By: Valerie Rosenbaum
Submitted: 2010-02-28 22:00:45 | Word Count: 529
Tightening loose skin is one of the goals of people that have recently lost weight and of people that are getting a little older. It might also be the goal of someone looking at a family picture. Folds on the neckline seem to run in families. Regardless of your reason for wanting to change your appearance, here’s what you can do in one word; hydrate.
When they are well hydrated, the skin’s layers are tighter and smoother. Being sure to drink enough pure water, every day, is helpful, but for the best results, you need to hydrate from the outside in.
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The protein that makes up the skin’s outer layers is called keratin. Keratin has the ability to absorb water, which plumps up the skin’s cells.
The production of keratinized cells decreases with age, as does the cell turnover rate and the production of elastic fibers. Creams containing a form of soluble keratin, derived from sheep’s wool, has been shown to increase the production of new cells by as much as 160 in as little as three days.
With more keratin in the skin’s layers, it becomes firmer and more elastic. When it comes to tightening loose skin, the use of the same keratin rich creams for 18 days has been shown to provide a 40 improvement. The skin’s ability to retain water also improves.
There are hundreds of moisturizers on the market. If you believe the advertising claims, all of them improve the skin’s hydration. But, if they contain petrolatum, mineral oil or paraffin, the claims are lies.
It is a known fact that petrolatum, mineral oil and paraffin do not improve the skin’s moisture content. They are not absorbed into the skin’s cells. So, there are no benefits for tightening loose skin.
In addition, because the ingredients are derived from crude oil, mainly byproducts of gasoline production, there is a risk that they may be contaminated with cancer causing chemicals. Many groups feel that reducing our exposure to petrochemicals can prolong our life and improve our appearance.
Petrolatum, mineral oil and paraffin clog the pores and interfere with the skin’s natural rejuvenation processes. In large amounts, they can cause premature aging of the skin. So, even if you are not concerned about the risks to your health, you should be able to see that avoiding those ingredients is the right thing to do.
The use of a good nighttime cream can help with tightening loose skin, if it contains the right ingredients. Things like avocado extract have been shown to increase the production of collagen fibers, which are ultimately responsible for the skin’s elastic nature.
Wakame kelp extracts have been shown to increase the skin’s level of hyaluronic acid, a compound responsible for the skin’s smoothness. Levels normally decrease with age due to increased enzymatic activity. A compound found in the kelp inhibits the enzymatic activity, allowing hyaluronic acid levels to rise, again.
There are other effective ingredients for tightening loose skin, but more than half of the battle is avoiding the ineffective ones. Now, you know a little more about what to watch out for.
Author Resource:-
Valerie Rosenbaum has spent the last several years researching natural skin care products in an effort to find the best skin care products available on the market today. For more information visit http://www.DefendYourSkin.com
