Sunday, December 19, 2010

Anti-Wrinkle Creams

Aging is a sad fact of life, particularly when it begins to affect our appearance. Usually in our early to mid-30s, we begin to notice very tiny cracks, particularly around the eyes and the mouth. Over time, these become more and more pronounced, until they become full-fledged wrinkles in our 50s or 60s. It’s not fun, but there’s no way around it, so the best thing to do is accept it with good humor.
However, anti-wrinkle creams can help to give the skin at least temporary relief from the physical effects of aging. While anti-wrinkle products vary in quality, they generally work by restoring the skin’s firmness and reducing the appearance of wrinkles.
Why Does Skin Age?
Youthful skin looks the way it does because of its abundant, young, and healthy collagen. Unlike other cells in the body that regularly die and replicate, collagen cells stay around and are not replaced for 30 years or so. Thus, when the cells begin to break down and become damaged, they do not get replaced, and this is what leads to wrinkling. In other words, the visually effects of aging on the skin are literally caused by damaged, broken collagen cells.
Collagen breakdown can result from any number of things. The biggest culprit is sun damage, which is why it’s so important to avoid prolonged sun exposure and to use sunscreen even in the winter. Other causes are smoking, prolonged poor hydration, and excess cortisol. All of these things can cause the collagen and other skin cells to lose their youthful luster. When these effects spread over the millions of cells that make up the skin, wrinkles begin to appear.
Types of Anti-Wrinkle Cream
Many of the more popular types of anti-wrinkle cream use retinol, which is a form of vitamin A. Retinol, sometimes referred to as tretinoin, helps to encourage the rate of cell turnover, which can lead to an increase in collagen and other skin cells, leading to a more youthful appearance in the skin. Among all the anti-wrinkle cream ingredients, retinol has been best studied and is believed to have the most long-term effects.
Other types of creams use glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), which are naturally produced by the body to help the tissues maintain integrity. Basically, it’s a natural lubricant. Topical creams that use GAGs are thought to provide only a temporary solution to existing wrinkles, but they may help prevent future wrinkles from developing.
Many other types of creams operate with a simple strategy: They encourage skin renewal by getting rid of old materials, including dead skin and damaged cells. Alpha and beta hydroxy acids are often used for this purpose. Essentially, they help slough away the outermost layer of dead skin, causing your body to naturally accommodate the loss by producing new cells.

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