Natural Anti Aging

How the Skin Ages

There are four processes involved in the aging of the skin. The process of aging of your skin involves cell turnover, the slowing down of collagen production, the skin drying out as estrogen production and thyroid function decrease and the attack of free radicals on your skin. All of these things are involved in the aging process of the skin.

As we age, the skin dries out because of a decrease in the production of the hormone estrogen and thyroid function. Decreasing thyroid and estrogen production affects the sweat glands which results in the lowering of the levels of moisture available in the skin. Bioidentical hormone replacement can assist greatly in preserving your skin because it replaces the hormones that you are losing as you age.

A part of the aging process involves new cell production slowing down. A natural exfoliation process occurs in the skin throughout our lives. Throughout life, the skin sheds the upper top level of dead skin cells as new cells created deep in the epidermis layer push up and replace the older skin cells. When we are young and our skin is healthy, the process of new skin cells replacing older cells take about 28 days and the older skin cells slough off in approximately 12 days. In older skin this process slows down, newer cells are not created as quickly and the older cells exfoliate at a slower tempo. A process called microdermabrasion will assist greatly with the rate of skin cell turnover. It removes the upper level of dead skin cells encouraging the replacement of new skin cells.

Skin also ages because of the attack of free radicals against the body. Free radicals are unstable oxygen molecules which come from stress, cigarette smoke, pollution and sun damage. The result of this attack of free radicals on your skin causes skin discolorations, cancer and other skin cell irregularities.

And finally, as we age, the levels of collagen and elastin production decline. Collagen and elastin are proteins which give skin its moisture and fullness. When collagen production breaks down, the skin loses its volume and the result is that wrinkles and creases form. There are supplements you can take to assist with collagen production including hyaluronic acid and vitamin C. It is also possible to consult with an anti-aging specialist or plastic surgeon about cosmetic fillers such as Botox, Artecoll or Restylane which replace lost volume and fill out wrinkles in areas around the eyes such as crows feet or nasal labial folds.

Our next article will discuss in depth the most important things you can do to slow down the aging process of the skin including the care of aging skin and some of the best organic skin care products you can use.

Microdermabrasion is a cosmetic procedure that can be done at home or in a salon. The home procedure can be performed with a hand held machine such as Neutrogena’s At Home Microdermabrasion kit or with any one of the variety of microdermabrasion formulas available on the market.

However, treatments at home are not as effective as the treatment you can have in a salon because of the equipment used and the skills of the esthetician performing the task. In a salon, the esthetician will use a specialized tool for the procedure which utilizes various crystals such as sodium bicarbonate, aluminum oxide or sodium chloride. The tool action shoots out the crystals and vacuums up the used crystals and dead skin cells.

The process of microdermabrasion works on the outer layer of the skin, the stratum corneum where the fine lines, wrinkles and blemishes on your face lay. It is a less invasive procedure than, say, cosmetic fillers such as Botox, etc., and can be viewed as an “instant” facelift. The prices range from $50 – $175 a session. Your esthetician will recommend a series of treatments to achieve the results you wish.

How does it work? During the microdermabrasion process the outer layer, the stratum corneum is disturbed. The body interprets this as an injury and responds with crythema – the redness you will see after the process and mild edema (swelling). These reactions will last anywhere from an hour to 48 hours.

The beneficial effects of microdermabrasion are the creation of new skin cells and a smoother skin surface. It can “fix” such things as removing fine lines, correcting sun damage and blemishes and allows moisturizing creams applied after the treatment to reach the lower levels of the skin. Over time and with repeated microdermabrasion procedures, it can also improve minor acne scarring by generating new healthy skin cells, thereby improving the skin surface.

Microdermabrasion is not recommended for people with any of the following conditions:

• Diabetes mellitus
• Lupus
• Dermatitis
• Persons taking anti-coagulants
• Open sores
• Herpes
• Acne
• Vascular lesions
• Active rosacea
• Broken capillaries
• Warts
• Skin lesions
• Eczema
• Psoriasis
• Erythematosis

Microdermabrasion is recommended for the treatment of:

• Sun damaged skin
• Brown spots
• Shallow acne scars
• Fine lines
• Improving dull aging skin
• Improving uneven skin tone and texture
• Melasma (hyper pigmentation)

Microdermabrasion is an inexpensive anti-aging procedure which does wonders for your skin.

H A Hyaluronic Acid Anti-Aging Cream “Pure Elegance”

I would use one word to describe H A Hyaluronic Acid Anti-Aging Cream “Pure Elegance” by Organika Health Products of British Columbia. The word for this anti-aging cream is “luxurious”.

This product was purchased at my local natural products store. This is an excellent anti-aging cream, very luxurious in texture. It can be applied both night and day and can be worn under makeup. After applying, my skin felt very moisturized and the cream left a somewhat dewy look to the surface of the skin. On a “one to five star” rating, this anti-aging cream would rate five stars. It feels as good as any high end moisturizer you can purchase in the drug store or your department store. It is not classified as organic, but 95% of the ingredients are healthy. The only ingredient I didn’t like in the ingredient list is the Germaben II an antimicrobial preservative component which is rated as a “Moderate Hazard” chemical ingredient by the Environment Working Group Cosmetic Safety database (www.cosmeticsdatabase.com)

H A Hyaluronic Acid Anti-Aging Cream contains a high percentage of hyaluronic acid (0.2%). This is the substance in our bodies responsible for joint lubrication, eye lubrication (think of the dry eyes we experience as we age) and it keeps the skin moisturized and lubricated. The loss of hyaluronic acid as we age is seen by the loss of elasticity in the skin, the increase in the amount of time required to heal skin wounds and the development of wrinkles. One can also supplement this anti-aging cream internally by taking Hyaluronic acid capsules which are also made by Organika Health Products.

I’m loving their H A Hyaluronic Acid Anti-Aging Cream “Pure Elegance” cream and using it twice a day. I highly recommend it. Organika also makes an anti-aging Hyaluronic Serum which I am hoping to review in the future. Stay tuned.