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Partner Content JUNE 25, 2022

The Best Face Creams for Wrinkles of 2022

You’re going to need to add a face cream to your current routine in order to conquer face wrinkles

The Best Face Creams for Wrinkles of 2022
Best Wrinkle Cream

Best Wrinkle Cream

Unfortunately, everyone ages. And aging means pesky wrinkles appearing on your face, exactly where you don’t want them. Wrinkles are a fact of life for everyone. Unless you’re considering getting Botox treatment, face creams for wrinkles are going to be the best natural way to prevent and manage wrinkles that have begun appearing on your face.

 

The secret to getting rid of those wrinkles lies in your skin-care routine. You’re going to need to add a face cream to your current routine in order to conquer face wrinkles. 

 

There’s a never-ending supply of face creams that all claim to be the most effective. Figuring out which ones are best for taking care of wrinkles can be a daunting task…so daunting, in fact, that you may never start using a face cream. Happily, you don’t have to wander cluelessly through the skin-care aisle. We’ve done the work for you, and have uncovered the face creams that are the most effective for dealing with the enemy. 

 

The 20 best face creams for wrinkles of 2022 promise to fix the wrinkles that are making you self-conscious and prevent them from occurring in the first place.

1. Blu Atlas Anti-Aging Face Moisturizing Cream 

Getting rid of wrinkles is an easy task when you come prepared with Blu Atlas Anti-Aging Face Moisturizing Cream. This all-natural anti-aging face cream will give you the best wrinkle reduction out of all face creams on this list. Formulated with the finest anti-aging ingredients, like vitamin C and seaweed extract, you know you’re getting a high-quality, top-rated face cream to ensure those wrinkles hit the road. 

 

Blu Atlas Anti-Aging Face Moisturizing Cream is often in such high demand that their skin-care products are sold out. All the more reason to get on their list so you can try out this potent anti-aging face cream as soon as possible. For the best anti-aging effects, choose this affordable, vegan face cream. 

2. DRMTLGY Peptide Night Cream

With an average of 4.9 stars out of 500 votes, DRMTLGY Peptide Night Cream has clearly won over their users. This brand wants you to have wrinkle-free skin as soon as possible. Use this peptide-filled cream to defeat those annoying wrinkles. This cream was created with a strong team of three ceramides and five peptides, which are ingredients commonly known for reducing the appearance of wrinkles. 

 

You’re going to be hard-pressed to find another face cream for wrinkles as effective as this one. It’s vegan, fragrance-free, paraben-free and sulfate-free, so you can rest assured you’re only introducing organic ingredients to your fragile skin. Try this peptide cream and watch your face wrinkles improve. 

3. Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare Advanced Retinol + Ferulic Intense Wrinkle Cream

Looking to take care of your deepest wrinkles? Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare Advanced Retinol + Ferulic Intense Wrinkle Cream does a superb job of preventing and managing stubborn face wrinkles. This cream has a velvety consistency that feels amazing between your fingers and on your face. 

 

By using potent skin-firming ingredients like retinol, ferulic acid, rambutan and bakuchiol, this product ensures your wrinkles will soon diminish. This intense wrinkle cream has been clinically proven to give you a full day of hydration, which is important for reducing the appearance of wrinkles. When you choose this cream, you’re deciding on wrinkle-free skin. 

4. Algenist POWER Advanced Wrinkle Fighter Moisturizer

Saying goodbye to wrinkles means picking up a tub of Algenist POWER Advanced Wrinkle Fighter Moisturizer. For an ageless, youthful look, we recommend this anti-aging night cream, which delivers effective wrinkle reduction. With its combination of amino acids and antioxidants, this cream is one of the finest on the market. 

 

This 100% vegan formula will be gentle on your skin, and will brighten a complexion that looks dull and tired. Use this vegan, anti-aging deep wrinkle face cream up to twice a day for optimal results. You can also apply this anti-aging cream to your neck, if needed. 

5. RoC Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Anti-Aging Night Cream

Looking as if you’re constantly stuck at age 21 is possible if you add RoC Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Anti-Aging Night Cream to your daily skin-care routine. This retinol-based night cream is the only one clinically proven to take 10 years off of your age. If you’re after smooth skin, this deep wrinkle cream reigns supreme.

 

Dermatologist-tested and non-comedogenic, this intense anti-aging cream won InStyle’s Best Beauty Buy in 2019. Dr. Anna Gunache, a board-certified dermatologist, stated, “RoC Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Night Cream is a stand out product. It can be used at night to help fight the signs of aging while it amplifies your current regimen to make it work optimally.” 

 

Don’t take Dr. Ganache’s word for it, or ours. Try out this impressive cream yourself to experience the magic it can work on your face. 

6. AHAVA Advanced Deep Wrinkle Cream

Deep wrinkles are no match for the AHAVA Advanced Deep Wrinkle Cream. If you’re troubled with deep wrinkles, this cream will tend to them right away. Alcohol-free, GMO-free, paraben-free and vegan, AHAVA’s Advanced Deep Wrinkle Cream only has gentle, safe ingredients for your skin. 

 

This cream includes Osmoter, which is a moisture skin magnet, and ATPeptide, specifically meant for treating and preventing signs of aging. It can be used twice a day to tackle facial wrinkles, though the frequency will depend on how your skin reacts. 

7. StriVectin Contour Restore Tightening & Sculpting Face Cream

Get your smooth skin back by having StriVectin Contour Restore Tightening & Sculpting Face Cream ready to go on your bathroom counter. Designed with elastin-targeting dipeptides to tighten and firm up your skin, this contouring face cream is a fan favorite for a reason. 

 

Glycolipids make your skin look visibly plump, while thyme extract liposomes restore your face’s natural contour. Their official website includes unretouched before-and-after pictures if you need any more convincing to make this part of your daily skin-care regimen. 

8. Amala Advanced Firming Complex

Having wrinkle-free skin starts with Amala Advanced Firming Complex. This high-potency firming face cream is one of the best face creams for wrinkles. Amala Advanced Firming Complex manages to multitask by reducing the look of deep wrinkles, improving your skin’s elasticity and balancing out uneven skin tone. What else could you want from a face cream meant for wrinkles?

 

Clinically proven in an independent study to provide a reduction in wrinkles in just four weeks, you can expect to have firmer, younger-looking skin after using this face cream religiously. This product is gluten-free, vegan and pregnancy-safe, and has no added synthetic fragrances. Give your face the luxurious, anti-aging treatment it deserves with this premium product from Amala. 

9. Philosophy Line-Correcting Overnight Cream Anti-Wrinkle Miracle Worker

Wrinkles so bad you need a miracle? Well, we’re about to offer you one. Philosophy Line-Correcting Overnight Cream Anti-Wrinkle Miracle Worker will be your new addiction once you begin seeing the amazing skin-firming results it offers. This overnight cream starts working immediately beneath your skin’s surface to give you the wrinkle-free skin you’ve been dreaming of. 

 

This anti-wrinkle formula consists of the most effective skin-firming ingredients, including vitamin C, hyaluronic acid and Indian gentian extract. Get your beauty sleep while miracles are being worked on your skin. Use this overnight, anti-wrinkle face cream right before bed, once every night, and you’ll have the most youthful-looking skin in town.  

10. Paula’s Choice Intensive Repair Cream

What makes Paula’s Choice Intensive Repair Cream different from all the others is the cream’s ability to completely rejuvenate your skin from dry, drab and wrinkly to hydrated, healthy and wrinkle-free. This intensive repair cream is best suited as the last step in your nighttime skin-care routine. Paula’s Choice should be your No. 1 choice for softening the appearance of face wrinkles. 

 

Its rich, luxurious consistency makes this intensive repair cream feel heavenly against your skin. In the cream, you’ll find key ingredients like retinol, hyaluronic acid and an antioxidant blend. With those skin-smoothing ingredients, Paula’s Choice Intensive Repair Cream will ensure you look your best for as long as possible. 

11. SkinCeuticals A.G.E. Interrupter Corrective Wrinkle Cream

This corrective wrinkle cream will never disappoint. When you buy this wrinkle cream, you’re paying for the powerful, stimulating skin-rejuvenating effects of 4% blueberry extract, 30% pro xylane and 0.2% phytosphingosine. Those three active ingredients make for an undeniable improvement in the fitness of your skin. SkinCeuticals A.G.E. Interrupter Corrective Wrinkle Cream is the way to go if you’re feeling stuck about how to get rid of fine lines and wrinkles. 

12. Dr. Barbara Sturm Super Anti-Aging Face Cream

Dr. Barbara Sturm Super Anti-Aging Face Cream is one of the best face creams for wrinkles, no contest. This anti-aging face cream is basically cosmetic surgery in a container. Watch as your wrinkles disappear after you add this advanced anti-aging face cream to your daily skin-care routine. 

 

Fragrance-free, cruelty-free and created with potent hyaluronic acid, this product will firm your skin and those pesky lines will no longer appear. Expect this intense anti-aging cream to provide long-lasting skin firmness. It’s safe for all skin types, so if you want to get rid of wrinkles fast, this is the product you need to check out. 

13. Olay Pro-X Deep Wrinkle Treatment Cream 

Tell your wrinkles it’s eviction time with Olay Pro-X Deep Wrinkle Cream. Specifically formulated for those infuriating deep wrinkles that just won’t go away, this deep wrinkle cream smooths out any unwanted fine lines. A potent blend of peptides, niacinamide and pro-retinol give your skin a youthful lift that only this deep wrinkle cream can provide. 

 

This powerful, fragrance-free, budget-friendly cream delivers on its promise that you’ll never have to deal with wrinkles again. As long as you have this cream in your repertoire, you’ll enjoy seeing your skin become wrinkle-free. 

14. Tatcha Ageless Enriching Renewal Cream 

Does the thought of getting wrinkles make you stressed? Tatcha Ageless Enriching Renewal Cream is the product for you. This enriching face cream provides your skin with a luxurious treatment that makes your skin look as if you went back in time. 

 

Inside this elegant bottle is a rich cream formulated with anti-aging ingredients like peony flower extract, gardenia fruit extract and Hadasei-3. Peony flower extract and gardenia fruit extract work together to firm up your skin’s elasticity, while Hadasei-3 provides radiance. All of these skin-boosting benefits make this ageless face cream a must-try. 

15. PREVAGE Anti-Aging Overnight Cream

Stop spending money on overnight creams that don’t work, and start putting your hard-earned cash toward PREVAGE Anti-Aging Overnight Cream. It’s certainly pricey, but this overnight cream is one of the best when you’re trying to treat or prevent signs of aging due to its key anti-aging ingredients vitamin E acetate, shea butter, cocoa butter and idebenone ester.

 

Get overnight skin-smoothing results with PREVAGE Anti-Aging Overnight Cream. If you have this cream in your bathroom, wrinkles won’t stand a chance. 

16. Revitalizing Supreme+ by Estée Lauder Global Anti-Aging Power Soft Cream

Maintaining wrinkle-free, radiant skin is a simple and quick process with Revitalizing Supreme+ by Estée Lauder Global Anti-Aging Power Soft Cream. This anti-aging cream is gentle enough to use on all skin types and provides SPF 15 protection against UVA/UVB rays.

 

Dermatologist-tested, non-acnegenic and oil-free, this potent anti-aging cream will soon become a favorite. This formula has SPF 15 and moringa extract, which are the keys to providing long-lasting and effective anti-aging results. To fully understand how effective this oil-free, potent cream is, purchase it and discover the magic for yourself. 

17. Skinbetter InterFuse Treatment Cream Face & Neck

Trying to prevent getting wrinkles at all costs? Buy Skinbetter InterFuse Treatment Cream Face & Neck so you can begin to protect yourself from signs of aging showing up on your face and neck. Aging means losing elasticity and firmness in both your face and neck, and no one likes to have saggy skin.  

 

This treatment cream can help with firming your skin’s elasticity, getting it back to where it was by using a peptide-filled formula. Dye-free, fragrance-free, cruelty-free and dermatologist-approved, this treatment cream is the product to use if your face and neck are in serious need of a lift. 

18. Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkle Smoothing Cream

For the best wrinkle-free skin, try Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkle Smoothing Cream. This cream is the only one on this list that can improve fine lines and wrinkles in just two weeks. 

 

In order to get those rapid skin-smoothing results, this cream is created with caffeine, algae, vitamin E and niacinamide. With this wrinkle-smoothing cream, dealing with signs of aging will be the simplest thing you do all year. 

19. Fresh Mini Lotus Anti-Aging Night Moisturizer Cream 

It’s true: Fresh Mini Lotus Anti-Aging Night Moisturizer Cream is one of the most potent skin firming products currently available. This moisturizing face cream is going to be the best for preventing signs of aging from making their appearance. 

 

Formulated with anti-aging ingredients such as algae, vitamin C and vitamin E, this night cream can be used to prevent wrinkles in all skin types. The light consistency of this moisturizing cream absorbs into your skin without weighing it down. One of the best face creams for wrinkles this year, this anti-aging face cream is not one to miss. 

20. Olay Regenerist Anti-Aging Face Moisturizer Cream

If you mean business when it comes to preventing and reducing wrinkles, Olay Regenerist Anti-Aging Face Moisturizer Cream is an excellent choice. Cost-effective and collagen-boosting, this anti-aging moisturizing cream targets fine lines and wrinkles. If you’re about to give up on your wrinkles, try this potent moisturizing cream first. 

 

Hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, vitamin B3+ and collagen-infused peptides make for an hydrating, intense anti-aging treatment for your face. This anti-aging moisturizing cream smooths out all wrinkles, and you’ll end up looking about five years younger than you did yesterday. Get a full day of moisture for your skin, and long-lasting reduction of wrinkles. 

21. Kiehl’s Super Multi-Corrective Anti-Aging Cream for Face and Neck

Getting smooth, youthful, wrinkle-free skin just became a whole lot easier with Kiehl’s Super Multi-Corrective Anti-Aging Cream for Face and Neck. The paraben-free, mineral-oil-free, dye-free formula includes skin-firming vitamin A, skin-boosting chaga mushroom and moisturizing hyaluronic acid. Those three beneficial ingredients work wonders on your face from the very first application. 

 

For a cream you can use on your face and neck, this multi-corrective cream is clinically proven to reduce wrinkles, balance out uneven skin tone and reduce noticeable lines around the eyes. Let this anti-aging cream take care of the skin problems you’re having. 

FAQ: Dealing With Facial Wrinkles

What are the main causes of facial wrinkles?

If you’re worried about wrinkles, you’ll want to know more about what causes them. While some causes of wrinkles can be prevented, others can’t. 

 

Wrinkles can be caused by quite a few things, such as:

 

  • Nicotine levels in your body

  • Getting older 

  • Chronic stress

  • Radiation from UVA/UVB rays

  • Excessive alcohol consumption

  • Unhealthy food choices

  • Free radicals from environmental pollutants 

  • Repetitive facial movements 

Are there ways to keep face wrinkles from appearing?

The best way to actively keep face wrinkles from appearing is to take care of your skin! You can get cosmetic surgery, but you can’t get brand new skin, which is why it’s important to pamper the skin you have.

 

Take extra-special care of the skin you have by making sure to always wear sunscreen, and always have a moisturizer on hand that doesn’t irritate your skin. Double-check that any products you’re using don’t contain ingredients you should be avoiding to prevent common signs of aging like wrinkles and fine lines. 

What are the best ways to go about fixing face wrinkles without getting cosmetic enhancements?

If the thought of a needle entering your face for Botox injections makes you cringe, face, neck or eye creams are going to be the best solution for your wrinkles. 

 

Focus on skin-care products that target your problem areas. For example, if you’re getting wrinkly around the eyes, eye creams will be most helpful. If it’s your neck, focus on creams that work on the face and neck. We listed a couple of face creams that can be safely used on the neck. 

Is it possible to reverse wrinkles?

Wrinkles cannot be fully reversed, but their unwanted appearance can significantly improve with the use of anti-aging face creams like the ones we listed in our best face creams for wrinkles. 

 

Don’t lose hope, because the appearance of wrinkles can be reduced with consistent use of these face creams. Consistent use is crucial if you want to achieve the long-lasting, wrinkle-free results you deserve. 

At what age should I begin using anti-aging skin-care products?

Starting early is key when preventing signs of aging from being visible on your face. A good age range to begin utilizing any anti-aging skin-care products like face creams for wrinkles is around age 21-35. However, you can start during high school if you’re particularly afraid of fine lines and wrinkles. After beginning a regimen, keeping a consistent schedule will help in preventing and treating wrinkles. 

What are the ingredients I should look for in face creams for wrinkles?

It’s important to take note of the ingredients that are beneficial in treating and preventing face wrinkles. The most effective ingredients for dealing with face wrinkles are:

 

  • Retinoids

  • Peptides

  • Collagen

  • Broad-spectrum sunscreen 

  • Vitamin C

  • Niacinamide 

  • Hydroxy acids 

  • Tea extracts

  • Coenzyme 10 

  • Grape seed extract 

  • Jojoba oil

  • Hyaluronic acid 

  • Caffeine

  • Acai oil 

What ingredients should I avoid when searching for a face cream for wrinkles?

Not only must you pay attention to what ingredients benefit wrinkles; you also need to pay attention to the ingredients that worsen signs of aging. The ingredients you shoud avoid at all costs when treating face wrinkles are:

 

  • Sulfates

  • Parabens

  • Formaldehyde 

  • Alcohol (e.g., benzyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, methanol)

  • Mineral oil

  • Synthetic fragrance

Should I quit smoking to help with face wrinkles?

Absolutely. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been smoking for years, or if you’ve been smoking on and off for a few months. Quitting smoking will definitely improve the overall appearance of your face. 

 

Saying goodbye to smoking may be a tough feat, but it’s totally worth it. Quit smoking and watch your skin start to look younger. 

Does a nonprescription wrinkle cream work just as well as a prescription wrinkle cream?

When it comes to managing face wrinkles, prescription wrinkle creams will work better than non-prescription wrinkle creams. 

 

Prescription wrinkle creams have a potent effect, while OTC wrinkle creams will only work for wrinkles that aren’t deep-seated. 

 

The Complete Guide to Choosing a Face Cream 

If you’re unsure how to go about picking out a face cream, here’s a short guide to help you out. 

 

  • Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize! Moisturizing won’t prevent you from getting wrinkles; however, it will help your skin retain moisture, thus making wrinkles look temporarily masked. 

  • Only purchase skin-care products that are formulated to be gentle on your specific skin type. 

  • When you’re picking out any skin-care product meant for your face, double-check that the product contains sunscreen. 

  • Take the time to look at, read and understand what’s inside of the cream. If any of the ingredients seem suspicious or harsh, don’t use it.

  • Stay within your budget! Don’t feel bad if you prefer to stick with cost-effective face creams; the price of a cream doesn’t equate to how effective it is for wrinkles. 

  • Do you need to use the product every day or a couple of times a week? Take this into consideration when purchasing a face cream for wrinkles. 

  • Make an appointment to see a dermatologist. They can give you suggestions on what works for their patients who are dealing with wrinkles, and can prescribe creams you can’t get at the grocery store or pharmacy.

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Studio S OCTOBER 22, 2026

Milan Design + Build Helps San Diegans Remodel With Confidence

The San Diego home remodeling company works on full homes, kitchens, bathrooms, home additions, ADUs, garages, landscapes, and hardscapes.

Milan Design + Build Helps San Diegans Remodel With Confidence
Courtesy of Milan Design

Most homeowners want two things before they commit to a remodel: a realistic sense of cost and a clear picture of what the finished space will look like. Milan Design + Build helps deliver both through its online remodeling estimator and personalized design consultations, supported by a showroom experience and 3D renderings.

“The online estimate gives homeowners a starting number in about a minute, and the showroom and 3D renderings let them see materials and layouts before anything is built,” says David Noriani, CEO of Milan Design + Build. “Keeping design, permits, and construction with one team helps us manage expectations and keep everyone working toward the same vision.”

Courtesy of Milan Design

Modern design is a particular focus for Milan, with an emphasis on clean lines, natural light, functional layouts, and carefully selected materials. The team adapts each design to the homeowner’s lifestyle and the character of the property. Milan Design + Build combines thoughtful design with construction expertise, creating spaces that are as functional as they are beautiful.

The online estimator covers kitchen remodels, bathroom renovations, full-home remodels, and ADU construction. At Milan’s showroom on Carroll Road, visitors can review real materials, finishes, and design options, meet the design-build team, and discuss project scope, budget, and timing. Consultations can also be held virtually for homeowners who prefer to start remotely.

At Milan Design + Build, one integrated team works on the entire project. Design and construction aren’t divided between separate firms. The process begins with a consultation and feasibility review, followed by design, space planning, and 3D renderings developed from detailed measurements and digital scans. The team also coordinates architectural plans, structural engineering, city approvals, and material selection, with construction overseen by a dedicated project manager.

Homeowners can explore their remodeling options, get an initial estimate, or request a design consultation at MilanBuild.com.

Courtesy of Milan Design

Partner Content
Partner Content NOVEMBER 10, 2026

La Jolla Institute for Immunology Announces $55 Million Fundraising Campaign

The Campaign for La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) will fuel scientific innovation and medical advances

La Jolla Institute for Immunology Announces $55 Million Fundraising Campaign
Courtesy of La Jolla Institute for Immunology

Philanthropists and Scientists Join Forces for a Bold $55 Million Campaign

La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) is going public with a bold bet: a $55 million campaign to propel medical research into a new era. The Campaign for LJI will fuel discovery, empower scientific innovation, and expand the impact of immunology on human health. 

The Institute quietly kicked things off in 2023, guided by its Board, campaign volunteers, and early believers. Nearly 80% of the $55 million goal is already in hand. Now LJI is opening the doors and inviting the whole community to carry their visions across the finish line and back discoveries that change how LJI researchers understand, treat, and prevent disease. 

And there’s a bonus. To mark the public launch, LJI Board member and Campaign Honorary Chair Anthony R. Carr is offering a special matching gift so new donors can double their impact. Full details are here. 

The Promise of Immunology

Immunology has already rewritten human history. Advances in immune science helped wipe out smallpox, pushed polio to the brink of elimination, and revolutionized how we prevent and treat infectious disease. Today, immune-based therapies are opening doors for patients with cancer, autoimmune disorders, and other serious illnesses once considered untreatable. 

For nearly four decades, LJI scientists have stood on the front lines, driven by one insight: the immune system shapes disease in virtually every organ in the body. By decoding how the immune system works and how to harness it to prevent and treat disease, LJI researchers are chasing the Institute’s ultimate mission: Life Without Disease®. 

To make that mission real, the Institute pairs world-class scientists with cutting-edge technology, speeding up breakthroughs and turning discoveries into transformative new therapies that ease suffering worldwide. 

The Campaign for LJI supercharges that momentum, uniting the vision of the Institute’s scientists with a community that believes in research. Focused on advancing LJI’s most promising areas of study, the campaign aims to help build a future free from the burden of disease, a goal that demands bold ideas, lasting partnerships, and generous philanthropic support.

The Campaign for LJI will advance research across three critical pillars: 

1. President’s Priority Fund. Flexible, unrestricted dollars let big ideas move now, not later. Scientists can launch high-risk, high-reward projects, bring experts together across disciplines, build transformative technologies, and train tomorrow’s scientific leaders. 

2. Center for Sex-Based Differences in the Immune System. Male and female immune systems don’t respond the same way, and LJI researchers are tracing the fundamental differences down to individual cells and molecular pathways. The Campaign will speed up this pioneering work, revealing hidden drivers of disease and paving the way for more precise, biologically informed therapies for autoimmune disorders, infectious diseases, cancer, and beyond. 

3. Center for Vaccine Innovation. Immunologists, bioengineers, and vaccine experts are teaming up to design the next generation of vaccines and immune-based therapies. With donor support, LJI scientists can engineer longer-lasting and more personalized vaccines, pinpoint the cellular mechanisms driving protective immunity, and refine delivery methods to prevent autoimmune disease and treat cancer. 

A Lasting Impact

As the campaign enters its public phase, LJI welcomes new partners and supporters to join this landmark initiative. Community support is essential to accelerating scientific discovery, and there are many meaningful ways to help shape the future of immunology. Donors may direct their gifts to any campaign priority or other area of interest. As a comprehensive campaign, all gifts to LJI count toward the campaign goal, regardless of designation. Join the campaign, and multiply your impact with our limited-time matching opportunity. 

To explore the campaign, visit imagine.lji.org.

Partner Content
Partner Content NOVEMBER 9, 2026

Paving the Way for New Knee Treatments

Scripps orthopedic surgeons are investigating stem cells as an alternative to joint replacement

Paving the Way for New Knee Treatments
Courtesy of Scripps Health

Shiley Center for Orthopaedic Research and Education at Scripps Clinic recently received a $12.7 million grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine to investigate whether they can transform stem cells into tissue that can repair some types of knee injuries. Currently, if a patient has lost most, if not all, of the cartilage in their knee, then their doctor will recommend a total joint replacement. Joint replacement is safe and effective, but patients who’ve only lost part of their cartilage often don’t qualify. A stem cell-based treatment would provide these patients an option that doesn’t involve donor tissue. Click here for more on the preclinical trial process. 

For more nutrition, wellness, and healthy living tips, sign up for the San Diego Health newsletter here.

Partner Content
Partner Content NOVEMBER 9, 2026

Healing by Design

Artwork throughout the Lusardi Tower at Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas promotes hope and healing

Healing by Design
Courtesy of Scripps Health

The recently opened Lusardi Tower at Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas is a state-of-the-art addition to the hospital staffed by dedicated team members who’ve helped make Scripps one of the nation’s leading healthcare systems. Complementary to that medical excellence, the Lusardi Tower also represents the latest expansion of the Scripps Arts for Healing Program. The philanthropic initiative strategically places nature- and community-based artwork throughout the hospital to support health and well-being. Both Scripps Encinitas and Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla have healing arts programs as part of new building projects and growth on the campuses. Click here to read more about the Healing Arts Program and how residents from a nearby retirement community showed their support. 

For more nutrition, wellness, and healthy living tips, sign up for the San Diego Health newsletter here.

Partner Content
Partner Content NOVEMBER 4, 2026

A Guide to South Park

From century-old Craftsman homes to vegan fantasy bars, dive bars, and a tiki room built for exactly two people, this is one of San Diego’s great little neighborhoods

You may not realize it, but Balboa Park is bigger than Central Park (in fact, 1.5 times larger). Pressed right up against its southeastern edge is a little architecture farm built on old trolley bones, where houses look like someone was collecting architectural styles and local businesses are still run by people who seem personally invested in keeping this place interesting.

This is South Park. 

To understand why it feels the way it does today—less like one commercial strip and more like a handful of tiny villages—you have to go back to the trolley.

How the Trolley Built South Park

The land that became the original South Park Addition (the subdivision’s original name) was surveyed in 1870 and officially filed in 1890, but the neighborhood really started becoming a neighborhood in the early 1900s. The Bartlett Estate Company began developing and marketing the tract in earnest around 1906, pairing lots and new homes with something extremely useful if you lived outside Downtown in the horse-and-buggy era: an electric streetcar.

On May 1, 1906, the South Park and East Side Railway made its first trip. Developers didn’t just build near transportation; they helped pay for the transportation, then used it to sell the dream. Downtown had industry, noise, and congestion. Out here were palms, sidewalks, utilities, room to breathe and a four-cent ride back to the city.

It worked. Homes began filling in around the streetcar route, and little commercial clusters grew around the places where people got on and off. That transportation pattern is still written into South Park’s geography. Some of the neighborhood’s odd street geometry is also due in part to the trolley—the old line cut across parcels instead of politely obeying the grid, leaving behind pieces of land that later businesses learned to build around. Places like Station Tavern sit on the former easement and station site of San Diego’s No. 2 trolley line.

Then San Diego went big for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition in neighboring Balboa Park. The exposition transformed much of the park and helped push the city through another burst of building and growth. South Park was right there to absorb some of that momentum.

And the people building houses here had taste.

Walk the residential streets now and it can feel like somebody planted an architectural sample garden: Craftsman, Prairie, Mission Revival, Tudor Revival, Spanish Colonial Revival. Creedence Clearwater Revival. All the revivals. The neighborhood includes work by Irving Gill, one of the defining architects of early modern California; Gill-designed Prairie homes still stand along Granada Avenue.

The city formally designated the South Park Historic District in 2017, recognizing roughly 400 properties and a period of significance stretching from 1906 through 1949. In other words, a lot of what makes the place feel old is actually old.

South Park Today

While the trolley eventually disappeared, the basic idea behind it didn’t. South Park is still a neighborhood organized around little pockets of human activity: a couple blocks where you can buy a record, drink a beer, find a 60-year-old lamp, eat a vegan burger beneath gothic beasts, browse a bookstore, and walk home past a century-old Craftsman.

The 30th-and-Fern area may be the clearest example. Several surviving buildings there date to South Park’s early development, including the old Fire Station No. 9, Rose Grocery building, and Burlingame Garage. What began as infrastructure for a young streetcar suburb became the neighborhood’s commercial heart.

That history is also partly why buying a house here can be competitive. There isn’t some endless supply of vacant land waiting around the corner for another subdivision. Much of the neighborhood filled in generations ago, and the architecture itself is part of the appeal.

San Diego Mag’s been documenting the city for 78 years. And we’ve been looking for a partner who loved the city enough to help us tell its stories. Redfin is that partner. They’re helping us tell the story of some of the city’s most unique neighborhoods. They launched Redfin Early Access this year to get their people in first and to see certain coming-soon and exclusive listings on Redfin before they appear on other major real-estate sites.

First up: South Park.

Here are some of the people and places worth knowing here:

Whistle Stop Bar

Big Kitchen Cafe

Start with Judy “the Beauty” Forman, because it’s difficult to explain South Park without her. The former social worker bought Big Kitchen in 1980 and turned a neighborhood breakfast joint into a gathering place for artists, musicians, activists, politicians, eccentrics, and pretty much anyone who needed somewhere to belong. As Judy puts it, “I built this for people who others passed over.”

One of those people was a young single mom named Whoopi Goldberg, who worked as a dishwasher here before the Whoopi Goldberg part of her career happened. Today Big Kitchen still serves breakfast and lunch Thursday through Monday.

3003 Grape Street

Whistle Stop Bar

Whistle Stop reopened in 2001, right as South Park’s little independent-business ecosystem was finding a new generation. Owner Sam Chammas—also connected to Live Wire and, later, Station Tavern—helped turn it into the kind of neighborhood bar where the calendar can jump from a DJ night to live bands to some strange communal event nobody at a normal sports bar would propose.

The room still has that laid-back, slightly sweaty house-party quality. Check what’s happening before you go, because Whistle Stop changes personality depending on the night: sometimes neighborhood beer, sometimes everyone dancing beneath the disco ball like work tomorrow was canceled.

2236 Fern Street

Station Tavern

Station Tavern may be the most literal example of old South Park becoming new South Park. It opened in 2009 on land once crossed diagonally by the No. 2 trolley line, and architect Lloyd Russell incorporated that history into the design rather than pretending the weirdly shaped lot wasn’t weirdly shaped. The project won the San Diego Architectural Foundation’s Grand Orchid Award the same year it opened.

Sam Chammas built the place as an open-air burger-and-beer spot with big communal tables, a backyard, room for kids, and room for dogs. It still works exactly that way: get a burger, get the tots, let everybody spread out, stay awhile.

2204 Fern Street

Kindred + Throne Room

Kindred arrived in late 2015 looking nothing like the beige-and-leafy vegan restaurant stereotype. The place went full gothic fever dream—heavy music, wild cocktails, decadent plant-based food—and eventually collected national vegan accolades plus local Restaurant of the Year and design honors.

And in 2026, it got even weirder. Hidden behind a chain-mail passage inside Kindred is Throne Room, a medieval-fantasy cocktail chamber whose mythology grew out of a Dungeons & Dragons-inspired map the Kindred team created for a 2017 Coachella pop-up. The 90-minute experience has scroll menus, plant-based mezze, cocktails and zero interest in pretending restaurants need to behave normally.

1503 30th Street

Bad Madge & Co.

Vinyl Junkies Record Shack

Vinyl Junkies has good music-scene DNA. Founder Eric Howarth previously ran indie label Hi-Speed Soul, whose roster included acts like Nada Surf and Swervedriver, then teamed with Casbah owner Tim Mays after the pair had spent years putting on Vinyl Junkies record swaps.

They opened the South Park brick-and-mortar shop in 2017, and it remains a buy-sell-trade temple for people who understand that owning music on a physical object is irrational in exactly the right way. Go flip through the new arrivals. Leave holding something you had absolutely no intention of buying.

2235 Fern Street

Bad Madge & Co.

Bad Madge is what happens when “vintage store” doesn’t quite explain the situation. Owner Tanya McAnear and her team fill the shop with furniture, clothing, barware, records, art, jewelry, collectibles, and various objects that seem like they may know things about their previous owners. The shop opened in 2011 and has made reuse and upcycling part of its identity ever since. Go in without looking for anything specific—specificity will only slow you down.

2205 Fern Street

Thread + Seed

Across the neighborhood’s vintage-and-vinyl universe sits Thread + Seed, a local boutique built around clothing, denim, gifts, and personal styling. Its South Park shop has an especially deep denim program—petite, tall, wide-leg, straight, flare—and the store also offers one-on-one styling built around color and body type. In other words, this is where you go after deciding the jeans currently on your body have betrayed you. South Park understands that sometimes personal renewal begins with pants.

2220 Fern Street

The Book Catapult

Seth Marko started The Book Catapult as a book blog in 2006. In 2017, he and his wife, Jennifer Powell, turned it into an actual bookstore in South Park, specializing loosely in fiction, local interest, and children’s books while maintaining the more important bookseller skill: putting something into your hands that you didn’t know you needed.

There are staff picks, author events, signed books, and the dangerous possibility of walking in for one title and emerging with four. Because no one ever died thinking, “I shoulda read less.”

3010-B Juniper Street

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Partner Content NOVEMBER 3, 2026

Tastemakers Fall 2026: Valle

Chefs, restaurateurs, sommeliers, and craft mixers - meet our 2026 Tastemakers, the minds behind the magic.

Tastemakers Fall 2026: Valle
E-SDM—Valle-2026—Tastemakers_WEB

Roberto Alcocer, Chef

Chef Roberto Alcocer showcases all that Mexican cuisine and culture has to offer at Oceanside’s Valle. The Michelin-guide recommended restaurant takes inspiration and techniques from all over Mexico—with a heavy Baja influence—and blends them with local San Diego ingredients to create original and delectable contemporary Mexican cuisine. The seasonal tasting menu allows Chef Alcocer to experiment with the freshest available ingredients, creating dishes that defy guests’ expectations, while the wine list features more than 100 labels from Mexican artisans. Even the restaurant’s walls are a celebration of Mexican culture, all decorated with work from artists of Baja.

“My favorite part of being a chef of Valle is being able to showcase the Mexico that I know to everyone who visits,” Chef Alococer says. “Not only through the food, but with the design, culture, and welcoming service.”  

Try This!

Lobster Taco: Flour sourdough tortilla with lobster shell bisque and local red spiny lobster

Valle

222 North Pacific Street, Oceanside, California 92054
866-723-8906  | valleoceanside.com

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