Anti Ageing
The use of anti-ageing skin care products continues to rise each year; this is due primarily to the fact we are all living longer and want to continue looking younger as we age. The skin care industry uses beauty products that increase the synthesis of the protein collagen, the main protein in skin which becomes less elastic as we age; twenty-five per cent of the skin’s protein is collagen. Collagen is a member of another family of substances that aid in reducing the signs of ageing. we call them antioxidants, they aid the repair of cell damage associated with cell damage.
Probably the best known of these anti-oxidants is vitamin C although no-one really knows just how much we should have each day. 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.
Manufacturers are trying alternative skin care treatments to vitamin C that do not have this oxidization problem or cost as much to produce. Although these products are good, they cannot actually compare with vitamin C but fortunately vitamin E and alpha-lipoic acid are also anti-oxidants so can be used to gain the same effect.
Vitamin E is an antioxidant and component of human blood whose purpose is to help increase the body’s immune system; one particular disease it may help to prevent is certain types of cancer. Lipoic acid is found in every single human cell and helps provide energy; it is also known to combat the signs of aging very effectively by repairing skin damage caused by the aging process.
Phytochemicals aren’t produced by the body but are extracted from a number of plants and used in many anti-ageing skin care products to combat the signs of ageing. A further benefit of these phytochemicals is their ability to prevent the onset of certain cancers; for instance Cancer of the Prostate Cancer that attacks the Breast Cancer of the Bowel - These three types of cancer are also becoming a global problem.
Some B-vitamins like B5, B6 and B12 are also in use for anti-ageing skin care products. The field of anti-ageing skin care products is vast and needs a great deal more research. There is no doubt that what has been learned so far is only a small part of the jigsaw puzzle; each year, more is learnt about this topic so reducing the effects of age on the body is just a matter of time.
There may be many challenges still to overcome but in time scientists believe they will succeed in producing more effective anti-ageing skin care products that are less expensive and available to more people. At the moment though, science is still behind the field of natural anti-aging methods; we must not forget however, that there are many more natural methods we can all use to reduce the signs of aging on a regular basis. 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 ageing process.