Wrinkles - Cosmetics Unmasked

Fine lines are the first sign of aging skin, usually appearing around the eyes first, then the corners of the mouth. As you age the fine lines become larger and deeper, and turn into wrinkles.
The dermis (the deeper, living layered of skin cells) contains fibres of collagen, a tough, flexible protein, that gives skin its elasticity. Older skin contains fewer collagen fibres in the dermis. If you pinch some skin on the forearm of a young person, it springs bac k into place as soon as it is released.

This is because the large number of collagen fibres present in young skin makes it very elastic The same experiment conducted on an elderly person will result in the pinched skin standing up for a few seconds after it is released, only slowly returning to its original position.

Observations of identical twins have demonstrated conclusively that exposure to UV rays and smoking both cause premature loss of collagen from the dermis. Fine lines and wrinkles also run in families, hence the old adage., if you look at your mother-in-law, you can see your wife in 40 years time. (of course this makes no allowance for the fact that your wife may inherit her father's collagen levels, rather than her mother's.

Cosmetics cannot permanently remove fine lines and wrinkles. the best they can do is cover them up or moisten and colour the skin to make it look younger.

Exfoliants can temporarily give skin a younger appearance, but regular use of these so-called skin peelers is not recommended. Retinoic acid can improve the skin's elasticity but this is a potent drug with some serious side effects, and you will not find any cosmetics sold legally in the EU or the USA that contain this ingredient.

Cosmetic surgery is the only certain way to remove fine lines and wrinkles but this is expensive and only lasts between five and ten years. Collagen replacement therapy (CRT) ca\n reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles . Improvements are noticeable immediately and last between two and six months before top up treatments are required .

Taking Care Of Your Skin
Now that we know what skin is and why it ages, we can look at the multitude of creams and lotions that promise to keep us looking young and fresh. Cosmetic manufacturers have coerced us into believing that we all need to use their products all the time by constantly reminding us with drip-feed advertising lines such as "Now it contains added moisturizers," or " Refreshes and moisturizers tired skin." or even "New improved formula now contains 65 percent moisturizers."

Skin is not healthy unless it is moisturized and we cannot survive without these products - or can we? We have been making our own, natural moisturizers for the last six million years or so. Many people have perfectly healthy skin that needs little more care than keeping it clean and protecting it from too much sun and harsh weather. Try it - see what happens.

Reference: Cosmetics Unmasked: Dr stephen & Gina Antczak