Plastic Surgery Articles

According to the American Academy of Dermatology, nearly 80 percent of aging skin is due to exposure to the elements. We can’t spend our lives hiding from the sun, but we can certainly take it into account every day instead of just on those recreational days outdoors.

The experts in skin care maintain that we should take the same precautionary measures in our 20s that older women use, protecting from skin damage before it has begun to show. Sun damage is a fact of life and it’s aging our skin from childhood forward. The best way to minimize skin repair treatments at middlke age is to care for our skin as if damage is already evident in younger years.

Protection

Regardless of age or protection, the sun s going to have some affect on an active person. Ultraviolet rays destroy collagen and elastin which are the active human elements that keep skin looking young and healthy.  Elastin is no longer manufactured after adolescence and collagen that is destroyed by exposure is not necessarily replaced naturally.  That’s when the aging process sets in and skin begins to sag, to show fine lines and perhaps begin to discolor.  There are also man made elements that are harmful to the skin – various types of airborne contaminants including cigarette smoke, pesticides and urban pollution – these factors are known as free radicals.

In any case, there are an overwhelming number of products on the market for skin protection and restoration of aging skin.  The best of them all have certain ingredients that you should know about.  Antioxidants are the basis for the best products that fight the effects of free radicals.  These include vitamin C, vitamin E, glutathione, pomegranate, idebenone, grape seed extract and alpha lipoic acid.  It is recommended that one or more of these supplements be taken in conjunction with the use of a strong sunblock.

Restoration

There are ingredients in the better skin creams and medications that contribute to the production of collagen and elastin.  There are several chemical categories to look for.

• Pepitdes are proteins that stimulate collagen and elastin synthesis. Putting it on your skin stimulates your body to produce additional collagen, provided the cream can penetrate the skin.   The most popular signal peptide for cosmetic use is palmitoyl pentapeptide (Matrixyl) which can be found in a number of skin creams.

 

• Retinol is derived from vitamin A, and can provide support for a number of biological functions.  In cosmetics, vitamin A derivatives are used as anti-aging chemicals- vitamin A is absorbed through the skin and increases the rate of skin turnover. That function in turn increases collagen which results in a more youthfulappearance.  Retinoid acid is used for acne treatment.

 

• DMAE is the everyday name for dimethylaminoethanol, an organic compound.  It is an ingredient naturally found in human nerve tissue and in some species of fish.  DMAE has been heavily researched as a drug that can improve memory functions; it is also used in facial creams because it has a skin tightening effect.  When used on a regular basis,the tightening effect will help reduce the facial sagging that comes with age.

 

There are many other natural extracts and minerals, drawn from a wide range of sources can have proven to work in the effort to maintain healthy skin.  Some are protective in nature, some are stimulants to collagen production and some have an impact on the texture of the skin.

There are many other natural extracts and minerals, drawn from a wide range of sources can have proven to work in the effort to maintain healthy skin.  Some are protective in nature, some are stimulants to collagen production and some have an impact on the texture of the skin.

The cosmetics industry is peppered with exotic extracts that are added to creams and lotions with claims of tangible benefits to aging skin.  It is worth a little effort to seek out opinions on these ingredients online – it’s an easy process and it will help in your selection of products.  If you can read cosmetic labels knowledgeably you can find the active ingredients you need based on content rather than price.