It is not surprising that one of the largest markets in the world of health and beauty is anti-ageing skin care products; 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; almost 25 percent of the protein in skin is actually collagen. Collagen is a member of another family of substances that aid in reducing the signs of ageing. this group is called antioxidants and apart from their cell repairing ability, they may be able to reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease.
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.
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.
The body uses vitamin E as an antioxidant and to increase the natural defense we have against sickness; 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 can also help reduce the aging process which affects the skin.
Other compounds called phytochemicals have proved to be beneficial in the formulation of anti-ageing skin care products; they are removed from various plants. Like lipoic acid, phytochemicals help reduce the occurrence of cancers; these include:
* Prostate Cancer
* Cancer of the Breast
* Cancer of the Bowel
These are some of the most common (and increasingly so) cancers in the world today.
Some B-vitamins like B5, B6 and B12 are also in use for anti-ageing skin care products. This is a vast area that has the potential for many new anti-ageing skin care products and services in the future but research needs to continue. Although current regimes are quite effective, there are many ways to combat the effects of time; there is still a long way to go however, before methods that successfully reduce the effects of age are commonplace.
Hopefully, these challenges will get resolved in due course and better and cheaper anti-ageing skin care products will be produced. Scientific research into anti-aging products is still in the early stages but they should never be relied upon; 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!
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