Skin Care For A Healthier & Younger-Looking You

Skin care is a very important thing for women. It is every woman's dream to age graciously without the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles on the face. How many times have you gone to a cosmetic counter spending an outrageous amount on skin care products that promise a youthful look or the “magic disappearance” of the signs of aging? Whether we admit it or not, our facial skin is one that we pamper the most or abuse in some form or another.

Skin wrinkles are the number one concern of women around the world. There is the vanity factor of always trying to look younger than our age, so we seek means of accomplishing that. We tend to think that wrinkled and sagging skin come with aging, but according to Dr. Nicholas Perricone, a Yale-affiliated dermatologist and anti-agingg expert, it is actually a disease that we can fight. There is no need for an expensive or invasive plastic surgery to do it, but we can simply start with good nutrition.

Now, let’s try to understand how skin is structured.

It has 3 basic layers: the epidermis, the dermis, and a fat layer. The epidermis is the skin’s outer layer. The very outer surface of the epidermis is called the “stratum corneum”, which is a protective coating of dead skins cells that forms when fresh cells made in the skin’s deeper layers push their way to the surface, flatten, and die. The layer is thinner than a sheet of tissue paper.

As new cells are formed, the “stratum corneum” is replaced continually. But as we age, this process slows down, so with younger people, the cell turnover may occur about every 28-30 days, compared to people over 40 where the process may take up to 50 days.

This is the reason why the skin loses the freshness or youth as the years go by. Although the “stratum corneum” is essentially “dead”, it serves an extremely important function: it helps your skin hold in moisture and oil.

At the bottom of the epidermis are the basal cells which produce the new skin cells. The epidermis also contains cells called “melanocytes”, which produce melanin that determines the color on one’s skin. It is the melanin produced by “melanocytes” that cause the actual tone of our skin, based on the skin’s unique amount and concentration of melanin, traits that are inherited from our parents.

The second layer is the dermis, which is considered the skin’s nerve center since it is where much of the skin’s important work is done. The dermis contains nerve receptors, which are sensitive to pressure (soft kisses, the stroke of a father), temperature, and pain; sweat glands, sebaceous glands (which produce skin-protective oil), hair follicles, and blood vessels.

The dermis also has the sweat and sebaceous glands that help produce the skin’s acid mantel, a think coating of oil and perspiration to protect one from infections, bacterial and fungal. This acid mantel serves as an effective barrier. Additionally, the dermis also contains a dense meshwork of collagen and elastin, which are two types of protein that can give your skin its strength and elasticity.

The third layer is the fat layer, which can be found under the epidermis and dermis. This layer serves to insulate and protect your inner organs and acts as a sort of cushion that makes the skins looking smooth and plump.

One of the widely-accepted theories on aging is the free-radical theory. I learned that free radicals are oxygen molecules that have lost an electron in interactions with other molecules. Since these molecules are reactive and extremely unstable, they seek to heal themselves by stealing electrons from healthier molecules, creating more free radicals in the process; thus, damaging cell components.

We heard many times that nutrients called antioxidants can fight these free radicals. These are vitamins, amino acids and other natural substances that can stop or even reverse free-radical damage. There are several sources of antioxidants in various fruits.

When it comes to anti-aging, the market is flooded with several skin care products to choose from. Most of them have unique ingredients that guarantee will slow down the aging process. I have used several brands myself, over the course of time because I want to select what works the best on my skin, based on the results I am seeing. With good genes and a consistent skin care regimen over the years, I have been fortunate to retain a youthful look better than other women who fall under the same age category as I am.

I recently tried a gel-based skin care line called "Ageless" which contains the following ingredients: Acai Berry Extract, Pomegranate Extract, Grape Seed Extract, Bisabolo and Ginger Root Extract, Vitamin E, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Hyaluronic Acid, Beta Glucan, Panthenol, Hydorlyzed Vegetable Protein, and Allntoin.

The skin care products do not contain any harsh and harmful ingredients that can damage the skin’s surface. I love the way my skin looks and feels. I will be keeping a journal of any changes on my skin resulting from the use of this product line and will be publishing it in the BLOG section (in progress) so I can share my experience with you.