Striving4Zen

Anti-aging and antiwrinkle are powerful buzzwords that capture the attention of women the world over. Each product sounds more incredible than the last. The claims make it a wonder that plastic surgeons haven't gone out of business.

There is only so much a cosmetic can do to provide the results we long for, and no skin-care product can even remotely work like or take the place of Botox, lasers, or dermal injections, despite the endless assertions from myriad cosmetic companies, including many doctor-owned lines where the doctors themselves offer such procedures.

But there also is good news: There are many products being sold whose ingredients have a proven track record of producing noticeable, sometimes cumulative, improvements in skin. Here is what we know for certain:

• Certain vitamins and plant extracts can stimulate collagen production and help reduce discolorations.
  
• Antioxidants reduce inflammation, help skin defend against environmental assaults, and produce a healthier looking visage.
  
• Cell-communicating ingredients, at least in theory, can "tell" skin cells to behave in a normal (meaning younger and undamaged) manner.
  
• Exfoliants can remove built-up layers of problematic dead, rough, thickened, uneven surface skin cells that make skin look more wrinkled and dry. Some exfoliants also have research showing they can increase collagen production while improving skin texture due to the removal of the built-up layers of dead skin.
  
• Last, there are numerous skin-identical substances (i.e., substances that are the same as the natural components in skin that hold skin cells together and protect it) that replenish and restore the skin's external barrier, making it soft and supple, diminishing dryness, and helping skin defend itself from environmental factors.

Abundant research makes it crystal clear that these ingredients are indeed the state-of-the-art ingredients, especially when combined, that can make skin, dare I say it, fight the signs of aging! Without question, these are the types of ingredients you need in any lotion, cream, gel, serum, moisturizer, anti-aging, or anti-wrinkle product you use. If they're not in there, then why bother? And if they're not in an expensive product? That's a red flag that you're paying for fancy packaging and grandiose claims, not a truly elegant product.

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Labels: anti-aging, Anti-oxidant, botox, cosmetic cop, Paula Begoun, skincare