Skin Wrinkles
« Previous EntriesA Few Reasons a Homemade Wrinkle Cream Might be Preferable
Friday, July 23rd, 2010Why go to the trouble of making a homemade wrinkle cream when you can go to the store and buy something? There are many reasons that you might want to make your own at home. Here’s a look at some of them.
You might be concerned about the safety of the ingredients cosmetic manufacturers use. While questioning the safety of cosmetics is always a good idea. It is easy enough to avoid common allergens, irritants and toxins.
Most allergic reactions are caused by artificial preservatives and fragrance ingredients. Other irritants include petrochemicals, petrolatum, colors, excessive alcohols and mineral oil. You can tell whether or not a product contains toxins by looking for a poison control advisement.
You might be concerned about price. Some anti-aging creams cost hundreds of dollars per ounce, but there are less expensive alternatives. Independent studies have shown that price is not equivalent to effectiveness. Some of the less expensive creams are just as effective as the costly ones.
There are some effective compounds to look for if you do decide to buy a ready-made production instead of trying to make homemade wrinkle cream. Independent researchers have found that ubiquinone, keratin proteins, peptide complexes, plant extracts and some vegetable oils are effective. Those are all natural non-irritating ingredients.
You can make a mask using plants like wakame kelp or a cleanser using lemon juice. You can use soybean oil as a moisturizer. But, you can only buy ubiquinone as a dietary supplement.
It is better known as the antioxidant coenzyme Q10. The form that is taken by mouth will not penetrate the skin. So, it’s not possible to include it as an ingredient in homemade wrinkle cream.
Soybean oil does contain some coenzyme Q10, although the concentration varies from 54mg/kg to 280mg/kg. Whether or not the form present in soybean oil could penetrate the skin is unknown. In order to get the best penetration, researchers have reduced the size of the molecules.
In the reduced form, COQ10 reverses wrinkles and sun damage by about 30% after three months of use. It’s hard to say what kind of results you would see using soybean oil.
Keratin proteins are hard in nature. If you boiled some animal skin or chicken feathers, you might be able to get some keratin out of them to use in a homemade wrinkle cream. But, the cooking process would destroy the nature of the protein.
The only stable bioavailable form of keratin was created by extracting it from sheep’s wool and processing it very carefully. The exact processes are patented. So even if you raise sheep, it’s not something you could learn how to do at home.
Peptide complexes are composed of natural amino acids. They have to be combined just right to provide the results which include stimulating collagen and increased skin cell production. You can’t make peptide complexes at home.
So, my suggestion is to use soybean oil as a moisturizer instead of trying to make a homemade wrinkle cream. But, if you really want something effective, you will have to buy something ready-made.
Over 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.
The Best Wrinkle Creams Contain No Petrochemicals or Synthetic Ingredients
Wednesday, June 30th, 2010
Identifying the best wrinkle creams is not that difficult, once you know which ingredients to look for. Obviously, you want a cream that contains proven effective ingredients, not one that has proven to cause allergic or adverse reactions.
All trans-retinoic acid or Retin-A has long been viewed as the most effective anti-wrinkle cream by dermatologists and cosmetic surgeons. But, there are warning labels all over the bottle. It is known to cause adverse reactions that include redness, itching and irritation. There is concern that it may cause cellular mutations. There’s also no reason to take the risk.
All trans-retinoic acid is a synthetic acidic form of natural vitamin A. It is created in the laboratory using petrochemicals. This may be the reason for the adverse reactions. It could be the acidic nature of the compound that causes redness, itching and irritation. In its natural vegetable form, vitamin A is non-acidic.
Researchers have shown that plant extracts containing the naturally occurring form of vitamin A are just as effective as Retin-A. But, there is no risk of side effects.
The best wrinkle creams contain avocado oil because it is rich in vitamin A and other nutrients. It is particularly beneficial when used at night and has been scientifically proven to stimulate collagen production. Researchers have been able to measure an increase in the skin’s collagen content after just a few weeks of use.
A synthetic form of the antioxidant coenzyme Q10 has been developed and may soon be released. You might wonder why companies choose to use synthetics when naturally occurring compounds are available. The answer is simple. Synthetics are cheaper.
Petrochemicals are byproducts created when petroleum is distilled and converted to gasoline. They are very cheap and readily available. Since they contain carbon, all kinds of molecules can be created from them.
The best wrinkle creams do not contain any petrochemicals. They do contain the naturally occurring version of coenzyme Q10, because it has been shown to reverse wrinkles and sun damage when applied topically on a daily basis for three months.
Research and development teams believe they can speed the results by combining coenzyme Q10 with other active ingredients, including natural vitamin E. The R&D teams like vitamin E for another reason. It effectively preserves natural oils like avocado. So, there is no need to use artificial preservatives.
Artificial preservatives are among the most common causes of allergic reactions. Dermatologists have known that for years. It should be obvious that the best wrinkle creams do not contain artificial preservatives. In fact, they contain nothing artificial. Every ingredient included in the cream is safe enough to eat.
Although the big companies will say otherwise, there is really no reason to use synthetic ingredients, allergens, toxins or irritants. It is true that natural ingredients are only available in limited quantities. They also cost more.
You can expect to pay more for the best wrinkle creams, but they don’t cost as much as you would pay for something with a designer label. And unlike paying for a designer name, paying for good nourishing skincare products is a worthwhile investment.