May 14, 2008

Tips On Anti-Aging Skin Care Products

by James Redder

The use of anti-aging skin care products has grown enormously over the last two decades; reducing the visible signs of ageing is the goal for many people as they grow older, and why shouldn't it be? This is done using skin care products that encourage the growth of the protein collagen which happens to be the main source of the protein used in the connective tissue of skin; with around a quarter of our skin protein being collagen, the importance of this substance has not gone unnoticed. Collagen is related to other natural substances which help to slow down the ageing process; this group is called antioxidants and apart from their cell repairing ability, they may be able to reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease.

Although the benefits of vitamin C (an anti-oxidant) are well documented, it is still debated as to what our daily amount should be. Skin care treatments that are based on vitamin C, pose the problem of becoming oxidized themselves as they come into contact with air during their usage.

Other skin care treatments which mimic the effects of vitamin C are being tried all the time. They seek to be more stable in the atmosphere and also cheaper to produce. While vitamin E and lipoic acid are not as effective as vitamin C they are anti-oxidants as well.

The body uses vitamin E as an antioxidant and is also used to increase the natural defense we have against disease, including many types of cancer, it is a fat soluble vitamin in people's blood. Lipoic acid is also an energy making component of the body, found in every cell, it can also help reduce the aging process which affects the skin.

Another group of products used to reduce the visible signs of aging are phytochemicals which are compounds extracted from various plants and used in many anti-aging skin care products. A further benefit of these phytochemicals is their ability to prevent the onset of breast cancer, prostate cancer and colon cancer all of which are on the increase globally.

It has also been discovered that there are anti-aging benefits to vitamins B5, B6 and B12. Although the area of anti-aging skin care products is huge, more is being learned about the whole aging process and about natural products that can reduce the effects it has on our bodies as well as our skin.

In time new discoveries will be made advancing our understanding of the aging process and products that can reduce or reverse the effects more successfully. The amount of research going on in this field will undoubtedly bring results in time, hopefully bringing down the cost of these anti-aging skin care products in addition to increasing their reliability.

However, man-made skin care regimes should be used only as a supplement; they cannot replace natural skin care remedies. Drinking plenty of water, getting a good night's sleep, exercising regularly, maintaining healthy eating habits and keeping stress at bay are an essential means of delaying the aging process.

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Filed under Health & Fitness by James Redder

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