Collagen & Elastin
« Previous EntriesOver the Counter Wrinkle Remedies – Sorting Through the Latest Fads
Monday, July 12th, 2010
Over the counter wrinkle remedies may contain a number of ingredients or only one. Hyaluronic acid has become a popular choice for creams and lotions, but doctors say that it does nothing when applied topically. The reason for its inclusion in cosmetics has nothing to do with its effectiveness.
Hyaluronic acid, collagen, elastin and an assortment of synthetic fillers will stretch out wrinkles when they are injected into the deepest of the skin’s layers. The injections are widely advertised. They have different brand names. You have probably heard some of them.
They are available at day spas, dermatologist’s offices and from cosmetic surgeons. They range in price from $400 to $1000 per shot. The immediate effects may wear off in as little as three months. The effects provided by the so-called “collagen boosters” will not appear for several months.
So, if your goal is to look great for your daughter’s wedding, then a hyaluronic acid injection might be a good choice. It is less likely to form hardened nodules under the skin’s surface. It can easily be dissolved with another injection if you don’t like the results. But, if you are looking for effective rub-on wrinkle remedies, it won’t do a thing.
You might say that cosmetic manufacturers are riding the coattails of the injection’s popularity. The companies did the same thing when collagen injections were the “in” thing. They use advertising claims like “safe Botox alternative” or “no needle cure for wrinkles”. The truth is that none of these solutions are cures.
Some creams and lotions are beneficial as long as you use them on a regular basis. Using the term “cure” leads people to believe that you can use it once and never have to bother with it again.
There are effective topical wrinkle remedies, but they must be used on a daily basis for three weeks to three months before you see optimum results. Optimum in this sense means that you might notice some improvement early on, but you will see even more as time goes by.
If you stop using the cream, lotion or gel, the benefits will fade away. It’s kind of like staying out of the sun.
Dermatologists say that if you protect your face from the sun consistently for six months, you will look five years younger. Your skin will look smoother and more even-toned. But, a day at the beach will redo the damage.
Topically applied wrinkle remedies containing collagen or hyaluronic acid are a waste of money, because the molecules are too large to penetrate the skin’s surface. It is true that the skin’s collagen and hyaluronic acid content decreases with age, but that issue cannot be addressed by using a cream or lotion containing them. The key is to protect what is present or stimulate the production of more.
Wakame kelp extract is an ingredient known to prevent the skin’s hyaluronic acid levels from becoming depleted. Functional Keratin is known to stimulate collagen production. Some of the more advanced over-the-counter wrinkle remedies contain both of those ingredients. That’s the kind of remedy to look for.
All Natural Beauty Products, Their Ingredients & How They Work
Friday, July 9th, 2010
The benefits of all natural beauty products depend on what they contain. Here’s a look at some of the compounds you might see on the list of ingredients and the benefits associated with them.
Active Manuka Honey
Active Manuka honey can be found in some of the better body lotions, nighttime facial creams, under eye gels and deep cleansing masks. The benefits have to do with the antioxidant and the antibacterial activity.
Antioxidants of all kinds are beneficial to the skin’s health and appearance. They prevent and sometimes repair free radical damage, which dermatologists believe to be the primary cause of wrinkles, age spots and other visible signs of aging.
The antibacterial activity of Manuka honey will help heal pimples, scrapes and other injuries. It will help prevent those things from becoming infected. It can also help to prevent future pimples caused by over-growth of the P acnes bacteria.
All honey varieties have been used in cosmetics, but few have proven benefits. Manuka honey is tested for its antibacterial and antioxidant activity, before it is shipped. It is graded with a “Unique Manuka Factor”. A high UMF number is equivalent to a highly active honey.
You might think that all natural beauty products would contain manuka. In some cases, it is just not necessary or other ingredients are more beneficial. For example, daytime moisturizers do not usually contain it. As long as you use a nighttime cream that does, you can reap the benefits.
Maracuja
Maracuja is a kind of passion fruit. The tree is native to Brazil. All passion fruits have been included in skincare creams and lotions, because of the antioxidant and the moisturizing benefits.
Maracuja is unique, because it is very similar on a molecular level to the skin’s own oils, which are called sebum. Because of its similarity to sebum, maracuja balances sebum production.
All natural beauty products containing the ingredient will help prevent your skin from becoming too dry or too oily.
That also means it can be used by any complexion type; oily, dry or combination.
Babassu Palm Oil
The benefits of Babassu are similar to those of maracuja. It is one of the few moisturizers that can be used on oily and acne-prone complexions.
It is Babassu wax that is most beneficial, because the wax helps to prevent moisture loss. Most companies use paraffin for this purpose. But, paraffin should not be included in all natural beauty products. It is not close enough to human skin. So, it causes dryness and clogs the pores.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E is another antioxidant. People with acne typically have low blood levels of the vitamin. The same deficiency is seen in many different skin conditions.
If used on a regular basis, creams containing vitamin E can prevent age spots. Age spots are heavily pigmented areas. They are sometimes referred to as senile freckles. They are caused by free radical damage, typically due to excessive sun exposure.
All natural beauty products may contain a number of anti-aging ingredients or they may contain none. Check the label before you buy to be sure what you are getting.
What is Rigin?
Sunday, June 6th, 2010What is Rigin? It is a proprietary formula found in some of the better anti-aging masks. You’ll learn more about it and why you need it here in this post.
There are numerous symptoms of aging skin. Wrinkles are the ones that most people are familiar with. Sagging or lost firmness is another. The lost firmness is actually one of the causes of wrinkling.
There are numerous causes of wrinkles. Free radical damage caused by overexposure to the sun is one big problem. Allowing the skin to become excessively dry is another.
Decreased production of the collagen-containing elastic fibers is one of the causes of sagging or lost firmness. This decreased production seems to normally accompany the aging process.
Yet another cause of wrinkles and sagging is chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammation degrades the elastic collagen fibers. Since they are not quickly replaced as we age, the degradation becomes obvious. The skin becomes less firm and less elastic.
If you pull the skin tight, you will see how wrinkles disappear. This is how lost elasticity and firmness contributes to or causes deeper wrinkles. As the skin becomes loose, these creases that would normally be stretched out by the elastic fibers become etched in place.
Understanding the information above will help you understand the answer to; what is Rigin good for. It makes a good ingredient for an anti-aging mask, because of the ingredients it contains.
Each of the ingredients is accompanied by specific benefits to the skin’s health and appearance. Let’s start with glycerin.
Excessive dryness of the skin is one of the biggest problems that people experience as they get older. If a moisturizer is not used on a regular basis, the dryness can lead to more wrinkling.
Glycerin is one of the most effective moisturizers on the market. So, what is Rigin? It is a moisturizing formula.
Steareth-20 is the next ingredient. It is a derivative of palm oil that further enhances the moisturizing benefits. As the skin’s moisture content increases, its firmness increases.
Tetrapeptide-3 is probably the most important ingredient in the formula. It has proven anti-aging benefits that include increased collagen production, reversal of sun damage and reduced wrinkles.
The compound also has natural anti-inflammatory activity. So, it helps to stimulate the production of new elastic fibers and protect them from the degrading effects of chronic inflammation.
Here’s another question. What is Rigin proven to be beneficial for in relation to increasing the skin’s firmness and elasticity?
With continued use, the ingredient has been proven to increase the firmness and elasticity on the cheeks and neck. It is particularly beneficial on the neck. The benefits seen included a 40% improvement in firmness and a 27% improvement in elasticity.
The benefits of the proprietary formula have proven to be greater than those of DHEA, an ingredient found in expensive anti-aging creams. It is often hailed as a youth hormone, although its safety has never been confirmed.
That should answer the questions of what is Rigin and what is it good for. If you want to look younger, you should look for it.