Skin Wrinkles
« Previous EntriesSkin Firming Cream That Really Works?
Monday, December 14th, 2009Is there a skin firming cream that really works?
According to clinical research, there are several effective ingredients. If a manufacturer includes enough of the effective ingredients in their creams, then “yes” it really will work.
In order to determine the concentration of a specific ingredient, you will need to read the label and look at the “order” of ingredients. They are listed in order from most to least. If you see an active compound far down on the list, you will know that the concentration is very low.
Most skincare products contain paraben preservatives. Ideally, you would like to find products that are free of parabens. But, those are hard to find in a drugstore. Several good ones are available online.
Assuming that you are reading a label of ingredients in a drugstore, look down the list for parabens. Manufacturers are only allowed to use a very small amount of parabens, because they are common allergens.
Anything below parabens on the list is present in such a small quantity that it could not possibly be effective. So, if you are buying a skin firming cream, because the label says “now with coenzyme Q10”, and the COQ10 or ubiquinone is listed below the parabens, then just don’t buy it. It’s not worth the money.
The primary ingredient in most body creams and lotions is mineral oil. Water will always be on the top of the list, because it is used for mixing. Mineral oil or petrolatum or both will typically follow water on the list. Of course, those ingredients will do nothing to improve your skin’s firmness.
One of the compounds that you want to look for is called Functional Keratin. The ingredient has been proven to increase the skin’s firmness and elasticity by 42% over the course of 18 days.
Another good ingredient for a skin firming cream is called RIGIN. RIGIN is a blend of protein peptides that have been shown to improve firmness by 40% and elasticity by 27%. It is particularly effective on the neckline.
Just as important as knowing which ingredients to look for is knowing which ones to avoid. Mineral oil and petrolatum were already mentioned. Not only are they ineffective, they may contribute to premature aging by interfering with the skin’s natural rejuvenation processes.
Collagen and elastin proteins are a couple of other ingredients that aren’t worth buying. Although you will often see them in skin firming cream, the effect that they have is purely cosmetic. They cannot be absorbed into the skin like Functional Keratin.
Ingredients that are simply unnecessary are artificial or added fragrances. Everyone likes to smell nice, but applying a fragrance-loaded lotion to the entire face or body is overwhelming and may cause health problems.
One final ingredient that you might want to avoid is urea. It’s a component of urine and plant wastes. It’s often found in skin firming cream, because it works temporarily, but it has a disgusting smell.
Functional Keratin and RIGIN work continuously with continued use to improve your skin’s health and appearance. There’s no reason to settle for less. To learn more about skin care products that contain Functional Keratin and RIGIN Click Here.
The Best Anti Aging Serum – Searching for a Fountain of Youth
Thursday, December 3rd, 2009The world has searched for an anti aging serum throughout recorded history. But, the proverbial fountain of youth has been elusive. Perhaps, we were simply looking in the wrong places.
Judging by the latest research, the secrets to health, longevity and good looks are found in the foods that we eat. If we eat the right foods, we can expect to live long, healthy lives and look younger than our peers.
If we eat the wrong foods, we can expect to have a variety of health problems and develop wrinkles at an early age. The popular theories about the causes of wrinkles, including habitual facial expressions and genetics, may be incorrect.
According to scientists, free radical damage causes the majority of wrinkles and other signs of age. Chronic inflammation and glycation play a role, as well. Only a very small percentage of wrinkles and other outward signs of age are related to facial expressions and only a very small percent are related to genetics.
We don’t know exactly how the percentages break down. Science has not gone that far, yet. But, it really doesn’t matter. We know enough to create an effective anti aging serum.
When it comes to the health of the whole body, the three big causes of age-related diseases are the same as the three that cause most wrinkles:
- Free Radical Damage
- Chronic Inflammation
- Glycation
The body’s natural defense against free radical damage is the antioxidant. We create some of them within the cells of our body. Others are consumed through the foods that we eat.
Some foods have natural anti-inflammatory activity. Others contribute to chronic inflammation. Certain foods are the causes of the glycation process that ends with the creation of Advanced Glycation End-products or AGEs.
An anti aging serum can address all of these things. For inner health, a good multi-nutritional supplement is necessary. For the health and appearance of the outer body, nourishing skincare products are necessary.
Eating a healthy diet and being physically active are also important. Advice about all of those things cannot be included in an article of this length. So, let’s stick with the skincare products.
First, of all, you should never use anything on the outside of your body that you would not take internally. So, when you see warning labels about the poisons, allergens and irritants, don’t buy those products. They are simply not worth the risk.
The best anti aging serum will contain antioxidants and natural anti-inflammatories. It will also contain ingredients that stimulate the production of antioxidants within the skin’s cells.
It is not possible to address the issue of glycation from the outside in. It would be worth your while to learn more about the foods to avoid, because they contribute to the production of AGEs.
But, when it comes to getting rid of wrinkles or preventing them from forming in the first place, the proverbial fountain of youth may have been found in a bioactive protein called Functional Keratin. If you want the most effective anti aging serum for your face and body, you should look for that ingredient.
Anti Wrinkle Creams Have Come a Long Way
Friday, November 20th, 2009
Shopping for anti wrinkle creams can be very confusing. You see manufacturers making lots of claims. But, how can you be sure that the claims are honest?
Well, there’s been a lot of scientific research on reducing wrinkles. Not as much as there has been concerning health problems like cancer, but still a significant amount.
The better manufacturers are aware of the research. You can confirm their products’ claims by doing a little online research. The information in this article should help with that.
Research indicates that the causes of wrinkles and sagging skin are several. The primary cause is free radical damage. Combine that with decreased production of new cells and fibers, low levels of hyaluronic acid and chronic inflammation, what you will have is a recipe for an aged look. Luckily, those factors can be addressed with the right ingredients.
Several studies have shown that the antioxidant coenzyme Q10 is effective when applied topically. The most effective form of COQ10 for the skin’s health is one in which the molecules have been reduced in size.
So, when you are shopping for anti wrinkle creams read the label of ingredients and look for the nano-emulsion form of COQ10. It works best when combined with vitamin E, another antioxidant that has been used for decades to improve the skin’s health and appearance in many ways.
If you want to see the biggest improvement, it’s probably a good idea to increase your antioxidant intake as well. Dietary supplements containing coenzyme Q10, vitamin E and green tea extracts are among the many that have been studied for their “anti-aging” effects.
Antioxidants neutralize free radical molecules before they can damage the cells or the cellular DNA. We are starting to see more and more anti wrinkle creams containing antioxidants. But, now, there is also an ingredient that increases the production of antioxidants within the skin’s cells.
A bioactive form of the protein keratin, one of the skin’s important structural proteins, is now available. For many years, it was impossible to include keratin in a lotion or cream without rendering it inactive. The processes necessary to soften it were too harsh.
A New Zealand manufacturer was able to extract keratin from sheep’s wool and process it gently, without rendering it inactive. The company is called KERATEC and the ingredient is called Functional Keratin.
It was created using patented processes, but it’s still a natural product. So, supplies are limited. Only a few companies make anti wrinkle creams containing Functional Keratin.
Research showed that the bioactive protein stimulates the production of new skin cells and the production of two important antioxidants. One is called superoxide dismutase or SOD. The other is called glutathione. Increased production of those antioxidants should help fade age spots caused by overexposure to sunlight and the free radical damage caused by UV radiation.
Functional Keratin has the ability to do many other things that you might want to learn about. It should be a primary ingredient in all anti wrinkle creams.