Jim Rosenau

Is Cosmetic Anti Aging Helping Our Skin?

Why does our skin age? Does cosmetic anti aging benefit our skin? There are alternatives to anti aging, and most are with in our control.

As our skin ages, we look in the mirror and notice wrinkles, sagging skin and age spots. Our skin appears to age the older we are. Our bodies start slowly producing collagen, unlike our younger years, when our body produces at a much faster pace. Collagen is the primary reason why the skin does not develop wrinkles. Collagen is a protein found in our bodies. It connects and supports our body tissues such as the skin. The skins elastic production also slows down. We no longer can pull our skin and see the elasticity bounce back. It takes a little longer to restore back to its tighter state. As time goes by our skin produces new skin causing the old skin to shed off our bodies. The older you get the less new skin cells are produced. Most of these effects start happening in our 20's. It usually takes years to notice all these changes. That is why so many people feel by the time their in their 30's and 40's, their skin has appeared to age more. A lot of these signs are thinning of the skin where their blood vessels appear more visible. Wrinkles begin to show and their cheeks and eye sockets begin to look hollowed. Many people experience dry and itchy skin also, while others experience hair loss or graying of the hair. Women tend to grow more facial hair. Little can be done to change our genetics, however there are other factors that cause our skin to age. Sun exposure is very hard on your skin. People are obsessed with having that golden tan body. If you do not protect yourself from the suns exposure it can cause severe sun spots or maybe even cause fatal skin cancers. Smoking can be deadly to your internal body but is also one of the free radicals that cause our skin to age. Quitting smoking can be beneficial to your over all health, but we will move on talking about our skin. Aside from the natural degeneration of cells brought by the aging process, several external factors also contribute to aging. And since it is essential for everyone to look young and beautiful, the invention of cosmetic anti aging treatment became popular.

Doctors and surgeons have discovered many different procedures to help you maintain a younger look. Bot ox injection is the use of botulinum toxin which enhances the soft tissue and collagen. It usually takes a few days before you enjoy the effects. Like anything else it usually does not last and requires you to receive more injections. Chemical peels remove the dead skin on top of the new skin. By removing the dead cells, it leaves you with a healthier looking skin. The lines disappear and the skin appears to be smoother. Another anti aging process was discovered by doctors when they were treating patients with severe scares. They found that a procedure called laser resurfacing actually removed lines and wrinkles in the skin. It also eliminated age spots and the skin looked amazing. These are just a few anti aging procedures that can make your skin look young and beautiful. However these are procedures, and the effects are worth it, but the cost can damage your wallet.

Are there alternatives to any of these procedures? Well if you look around there are products you can use to help your skin. The most common answer would be lotions and moisturizers. Moisturizers and lotions now days have combinations of vitamins, minerals and special herbs that help protect you from those free radicals we have been talking about. Even though these are incredible for your skin, there are actions you can take to keep your skin looking young and healthy. How about the food we eat. Studies show that by eating vegetables and citrus fruits, not only help our over all health, but also help your skin. Vegetables have a built in mechanism called antioxidants. These fight off dangerous toxins in our body which make us age even faster. Antioxidants contain vitamin C and E and also have trace elements like selenium. All these protect us from the free radicals that we are trying to control. Fruits and vegetables that are high in lycopene, which also is an antioxidant, leaves a deposit in the liver, lungs, prostate gland, colon and skin. Lycopene tends to have a higher concentration in the body tissue such as the skin. There are many super foods that benefit not only our skin but our health. Scientists now believe that by increasing the body's intake of antioxidants, one can stay healthy longer. The challenge is finding the right antioxidants, in the right amounts, to effectively target the different types of free radicals in the body. Having a younger look, or even a healthier look, can be accomplished with some research and a little time to apply what we have talked about.

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