you do have an outbreak, it's likely to be less severe and less painful.

- You're 67 percent less likely to develop post-herpetic neuralgia, a sometimes excruciating complication: The rash goes away, but the pain doesn't.

We recommend the vaccine to anyone over 60 who has a normal immune system. It may be less effective after 69, but you still get some protection. And trust us, you want that protection.

Q. What causes high triglycerides? What can I do to lower them? -- Anonymous

A. Triglycerides have a bad reputation, but these fatty molecules serve a useful purpose: storing energy until you need it. However, like wine, chocolate and other basically good things, too much can do you in. Levels above 150 mg/dL of triglycerides in your blood can thicken the walls of your arteries and increase your risk of heart attack and stroke.

Bringing down your triglycerides to healthy levels calls for some serious waist management. That's because belly fat -- specifically, the apron of fat inside your belly known as the omentum -- is a key player in raising your triglyceride levels (not to mention your cholesterol count and pants size). Your ideal waist size is 32� inches if you're female, 35 if you're male.

What you eat can bring these fats down, too. Serve yourself plenty of fish that are high in omega-3 fatty acids, including mackerel, lake trout, herring and salmon. Cut out sugary, refined foods that spike insulin levels and, in turn, raise triglycerides. And, sorry, but give up alcohol. Even a little sends triglycerides skyward.

Submit questions at RealAge.com. Dr. Oz appears on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and gives more advice in his podcast at suntimes.com.

Michael Roizen will sign copies of his books at Borders, 830 N. Michigan, from 5-7 p.m. Saturday.