Rediscovering the Glow of a Youthful Face
May 9, 2008 – 8:00 amThe Fountain of Youth. We’ve all heard of it, the spring that a drink from which grants an eternally youthful body. It is a legend we all at one time or another wish existed. If it did one can only imagine how long it would be before it were completely drained.
We would all like to recapture our youth, if not eternally at least for a time. While The Fountain may be the stuff of legend, we’ve created a variety of products designed to accomplish much the same. Anti-aging products ranging from vitamins to wrinkle creams and a host of other concoctions sell at a brisk pace as not just women but men as well try to keep their youthful looks for many years to come.
One of the hallmarks of youth is soft, smooth, moisturized skin that is free of laugh lines and creases. Since wrinkles have come to be viewed as one of the “dead giveaways” of a person’s age, manufacturers have developed many varieties of anti-aging moisturizers to launch an all-out attack on encroaching crow’s feet.
Now most consumers are probably a bit suspicious, perhaps very suspicious of the claims made for the products on the shelves. Some of the “magic” ingredients are well known, others are not. In any event a good question to ask is how is the product going to react on my skin? There does not seem to be a simple solution to what is really the best product for the individual.
An active ingredient such as retinol, a form of vitamin A, is the basic active ingredient for many wrinkle creams and retinol- based creams are indeed often more effective in the battle against wrinkles than is the case for other products. Retinol promotes the development of new surface cells and also increases the amount of collagen in the skin, the combination reducing though not completely eliminating, wrinkles.
Whereas retinol functions to reduce the severity of wrinkles, another popular ingredient is alpha hydroxy acid, AHA. AHAs chemically peel away the outer layer of skin. The concentration is very low to prevent serious damage, so the peeling effect while slight, adds a glow the skin as new cells beneath the peeled away dead cells become visible.
So, why are some wrinkle creams better than the others? The answer is most likely found in the concentration of the active ingredients. A cream might claim to contain retinol, but it could be present in such a small amount that it would be ineffective. On the other hand, a cream with a higher percentage of retinol might well be very capable of refreshing and plumping the skin for that dewy, youthful look.
It never hurts to ask the question “Why are some products better than others? or “Which wrinkle creams would be most effective?” Asking the question leads to getting the facts you need to make a choice, second best to the “Fountain of Youth” but a good choice nevertheless.
Tags: Beauty
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