Sunday, November 30, 2008

Understanding Anti Wrinkle Creams

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.

Gone are the days when people had to put up with dry skin. The market is full of anti-wrinkle remedies to help us keep our skin looking young and beautiful, no matter what your age might be.

Let us think about the reasons your skin starts to age before reflecting on the factors that make anti-wrinkle cream work. As we advance in years our skin begins to reflect our age. We begin to experience wrinkles, sagging skin and age spots. Of course there can be many reasons for this. Prolonged exposure to the sun, smoking, heavy drinking, and even genetics can play their part in skin aging. Your skin gradually undergoes changes as you age. You will find that collagen will decrease and there is often an increase in "free radicals" which will deteriorate your skin.

You will find that your skin will naturally wrinkle as you age, regardless of what you do. However a good quality anti-wrinkle cream can help to slow the process down and even reverse some of the effects of skin aging. Bear in mind that your lifestyle will also affect skin aging. Diet and drinking enough fluids will affect your skin, as will habits like smoking, drinking and getting enough sleep.

There are many antiaging and antiwrinkle creams on the market, but those that benefit most have at least some of the following ingredients in them:

One of these ingredients is called retinol. It is a very effective part of anti-wrinkle cream. As well as being derived from vitamin A it is also a powerful antitoxidant. It will also help the skin to rejuvenate itself. It is a fact that a 20 year old will experience complete outer skin replacement in 28 days, however a 40 year old person will take twice as long. This means that as we age we will need to quicken up the process of skin rejuvenation. Retinol does this by dissolving the old skin layer and allowing the new skin to come.

Alpha hydroxy acids and poly hydroxy acids come from fruits. They act as exfoliates by removing the skin's outer layer and allowing the new skin layer to emerge. It also causes some minor injury to the skin that encourages new skin growth. A side effect of these substances is the fact that you will be more sensitive to the sun and should protect your skin with sunscreen when you go out on sunny days.

Coenzyme Q 10 is a powerful antioxidant; in fact it is one of the strongest out there. Its purpose is to neutralize free radicals. These free radicals are toxins that damage new skin cells and make your skin age faster. It is also thought that this substance will stimulate the growth of collagen.

Kinetin is another new ingredient that is still being studied. It seems to help skin retain moisture and encourages collagen growth.

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. - 16732

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