Anti Aging Skin Care

Anti Aging skin care is not just the use of creams and other topical products. You can maintain beautiful, youthful skin into your golden years with a well-rounded skin care regimen that works from the inside as well as the outside.

Of course anti-aging nutrition can help in a number of ways from maintaining collagen for elasticity to supplying the right nutrients that help protect your skin from aging factors such as oxidation and UV rays. To enhance the nutrition, the use of the right skin care products and even certain exercises can help give you the glow and radiance that helps your skin look fresh and youthful.

Anti Aging Skin Care

Any healthy and effective anti aging skin care regimen starts with diet, as mentioned above. In addition, your healthy diet can be enhanced by certain supplements that help maintain your skin's elasticity. Some topical creams are also proven to have an effect, as well as exercise. Here are some top (and proven) anti aging skin care tips that can help diminish the need for expensive treatments or surgery and give you a natural, youthful beauty that most expensive treatment just cannot replicate.

Vitamin C helps your body build and maintain collagen, which is the compound responsible for how firm your skin is (or not). It is also an important antioxidant, protecting your skin from free radicals that can accelerate aging. Eating foods that are high in vitamin C such as berries and other fruits, should be a natural daily habit. As aging begins to decrease digestive action, supplementation may be helpful in addition to a healthy diet. Supplementing vitamin C has proven to increase levels in the skin and taking it with vitamin E increases your protection from UV radiation effects. (1) According to Mark Moyad, MD healthy amount for most adults.

Vitamin C Cream can take over where supplements fall short. In addition to the nutritional aspect, vitamin C creams and serums are proven to help your skin maintain higher levels of vitamin C, therefore allowing your body to create more collagen. It is believed that the “stratum corneum”, or outer layer of skin inhibits the absorption of any topical creams, which is why laser treatments and chemical peels are often prescribed for aging skin. Vitamin C in creams or serums are vulnerable to light so look for opaque packaging. Also, more money does not mean the product works better. Ideal parameters to look for are products that have 3% to 10% Vitamin C with ascorbic acid or L-ascorbic acid being the active ingredient.

Rose Hip Oil is the oil extracted from wild rose bushes and is popular in skin care products due to the high content of vitamins A and C as well as the essential fats Omega 3 and 6. Vitamin C has the benefits described above while vitamin A adds the benefit of healthy skin cell rejuvenation. As we age, the skin loses its ability to repair and replenish new skin cells, so these vitamins along with the essential fats make rose hip oil a powerful anti aging skin care tool. Unlike other oils, this one is easily absorbed by the skin, so it will not leave your skin feeling oily while allowing makeup to go on smoothly.

Grape Seed Oil is a very light oil that, when applied topically, can help moisturize and plump aging skin. And, a seemingly contrary benefit is that is helps regulate oil production, so if your skin is oily this one will help manage the condition. Like the other skin oils, it is packed with skin rejuvenating vitamin C as well as many antioxidants to protect your skin from free radicals that can cause skin to age quicker. It also contains skin repairing linoleic acid, and so is widely used to help keep skin tight, thanks to its ability to help skin cells maintain structure and give strength to cell membranes. It is also said to help eliminate dark under eye circles after about two weeks of light application.

Argan Oil is another beauty oil and is high in vitamin E and fatty acids that help add moisture and elasticity to skin. It has long been used for skin rashes, infections and even bug bites, but now is recognized as part of a healthy skin regimen. It contains vitamins A and E, antioxidants, Omega-6 fatty acids and linoleic acid; a powerful combination. It helps increase skin cell production while protecting it from aging pollutants, dryness and free radicals.

A note on all anti aging skin care oils; always do an allergy test, just in case. Look for organic or as pure as you can find. Surprisingly, you can find many in your local health food store, market and online and you can find organic and pure version that do not cost you a fortune. I switch between them and pay about $10 each time I buy a new one, which lasts for a few months. I find it to be more pure and cost effective to buy the oils separately and add a few drops each day to my organic vitamin C face cream. This also allows me to I control how much oil I am actually getting.

Microdermabrasion Facial Scrubs are at-home anti aging skin care products that have taken over the expensive salon treatments. In salons, a diamond-tipped machine is one type is used to scrub the face. Others may scrub the face with corundum or aluminum oxide crystals. In all three cases, the crystals (or diamond) do not chemically interact with the skin nor are they absorbed. They also have anti-bacterial properties, making them popular for acne treatments, as well. Other types of crystals used may include sodium chloride, sodium bicarbonate or magnesium oxide while home treatments may also include sugar and even brushes (such as a lymphatic brush) to remove the top layer of dead skin. In any case, microdermabrasion is a popular alternative over chemical peels or other more invasive procedures.

Facial Scrubs help exfoliate dead skin cells as well as increase blood flow, lymphatic circulation and cell turnover (increase new facial skin cells) and are less aggressive than microdermabrasion, making them safer to use more frequently. How often you exfoliate depends upon your skin type; some can exfoliate every day while more sensitive skin should leave it to every few days.

The more natural (less artificial ingredients) your scrub is the easier and more beneficial it is to your face. Some prefer to make their own scrubs from sugar, oatmeal and even uncooked rice while others prefer purchasing them already made. One popular and possibly effective scrub can be made from sugar and lemon juice; the sugar acts as an exfoliant while the lemon juice contains alpha hydroxy acid, a popular ingredient in anti aging products that help peel away layers of dead cells. More expensive does not always mean better, and sometimes a less expensive version from the local market has less toxic ingredients than the pricier scrubs.

Facial Exercise is a tool that many use in their anti aging skin care regimen. Like any muscle, facial muscles get weak and succumb to the forces of gravity. The saggy look can happen as early as mid-thirty, if one is not careful. While many mainstream medical doctors or dermatologists may tell you otherwise, just as facial muscles are vulnerable to becoming weak, they can also respond to stress (otherwise known as exercise).

Facial exercises and routines can be found mainly online. Some products such as the Facial Flex and Neck Slimmer, use resistance to build strength in the facial muscles. The downside of these types of products is that there are around 33 different facial muscles and each of these devices cannot target all. This may be why the full on facial exercise programs are more popular. Carolyn's Facial Fitness and Carole Maggio Facercise are two time-tested programs with many fans.

RESOURCES

(1) Eberlein-Konig B, Placzek M, Przybilla B. Protective effect against sunburn of combined systemic ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and d-alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E). J Am Acad Dermatol 1998;38:45-48.  (PubMed)