Alternative Approaches Reduce The Process Of Aging.

The use of anti-ageing skin care products continues to rise each year; when most of us can expect to live longer and have fuller, more active lives, this is hardly surprising. This is done using skin care products that encourage the growth of the protein collagen which happens to be the main source of the protein used in the connective tissue of skin; collagen makes up approximately 25 percent of the total protein in the skin. Collagen is a member of another family of substances that aid in reducing the signs of ageing. called antioxidants, they help flush out toxins from the body and help reduce the signs of aging.

One of the best known anti-oxidants is vitamin C and despite continual research, no-one body involved can decide just exactly how much our body should consume on a daily basis. The main problem when using any skin care treatments which use vitamin C is that oxidization can occur as soon as they have contact with the air.

Other skin care treatments which mimic the effects of vitamin C are being tried all the time which are hoped to be more stable in the atmosphere and also cheaper to produce. These alternative products are not as effective as vitamin C but vitamin E and lipoic acid are anti-oxidants and are now being used.

Vitamin E is a fat-soluble antioxidant and is found in human blood; it helps build resistance against infection like cancer for example. Lipoic acid, which is found inside every cell of the body, helps generate the energy that keeps us alive and functioning; it can help reverse much of the damage caused to the skin by ageing.

The use of plants has not been overlooked either with many types able to provide essences called phytochemicals which have proved successful in anti-ageing skin care products. A secondary but more important use of phytochemicals is the effect they have on the prevention of some strains of cancer; examples of these are:

*Cancer that attacks the Prostate *Breast Cancer in Women (and occasionally men) *Cancer of the Colon

These are all on the increase around the world.

Other vitamins from the B group are also used in anti-ageing skin care like vitamins B5, B6 and B12 for example. Although the area of anti-ageing skin care products is huge, more is being learnt about the whole ageing process and about natural products that can reduce the effects it has on our bodies as well as our skin. Whilst a great deal has been learned about this subject, it is only the tip of the iceberg; more long term effective methods will eventually be found to reverse or slow down the effects of aging.

There may be many challenges still to overcome but in time scientists believe they will succeed in producing more effective anti-ageing skin care products that are less expensive and available to more people. At the moment though, science is still behind the field of natural anti-aging methods; man-made products may never replace those that are available naturally! Natural methods are known, but few people actually follow them; what proportion of the population actually eats healthily, takes plenty of exercise, drink sufficient water and obtain restful and regular sleep? Other natural approaches that research is indicating as showing benefits in slowing down the aging process include shiatsu