Ingredient Investigation: What’s In Your Anti-Ageing Cream?

Understanding the active ingredients in the products you buy is important in any area of wellness, but the perhaps most important area is that of anti-ageing. People slather all kinds of things on their face or even take pills in the name of looking younger and fresher, so it’s vital you know exactly what you are subjecting your body and, as a result, your wellbeing to. Let’s take a look at how seven active ingredients can affect your anti-ageing wellness.

 

1. Peptides: These short chains of amino acids can be synthesized in an infinite order of different combinations, but in skincare scientists add fatty ends to help peptides penetrate the skin. Various peptides can

 

• Stimulate your collagen production


• Regulate your fibroblast collagenase production (which breaks down collagen)


• Stimulate growth factors


• Stimulate antioxidant enzymes


• Enhance matrix proteins


• Enhance your skin’s wound healing and cell repair


• Modulate your skin pigmentation


• Provide antimicrobial activity

 

However, be sure to check the percentage of peptides on the label as some products only contain enough for marketing reasons, and won’t do anything at all for your skin.

 

2. Retinol: This is derived from vitamin A and works on your DNA so that it promotes healthy keratinocytes. When you administer retinol on your skin, it causes the epidermis to thicken, collagen and elastin to increase and UV-induced collagenese to decrease. This means that retinol is handy as a treatment for your fine lines, wrinkles, and hyper-pigmentation.

 

3. Antioxidants: Vitamin C neutralises free radicals in your skin and stimulates and cross links collagen during synthesis. In skincare, it works great for fine lines and course wrinkles, and improves your tone, laxity and dark pigmentation. Vitamin E protects your skin from the oxidative damage of UV exposure, such as erythema, edema, and sunburn cell formation. Like French and Saunders, though these antioxidants work well on their own, they are at their best when used together.

 

4. Sun cream: You might confine sun cream to the summer months, but it’s actually the most important product on this list. True, modest amounts of exposure to the sun helps your body to produce vitamin D and this is beneficial to your wellbeing, too much UV exposure is detrimental, and injures your skin’s fibroblasts. This means you produce less collagen and elastin, leading to less dense, robust, and elastic skin – with more wrinkles and pigmentation! Use a sun cream that is protective of UVA and UVB and is photo stable.

 

5. Advanced Glycation End-products (AGE): Wellness experts have joined the dots between glycation and disease and ageing. In the abnormal process of glycation, sugars are joined to fats and proteins your body in a non-enzymatic way, which, over time, influences the metabolism of your cells. The sugars bind to proteins such as collagen, elastin, and cell membranes, which causes the formation of Advanced Glycation End-products. However, some skincare products promote your ability to help protect the skin’s natural collagen from this, so try Prestige-Clinique Youth Surge SPF 15 or Dr. Brandt Lineless Anti-Glycation.

 

6. Sirtuins: These cellular proteins are thought to be the prime central regulators of ageing, promoting cell repair and production of protective antioxidants. Some products even enhance your body’s ability to turn on these “longevity genes” which helps to maintain the healthy balance of your skin cells.

 

7. Ceramides: These cellular fats (lipids) are found in between your skin cells, and help keep pathogens out and moisture in your skin. You need this hydration in order for your skin to look healthy and vibrant.

Categories: active ingredients, advanced glycation, anti ageing, Antioxidants, cell repair, Fine Lines, peptides, retinol, skin, skin cells, Sun Cream, uv exposure

Young but Not Free:Are Anti-Ageing Products Worth the Cash?

In any beauty store in the country, you’ll find products designed to make you look younger. Be it for your wrinkles or age spots, these products promise anti-ageing wellness in a bottle – but are they making promises they can’t keep? You can’t help but be a little skeptical as to exactly how beneficial these miracle products are to your wellbeing, but it seems that this skepticism doesn’t stop you from forking out the big bucks.

 

‘Yes, there has been a tremendous anti-ageing craze accompanied by a boom in available products, technology and procedures,’ notes Dr. Elizabeth Hale, a dermatologist at New York University Medical Centre. ‘Increasingly, people are searching for products and procedures that deliver results without the cost, risks and downtime of more invasive cosmetic surgery. There are many great options out there for people seeking results, but the key is to find a doctor that you trust and one that will help you to look natural. One should strive to look like a better, more relaxed, version of themselves; no one should look “done”.’

 

According to Hale, there are certain products and procedures that she uses personally and recommends on a regular basis. These include a daily broad-spectrum sunscreen (such as Coppertone or SkinMedica Physical Defense), retinol or prescription-based tretinoin (which is found in Roc, Renova and RetinA), stem cell-derived products to stimulate collagen and elastic (like Lifeline Skin Care), Botulinum Toxin injections, Hyaluronic Acid and poly-L-lactic acid fillers and Fractional Resurfacing lasers. Hale explains, ‘With the right sunscreen, topicals and minimally invasive procedures, along with a healthy diet and lifestyle which includes exercise, we can all look… natural and rejuvenated.’

 

Let’s take a look at the scientific evidence behind the commonly listed active ingredients in anti-aging products:

 

Peptides – These are small proteins that help stimulate new cells to grow, and the theory goes that they make your skin more plump, which reduces your fine lines. However, Hale asserts that, while this is a nice idea, there’s really no evidence which conclusively proves peptides really do anything to reduce wrinkles.

 

Alpha-hydroxy acids – The natural ingredients found in fruits and milk sugars, including lactic, glycolic and citric acids, are collectively known as alpha-hydroxy acids. These acids work to exfoliate your skin, which removes dead skin cells and makes room for new, healthier ones. Hale notes these acids vary in terms of impact and what they do. For brighter skin, you want lactic acid but you should opt for glycolic acid if you want your skin to look smoother, as this one reduces fine lines and wrinkles.

 

Retinol – You’ll find this natural form of vitamin A in a variety of over-the-counter skin creams, and the idea is that it boosts the thickness and elasticity of your skin and reduces the appearance of wrinkles. Hale affirms that this is backed up by ample evidence, but the prescription version tretinoin or Retin-A is much stronger. Still, though it may be more effective than over-the-counter retinol, doctors warn that tretinoin can also cause more side effects, so tread with caution.

 

Resveratrol – A lot of people like this plant compound, as it is found in red wine and studies have shown that drinking wine in moderation has some health benefits. However, when it comes to the supplement form of this anti-ageing plant, the jury is out. According to research published in a 2008 edition of the journal Cell Metabolism, resveratrol slowed down age-related decline in mice, but subsequent studies have not confirmed similar results from the supplement form.

 

Antioxidants – It is commonly believed that antioxidants protect your cells from free radicals, which damage your body and increase your risk for diseases. When it comes to age prevention, antioxidants are only effective in certain formulations. The most time-tested combo is vitamins C and E.

Categories: alpha hydroxy, anti ageing, Antioxidants, Fine Lines, hydroxy acids, lactic acid, nbsp, products, resveratrol, retinol, supplement form, wrinkles nbsp