Anti Ageing
It is quite normal to expect people to want to look attractive and this might explain why anti-ageing skin care products are so successful; the growth in popularity is due in no small part to the fact that we are all living and working longer. 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; collagen is so abundant, it makes up about a quarter of the total protein content of structural protein found in skin. Most anti-ageing products (collagen included) fall into a category of natural everyday products we all use; we call them antioxidants, they aid the repair of cell damage associated with cell damage.
Although the benefits of vitamin C (an anti-oxidant) are well documented, it is still debated as to what our daily amount should be. Vitamin C formulated skin care treatments suffer with a particular problem of oxidizing on contact with the air which causes a problem for users and manufacturers.
Other skin care treatments which mimic the effects of vitamin C are being tried all the time which are hoped to be more stable in the atmosphere and also cheaper to produce. These alternative products are not as effective as vitamin C but vitamin E and lipoic acid are anti-oxidants and are now being used.
The body uses vitamin E as an antioxidant and to increase the natural defense we have against sickness; it has many functions including inhibiting the formation of cancer cells. On the other hand, lipoic acid or alpha-lipoic acid is necessary for energy production which keeps us alive; an additional function is to repair skin damage caused by the normal aging process.
Another group of products used to reduce the visible signs of ageing are phytochemicals which are compounds extracted from various plants and used in many anti-ageing skin care products. Like lipoic acid, phytochemicals help reduce the occurrence of cancers; examples of these are Prostate Cancer in Men Cancer that attacks the Breast Cancer of the Colon - These types of cancer are also becoming some of the most prevalent worldwide.
Other vitamins from the B group are also used in anti-ageing skin care like vitamins B5, B6 and B12 for example. The use of anti-ageing skin care products is a huge scientific field to research and has far greater potential than just producing goods that reduce the visible signs of age. A great deal about the aging process has already been learned and the products available today are already far more advanced than ten years ago; with the number of genetic discoveries made in recent years, it is only a matter of time before conquering the effects of age is commonplace.
Hopefully, these challenges will get resolved in due course and better and cheaper anti-ageing skin care products will be produced. However, man-made skin care regimes should be used only as a supplement; fortunately there is a number of natural anti-aging regimes that can be carried out that do not rely on science. Simple things that can make a difference in slowing the signs of ageing; these include physical activity, restful sleep, maintaining good dietary habits and removing stress from your life.