Skin Tightening Without Loosening the Purse Strings
By: Valerie Rosenbaum
Submitted: 2010-02-28 22:07:55 | Word Count: 533
A recent report from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons indicates that the request for skin tightening treatments is on the rise, despite the fact that most Americans are tightening their purse strings. If you care about your appearance and are not ready to look older than you feel, that’s understandable, but you really don’t have to spend a fortune or expose yourself to unwanted side effects.
There are safe and natural approaches. Sure, it might take a little longer to see results, but does instant gratification mean that much to you. Besides, the results that you achieve may be more long lasting than a Botox injection. Six months is about the most that you can get out of any of today’s injections. Antioxidants can help you for the rest of your life.
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You have probably heard of Retin A. It’s the only prescription cream for wrinkles and skin tightening in the US. What you might not know is that Retin A is actually a synthetic version of retinol or the antioxidant, vitamin A.
Lack of vitamin A in the bloodstream is known to play a role in a number of the skin’s health problems, including acne. Retin A has been used to treat acne for many years, although it is not prescribed for pregnant women or those that may become pregnant, because of the risk of birth defects.
The discovery that the compound reduced wrinkles and sagging was something of an accident. Dermatologists began prescribing it for that purpose long before there was a consensus about “what” the cream was actually doing.
Just recently, the American Dermatological Association reported that free radical damage is the primary cause of wrinkles, sagging and other signs of aging. The sun, cigarette smoke and environmental toxins contribute to the signs of age, but only because they stimulate the production and activity of free radical molecules.
For many decades, we have known that antioxidants neutralize free radicals and prevent them from damaging the cells. So, they can help prevent the need for skin tightening. There has been some question about whether or not antioxidants can reverse free radical damage. Judging from the latest research, they can and do.
The drawbacks of Retin A, other than the risk of birth defects, are redness, itching and irritation. Natural forms of vitamin A, found in plants and plant based oils, are still beneficial for skin tightening, but they do not cause the unwanted side effects.
Other antioxidants have proven to be beneficial for de aging, too. Coenzyme Q10, for example, has been shown to reduce wrinkles and improve the skin’s moisture content. Moister skin is always firmer looking.
The antioxidants in wakame kelp, the ones found in brown algae, those in the avocado and the vitamin E found in a variety of plant oils are all beneficial for stimulating collagen production, which in turn, increases the skin’s firmness.
There is even one ingredient that causes an increase in the skin’s superoxide dismutase and glutathione, which are important antioxidants normally produced by the skin’s cells, but the production slows down with age. That ingredient is a subject for another skin tightening article.
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
