Tuesday, May. 27, 2008

Best Defense Against Wrinkles and Sags is Prevention, But Help May Be On the Way

Wrinkles are like kids once you've got 'em they're yours forever.

Best defense against wrinkles and sags is prevention, but help may be on the way
Wrinkles are like kids once you've got 'em, they're yours forever. Unless you have them surgically removed the wrinkles not the kids.
Face it, wrinkles are a natural part of aging. As you grow older, your skin gets thinner, drier, less elastic, and less able to protect itself from damage. As a result, wrinkles, lines and creases form. Although genetics are the most important determiner of skin texture, a major contributor to wrinkles is spending too much time in the sun.
A recent report from the University of Michigan Health System appears to give hope to those who would like to reduce or eliminate wrinkles through non-surgical means.
Flip through a fashion magazine and somewhere in the ads and articles the following words will pop out at you: Retinoids, exfoliants, antioxidants, peptides, cell plumpers, fillers and skin brighteners. Magic in a jar that supposedly will help you return to younger looking, wrinkle-free skin. The hyperboles follow in ad after ad placed there by cosmetic companies which spend millions on packaging and advertising aimed at convincing you they have the magical ingredient that will grant your wish to turn back the clock to when not a single wrinkle creased any part of your face.
Despite all the hype there is no one magical ingredient that can make your skin look 20 again. It's true that some of today's wrinkle treatments might smooth out your skin, but the results won't be permanent. New wrinkles will appear and sun exposure and smoking may hasten their development. You can't turn back the hands of time, but you can take steps to protect your skin from further damage.
The battle among the makers of anti-wrinkle products received an injection of scientific understanding with the release of the University of Michigan Health System study.
The study is the first to report that Restylane, the brand name of one of the fillers used to reduce the appearance of creases and wrinkles on the lower part of the face, works by stretching fibroblasts, the cells in the skin that make collagen, in a way that causes the skin to create new collagen, which could contribute to the reduction of the appearance of creases and wrinkles. The study also shows that the product seems to inhibit the breakdown of existing collagen.
The fibroblasts are in the dermis, the layer of skin below the epidermis (outer layer). In young people, fibroblasts are stretched, and this produces enough collagen to make the skin appear relative smooth. As people age, the fibroblasts become relaxed and do not stretch as easily, and therefore do not release as much collagen, causing creases and wrinkles to appear.
Another factor is that in older skin, an enzyme called collagenase breaks down the collagen in the skin. The research found that injection of Restalyn inhibits the breakdown of collagen by collagenase.
Nothing we know today stops the aging process of skin, but there are things you can do to make your skin look and be healthier, firmer and better looking. One of the best things you can do for your skin is to never go out without first applying sunscreen to the exposed skin. Never!
The wrinkles and brown spots associated with aging appear first and most prominently on skin exposed to the sun. Skin not exposed to the sun also ages but less dramatically. It loses its youthful appearance by becoming thinner, laxer and more finely wrinkled.
Wrinkles come in two categories: fine surface lines and deep furrows. Most wrinkles appear on the parts of the body where sun exposure is greatest, the face, neck, the backs of the hands, and the tops of the forearms. Wrinkle treatments in cream or lotion may be, in general, more effective for fine lines. Deeper creases may require more aggressive techniques such as filler injections.
Prescription creams such as Retinoids may be able to reduce fine wrinkles and skin roughness. Derived from vitamin A, these are prescription creams and their use needs to be monitored by a dermatologist. Applying vitamin A to the skin seems to improve wrinkles and may help to promote the production of skin-building compounds.
The effectiveness of non-prescription, over-the-counter, anti-wrinkle creams depends in part on the active ingredient(s). Retinol, alpha hydroxyl acids, kinetin, coenzyme Q10, copper peptides and antioxidants may result in slight to modest improvements in wrinkles. However, non-prescription wrinkle creams contain lower concentrations of active ingredients than do prescription creams. Therefore results, if any, are limited and usually short-lived.
Some people consider their wrinkles a roadmap of their life and don't mind having them. Laugh lines and frown lines they illustrate a life lived with joy and grief alike. They are a natural part of having lived.
Others cringe at the sight of each wrinkle as it appears and would rather do without. If your wrinkles are bothering you, you have more options than ever, topical and surgical, in a wide variety of price ranges, to help eliminate or at least diminish their appearance.