Do anti-aging creams actually work?
You might be asking yourself: Do anti-aging creams actually work? Well depending on the credibility of the product you can safely assume daily usage will likely delay the visual effects of aging in most people… the trick however is to find the best products and understand why they work compared to other options.There are five basic creams that do the deed of battling aging of the skin. They are:
Each of these product types work to battle the effects of aging which are primarily caused by two processes, the skins loss of collagen and the skins cell renewal process.
Signs Of Aging Skin
As you age your skin cells begin to renew slower and slower. Between your 20th and 50th birthday the pace that your outer layer of skin replaces itself slows to almost one third of the speed that it used to take. At the same time the decrease in collagen in the skin causes your skin to lose it’s smooth definition allowing the wrinkles to begin to appear.Good nutrition and exercise can keep this aging process to a minimum but it has been shown that many of the nutrients required to support healthy looking skin do not make it to the skin cells in a great enough quantity to do much good. This is why topical creams are the typical means of anti-aging skin care. The direct application ensures saturated supplementation.
---UPDATE - I've recently posted a review of Stem Cell Therapy Cream - this cream is designed to help speed up the regeneration of skin cells and help your look younger. Check it out.---
Types of Anti Aging Skin Care Products
What then do these creams do? They directly address the source of the aging process. Let’s look at each anti-aging cream for specifics of what they do.Idebenone – This product agent is simply an antioxidant that is used to prevent free radical damage. As opposed to other products which aide in repairing damage this product aims to prevent the damage from occurring in the first place. With less free radical damage it can be assumed that cell regeneration in the skin will be less necessary and thus the slowing of the regeneration process will be less important as we age. Idebenone is fairly expensive but if prevention is important enough for you these products can be found. Click through for a list of Amazon's Best Selling Idebenone Products.
Hyaluronic Acid – This anti-aging product is essentially a moisturizer which masks the effects of collagen loss and wrinkle formation. This product is more often than not ideal for those who have collagen loss already and already show signs of wrinkles and aging. The proteins in this product penetrate the skin and then absorb moisture which is already present causing an effect where the skin inflates just enough to diminish or remove the visual wrinkles that have occurred with the loss of collagen in the skin due to aging. Think of this product as a topical form of Botox. It plumps your skin so that wrinkles are hidden. Like Idebenone however it is expensive. You’ll have to decide if hiding your age is worth the costs as this is simply no more than a cosmetic effect. Click through for a list of Amazon's Best Selling Hyaluronic Acid Products.
Peptides – These products are touted as collagen boosters. The purpose of these products is not to mask the effects of aging but to actually attempt to stop or slow the aging process by boosting the body’s production of collagen. The skin, after all, only shows signs of wrinkles because of a loss of collagen. If the body can produce more collagen then the wrinkles could conceptually never appear. Of course a lot of advancement will have to occur for this to be the case but a little prevention never hurt anyone. Compared to Idebenone this prevention cream is far more affordable though still quite a bit more than an impulse buy in my opinion. Click through for a list of Amazon's Best Selling Peptides Products.
Retinol – Retinol is a natural antioxidant found in vitamin A. Conceptually you could simply eat foods that contain a lot of vitamin A however a very small percentage of Retinol ever makes it to the skin cells. The Retinol that does protects against free-radical damage similar to Idebenone and also stimulates collagen similar to Peptides. Creams that are rich in Retinol are very inexpensive as Retinol is a natural substance and can be used effectively as a guard against the visual signs of aging. Click through for list of Amazon's Best Selling Retinol Products.
Coenzyme Q10 – This product is another natural product that is applied directly to the skin for efficiency and potency. The product transfers energy to skin cells effectually treating the aging process of slowed cell regeneration. More active cells in the skin can refresh themselves quicker and can result is younger looking skin. Wrinkles can be softened with this product similar to Hyaluronic Acid but probably not as noticeably. The low cost however makes this product a worthwhile option as a treatment for aging that has already occurred. Click through for a list of Amazon's Best Selling Coenzyme Q10 Products.
My Take Home Piece
To conclude this post I’d like to point out the obvious. There are two basic forms of topical anti-aging skin treatments, those that treat signs of aging that have already occurred and those that seek to halt or slow signs of aging that have not yet occurred. Also the more natural the product the cheaper it is. I hope this short little guide helps in your decision on whether to use anti-aging skin care products and which ones but let me leave you with one last thought.Anti-aging skin care products, whatever their ideal purpose is, prevention or masking, are only cosmetic in nature. They will have no effect on your health or longevity in any way other than your attitude. If looking younger or better makes you feel better than the psychological effect might add some healthy years to your life as it has been shown that a good attitude and positive outlook on life helps with disease prevention and longevity. If you do not need to look young to feel good about yourself or have appositive outlook on life than maybe these products are only a luxury. The call is strictly personal in nature. I for one don’t use anything but if I were to I would use only preventative creams that were on the low end of the price range such as Retinol. Even Peptides are a bit out of my range but they could be a welcome addition to anyone’s prevention regimen.
Did I miss any point about anti-aging products? Let me know in the comments.
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