Before we have a discussion of specific ingredients, it's important to educate ourselves a little bit more on skin itself and what makes a product good or poor.
The biggest reason our skin, whether on the face or the rest of the body, develops lines and/or starts to sag, is that the collagen and elastin in our skin begins to break down. This article is the most technical of all the "Skin Care Series", so bear with me as we discuss "good" ingredients to look for in your skin care products.
1. Collagen is a protein that is fibrous in nature. What makes collagen different from other kinds
of protein is that it possesses great tensile strength, which means, among other things, that it provides firmness to the skin.The biggest reason our skin, whether on the face or the rest of the body, develops lines and/or starts to sag, is that the collagen and elastin in our skin begins to break down. This article is the most technical of all the "Skin Care Series", so bear with me as we discuss "good" ingredients to look for in your skin care products.
1. Collagen is a protein that is fibrous in nature. What makes collagen different from other kinds
You don't need to be a scientist, therefore, to understand that as collagen breaks down due to aging, the firmness of our skin becomes...well, less firm. Wrinkles appear and skin starts to sag.
2. Elastin is another protein that helps skin stay "flexible" and firm. If your skin is stretched, elastin is the protein that helps it return to its original position.
What all of this means is that you do not want to purchase a skin care product that is nothing more than a cream that fills in fine lines and wrinkles, giving the appearance of temporarily nicer skin when it's on, ...but the illusion shattered when you wash it off. You want a product that contains ingredients that actually stimulates new collagen and elastin production in your skin. If you achieve this, your skin will truly look and feel as though you have managed to "turn back the clock"!
Here's the bad (but extremely important) part----some of the manufacturers of more pricy products will try to dupe the public by including some really good active ingredients. Initially, I asked myself, "What's wrong with that?" Until I found out what IS so wrong about it.
Here's the tactic some manufacturers use---because these active ingredients are beneficial for the skin, they include some just so that they can legally list them on the product label. This way,the typical consumer thinks they are getting a great product. But, because these ingredients are expensive, and because, as discussed before, a lot of well known companies are already spending much of their budget on marketing, they don't put in enough of these "active ingredients" to have any real benefit for your skin.
So, when choosing a skin care product, it's not just about selecting one with good ingredients; it's also about choosing one with a high concentration of these good ingredients.
Collagen (again!): After my brief discussion above about the importance of collagen, you would think that buying a product with collagen in it would be a great thing. And the marketers who sell products that contain collagen know this. But it's a bogus ingredient because collagen molecules are much too large to penetrate into the skin when applied topically. To be of any benefit, you must purchase a product with ingredients that have been shown to stimulate your body's own collagen production.
3. Sea Kelp: Sea Kelp works It works by blocking a harmful enzyme in your body called hyaluronidase. Hyaluronidase breaks down the hyaluronic acid found naturally in our skin. This is important because without hyaluronic acid, the elastin and collagen fibers lose their "glue," which leads to a loss of youthful appearance and dark eye circles.
But don't just take my word for any information in this series. Wikipedia and Google are your friends, along with any chemist, or dermatologist you may know; research it from sources available to you, and find out for yourself. If you research this on Wikipedia, you will read, for example, "Hyaluronan is also a major component of skin, where it is involved in tissue repair."
Here's the tactic some manufacturers use---because these active ingredients are beneficial for the skin, they include some just so that they can legally list them on the product label. This way,the typical consumer thinks they are getting a great product. But, because these ingredients are expensive, and because, as discussed before, a lot of well known companies are already spending much of their budget on marketing, they don't put in enough of these "active ingredients" to have any real benefit for your skin.
So, when choosing a skin care product, it's not just about selecting one with good ingredients; it's also about choosing one with a high concentration of these good ingredients.
Collagen (again!): After my brief discussion above about the importance of collagen, you would think that buying a product with collagen in it would be a great thing. And the marketers who sell products that contain collagen know this. But it's a bogus ingredient because collagen molecules are much too large to penetrate into the skin when applied topically. To be of any benefit, you must purchase a product with ingredients that have been shown to stimulate your body's own collagen production.
3. Sea Kelp: Sea Kelp works It works by blocking a harmful enzyme in your body called hyaluronidase. Hyaluronidase breaks down the hyaluronic acid found naturally in our skin. This is important because without hyaluronic acid, the elastin and collagen fibers lose their "glue," which leads to a loss of youthful appearance and dark eye circles.
But don't just take my word for any information in this series. Wikipedia and Google are your friends, along with any chemist, or dermatologist you may know; research it from sources available to you, and find out for yourself. If you research this on Wikipedia, you will read, for example, "Hyaluronan is also a major component of skin, where it is involved in tissue repair."
4. Keratin: Keratin is a protein found throughout everyone's body, and it plays an important structural role in the skin. Keratin actually stimulates your own collagen to grow again. In fact, it is proven in clinical trials to stimulate not only the regrowth of collagen but also elastin, thereby promoting firmness and elasticity. In short, fewer wrinkles, and more youthful, healthier looking skin. And of course, that helps improve the skins' ability to retain it's natural moisture. Good old keratin....it's not just for hair!
5. CoQ10: If you look at the ingredient list for some of the better skin care products, you'll often see CoQ10 listed. CoQ10 is short for Co-enzyme Q10, so you may also see it listed this way. CoQ10 is a vitamin like substance that is found in all of our body's cells and is very important for healthy skin. Its a powerful antioxidant, too. A lot of skin damage and aging comes from free radicals wreaking havoc in our body's cells. CoQ10's antioxidant ability can counter these free radicals before damage occurs.
5. CoQ10: If you look at the ingredient list for some of the better skin care products, you'll often see CoQ10 listed. CoQ10 is short for Co-enzyme Q10, so you may also see it listed this way. CoQ10 is a vitamin like substance that is found in all of our body's cells and is very important for healthy skin. Its a powerful antioxidant, too. A lot of skin damage and aging comes from free radicals wreaking havoc in our body's cells. CoQ10's antioxidant ability can counter these free radicals before damage occurs.
Like many other vital substances, the amount of CoQ10 in our bodies becomes depleted as we age. And although CoQ10 is a great ingredient, not all forms are equal. Do your research, and be sure to get the nano- emulsion form of version of CoQ10; it penetrates far down into the skin, and provides much greater benefits for skin health. Because this version can penetrate so deeply, it is extremely effective at gobbling up free radicals in your skin. It also promotes collagen and elastin production as well. The result is a powerful anti wrinkle effect.
Together, these five main active ingredients are some of the most powerful anti-aging skin care compounds available, and can significantly improve the look and feel of your skin. Remember to read the labels, and do the research before spending your money on skin care products.
Have you tried skin products that contain any of these 5 ingredients?
Established to show the possibilities of healthy living while building better businesses, the Healthy Hair Source provides current news that promote healthy solutions for hair, skin and health care issues. This original post is on Dolle House Healthy Hair Source © copyright, 2012. Share it freely, but you must link back to this source. If you would like more information on any of our topics, please indicate that in your comments. Thanks for reading! Best Regards, Admin
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