Beat the effects of aging with anti-aging treatments. 

Anti-aging products come in all shapes, sizes, colors and packaging. But they all basically have one thing in common - slowing down the effects of aging. While its true none of us can stop the passing of the years, there is something we can do to make a healthy youthful complexion last longer.

Why our skin shows our age.

Understanding a little about the way our skin is formed helps us see how the aging process takes its toll on our skin. Our skin is made up of three layers - the epidermis which is the outer layer, the dermis which is the thick layer beneath and the hypoderm which is like a sponge between the dermis and the muscles.

The outer layer, the epidermis, has no blood vessels and its surface cells are dead and constantly being shed. The dermis however is where everything takes place. Its full of blood vessels that respond to various emotions - anger, embarrassment, pleasure, fear or nausea - hence the reason our faces flush or pale in certain circumstances. Also contained within the blood are various hormones that control skin color, when we sweat and the amount of sebum produced.

Sebum is produced in the sebaceous glands and is the skin's own natural moisturizer. If the sebum is released in exactly the right amount we will have a perfect complexion. If they release too much we end up with oily skin and if too little then we have dry skin. Being hormone driven, it explains why puberty, the menstrual cycle and pregnancy affect the way our skin looks.

Up until our late twenties we have the best skin we can expect to have. However, as we get into our forties hormone production begins to slows down  and so the skin starts to lose its strength, elasticity and tone. The protein fibers in the dermis begin to weaken reducing the nourishment getting to the epidermis. The skin dries out, maybe causing tiny blood vessels to break round the nose or on the cheeks. The skin turns flabby, bags develop and wrinkles appear. As we get into our fifties brown spots may develop as the pigment moves.

So now we know why our skin shows our age, we can begin to understand the reasoning behind the myriad of anti aging skin care treatments available. As the quality of our skin is dependant on hormones and proteins many of the treatments are replacement therapies. What they are doing is replacing or stimulating the production of hormones, proteins and vitamins that are needed to keep the skin tight, wrinkle free and looking youthful.