Antiaging - What Helps?
Peoples’ preoccupation with antiaging skin care products that claim to make you look younger is not surprising; this is due primarily to the fact we are all living longer and want to continue looking younger as we age. Skin is important so a great deal of effort goes into the preparation of beauty products especially those that increase the production of collagen, which is the primary protein in skin; with around a quarter of our skin protein being collagen, the importance of this substance has not gone unnoticed. This category of skin products is in fact related to another group of everyday products that help reduce the signs of aging; this group is called antioxidants which are natural chemicals found in many foods and our body.
Although the benefits of vitamin C (an anti-oxidant) are well documented, it is still debated as to what our daily amount should be. Unfortunately all skin care treatments that use vitamin C have the problem of atmospheric oxidization to contend
with once the product is exposed to the air.
To get around this some skin care treatments are based on derivatives of vitamin C, which are more stable and less
expensive. Unfortunately the anti-oxidant products used to replace vitamin C are not as effective but as vitamin E and lipoic
acid can both have the same effect; this is not too much of a problem.
Vitamin E is an antioxidant and component of human blood whose purpose is to help increase the body’s immune system;
it helps build resistance against infection like cancer for example. Lipoic acid is also an energy making component of the body,
found in every cell; it is also able to help reduce and restore the skin’s aging process.
Other compounds called phytochemicals have proved to be beneficial in the formulation of antiaging skin care products;
they are removed from various plants. A secondary but more important use of phytochemicals is the effect they have on the
prevention of some strains of cancer; these include:
- Cancer of the Prostate
- Breast Cancer in Women (and occasionally men)
- Colon Cancer
These types of cancer are also becoming some of the most prevalent worldwide.
It has also been discovered that there are anti-aging benefits to vitamins B5, B6 and B12. This is a vast area that
has the potential for many new anti aging skin care products and services in the future but research needs to continue.
Whilst a great deal has been learned about this subject, it is only the tip of the iceberg; there is still a long way to go however,
before methods that successfully reduce the effects of age are commonplace.
With the research that is now taking place, many people are confident that in time, more effective, cheaper antiaging
skin care products will be discovered. A person should never accept that everything science devises in relation to skin care
and antiaging is always going to be the best; man-made products may never replace those that are available naturally!
Regular sleep patterns, exercise, a good healthy diet and less stress will all contribute to reducing the signs of ageing, for instance!
