But, is this reality or an illusion?



It's a combination of both a partial reality and illusions.

With the majority of skin products it is definitely an illusion

as most women over thirty would attest to. Many products can

certainly make your skin look better at the time of application

but the real test is when all the make up is washed off.

Generally the fine lines, wrinkles, blemishes and sagging of

skin still remain!



Having said that, there are however a few natural products

that will help with firming up the skin and reducing fine

lines and blemishes but you have to accept that there are

limitations to what they can do on their own. More about

this later in the article!



So, what is the answer... plastic surgery? Many people

obviously think that it is, given the booming cosmetic

plastic surgery industry. But is it? In my opinion

definitely not! I have met quite a number of people that

have had plastic surgery and I have not been impressed.

I remember just a few years ago meeting up with some old

friends from St Louis for dinner in Palm Beach Florida.

My friends who were in their late 70's brought along a

friend who would have been in her early 60's. It was

apparent that this friend had had a number of plastic

surgery procedures on her face and not all of them were

successful. I remember thinking at the time that she

would have looked better without them.



Of course that is not always the case. Some people get

really good results, but they are very much dependent

upon the skill of the surgeon. So, the risks are high.





So, what causes skin to age which results in

sagging, wrinkles and blemishes?



If you want to maintain clear, healthy, and firm skin

into old age you need to know this. So ... here is the

brief version ... FREE RADICALS. That's it in a nutshell.

I am sure that you have heard about free radicals and

you may even know exactly what they are, but nonetheless

I will give you a quick briefing about them.



Even though free radicals age our bodies and skin they

are a natural and essential part of life. They are

everywhere, inside our body and out. They are more

concentrated in the cities or anywhere there is any

form of environmental pollution. Sunlight also creates

free radicals.

It is possible to see the effect of them quite

dramatically when you cut an apple open and leave it

exposed to the air. The parts without the skin

quickly go brown. This is because it is being attacked

by these free radicals. If they were not there then

nothing would decompose and the whole planet would be

a massive garbage dump.



So, what exactly are they? They are oxygen molecules

that have lost an electron through interaction with

other molecules. As with everything in nature an effort

is made (in this case the molecule) to heal itself!

There is only one way it can do this... and that is by

stealing an electron from another healthy molecule. So,

it rushes around like a thief until it can find one!

When it does and it steals the electron, what happens?

You guessed it... another free radical is created and

in the process cells where the 'thief' has entered are damaged.



There is no 'security system' that can shut free radicals out.



They surround you, they enter your body with each breath you

take. The greater your intake of air the higher exposure that

you have to free radicals. Ever wondered why long distance

runners look older than their years, particularly their face?

They inhale more air than most other people and with it more

free radicals. They therefore age faster if they don't

counteract the effect of the free radicals. Everyone who

exercises should be aware of this. The good news is that this

is not a problem if the appropriate measures are taken... more

info soon.



Anyway, back to your skin. It needs good healthy Collagen

(which is a protein). This Collagen gives your skin its

suppleness and tautness. However it is constantly bombarded

with free radicals that damage the cells by the cross linking

of molecules. When this occurs the collagen molecules can no

longer smoothly slide over one another. They instead become

rough which impacts directly on the appearance of your skin.



Because collagen stays in the skin for many years it is

continually subjected to this free radical damage and the

effects are cumulative.



If you could stop the actions of these free radicals you

could stop the aging process. This applies not only to your

skin but to your entire body. But, it simply is not possible

to achieve a 100% success rate. However, you can reduce the

impact of these free radicals to a measurable degree.

This is through the use of a series of compounds known as

anti-oxidants. I am sure that you have heard of these but

you may be unsure exactly what they do? In simple terms they

donate spare electrons to the free radicals to 'heal' the

damaged molecule.



There are many different forms of anti-oxidants available ...

some natural some synthetic. Some really potent, some quite

weak. For example Vitamin C is an antioxidant which is

relatively weak. On the other hand Alpha Lipoic acid is a

relatively potent one being about 400 times more powerful

than most Vitamin C's. Other antioxidants are even more

powerful than Alpha Lipoic acid, and so on it goes.

So, how does this apply to your skin and what should you

do to protect it?

Simple. When you are reviewing various crèmes and lotions

to apply to your face select those ones which are natural,

don't have any harsh chemicals that are likely to cause

inflammation (free radicals love inflammation) and make

sure they have natural antioxidants in them, for example,

alpha lipoic acid, vitamin C esters (fat soluble type),

DMAE etc.



BUT... and this is an important but, if you are serious

about your skin health take heed of the old saying 'Beauty

comes from within'. Although this term is intended to relate

to an individuals mental attitude it also applies in a

physical sense. The health of your skin and thus the

appearance of it is directly related to your internal health.

If you have free radicals rampant in your body, then putting

all the expensive antioxidant crèmes on your face will only

do a part of the job. Nourishing your skin from the inside

out is much more rewarding and effective than any topical

application.



Don't forget about your internal health ... your skin is

an organ and it needs to be properly supported internally.