Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Discovering Anti-Wrinkle Creams

By Julie Samtsonn

There is no doubt about it we are not getting any younger. However despite this fact there is no reason that we cannot still look good.

In these enlightened times there is no reason for anyone to have dry skin. This is because there are just so many anti-wrinkle creams and potions available to us. They all claim to make our skin supple smooth and young looking even though we are technically "over the hill."

Let us think about the reasons your skin starts to age before reflecting on the factors that make anti-wrinkle cream work. As we advance in years our skin begins to reflect our age. We begin to experience wrinkles, sagging skin and age spots. Of course there can be many reasons for this. Prolonged exposure to the sun, smoking, heavy drinking, and even genetics can play their part in skin aging. Your skin gradually undergoes changes as you age. You will find that collagen will decrease and there is often an increase in "free radicals" which will deteriorate your skin.

You will find that your skin will naturally wrinkle as you age, regardless of what you do. However a good quality anti-wrinkle cream can help to slow the process down and even reverse some of the effects of skin aging. Bear in mind that your lifestyle will also affect skin aging. Diet and drinking enough fluids will affect your skin, as will habits like smoking, drinking and getting enough sleep.

There is a glut of anti-wrinkle creams and anti-aging potions on the market but it is good to know that the best ones will have ingredients like the following in them:

One of these ingredients is called retinol. It is a very effective part of anti-wrinkle cream. As well as being derived from vitamin A it is also a powerful antitoxidant. It will also help the skin to rejuvenate itself. It is a fact that a 20 year old will experience complete outer skin replacement in 28 days, however a 40 year old person will take twice as long. This means that as we age we will need to quicken up the process of skin rejuvenation. Retinol does this by dissolving the old skin layer and allowing the new skin to come.

Alpha hydroxy acids and the newer beta and poly hydroxy acids are acids derived from fruit. These acids are exfoliants, which means it removes the outer layer of skin and encourages fresh new skin to appear from beneath. This is similar to one of retinol's functions, but hydroxy acids produce a minor "injury" to the skin that also encourages new collagen growth to occur in the skin layers themselves. One drawback to hydroxy acids is that they do make you much more photosensitive, so always wear sunscreen when you're out in the sun.

Coenzyme Q 10 is a powerful antioxidant; in fact it is one of the strongest out there. Its purpose is to neutralize free radicals. These free radicals are toxins that damage new skin cells and make your skin age faster. It is also thought that this substance will stimulate the growth of collagen.

It is thought that Kinetin may help to moisturize the skin and increase collagen growth. It is relatively new and more clinical trials must be done to see the real results.

Keep in mind as well that when you're looking for the most effective anti-wrinkle cream possible, don't look at price tag. Price really has very little to do with how effective an antiwrinkle cream is. Instead, do your own research, look for reviews of products online, and choose based upon what others say about a particular cream's effectiveness. This will not only save you some money, but will give you an effective antiwrinkle cream you can be happy with. - 16004

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