Friday, December 5, 2008

Anti Wrinkle Cream

By Julie Samtsonn

Okay, so we're all getting older, right? Yes, right, but even though this is true, we can still look our best.

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 pause a moment before we go into what makes anti-wrinkle cream effective and consider the reasons your skin starts to age and wrinkle. As we age common problems arise; among them age spots, sagging, wrinkling etc. There can be a number of reasons for this. Sometimes it is just hereditary and other times our lifestyle and habits effect our skin. Here is what happens as your skin begins to age. You will experience a decrease in collagen, your skin does not generate as many new cells and to make matters worse accumulation of "free radicals" prevents new skin cells from being properly formed.

Although skin on the face will without question wrinkle to some extent as we get older, we can help reverse some of those effects of aging with a good antiwrinkle cream. Of course, we also have to make good choices with diet, exercise, and proper hydration, as well as avoiding smoking and getting enough sleep if we want to look younger.

The market is full of anti-wrinkle creams and anti-aging remedies but the really good ones will have a few of the following ingredients:

Retinol is an effective substance found in anti-wrinkle creams. It is an antitoxidant and a by-product of vitamin A. It helps to increase skin cell generation and eliminate free radicals. A 20 year old skin will be replaced in about 28 days but a 40 year old skin can take up to 42 days and more to be replaced. This means that as we get older this process of skin replacement needs to go at a faster rate. Retinol dissolves the old outer skin and allows the new skin to emerge.

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 another antioxidant that's many times more potent than traditional antioxidants, which neutralize free radicals. This is beneficial to skin because free radicals contribute to aging. Some studies suggest that it may also help stimulate collagen growth.

Kinetin may help encourage collagen growth and help skin keep its moisture. This helps your skin look younger. However more research needs to be done on this substance.

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.

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