It is not surprising that one of the largest markets in the world of health and beauty is anti-ageing skin care products; it is not unreasonable to want to continue looking youthful for as long as possible when you consider how much longer most of us are living!

Skin is important so a great deal of effort goes into the preparation of beauty products especially those that increase the production of collagen, which is the primary protein in skin; twenty-five percent of the skin's protein is collagen.

Collagen is a member of another family of substances that aid in reducing the signs of ageing. these are known as antioxidants which remove toxins from the body. You probably know many anti-oxidants by name, including vitamin C, the use of which is still, even now, hotly debated in the science and nutrition community. Unfortunately all skin care treatments that use vitamin C have the problem of atmospheric oxidization to contend with once the product is exposed to the air. Other skin care treatments which mimic the effects of vitamin C are being tried all the time which are hoped to be more stable in the atmosphere and also cheaper to produce. These alternative products are not as effective as vitamin C but vitamin E and lipoic acid are anti-oxidants and are now being used.

Vitamin E is a fat-soluble antioxidant and is found in human blood; it has many functions including inhibiting the formation of cancer cells. Lipoic acid, which is found inside every cell of the body, helps generate the energy that keeps us alive and functioning; it can help reverse much of the damage caused to the skin by ageing. The use of plants has not been overlooked either with many types able to provide essences called phytochemicals which have proved successful in anti-ageing skin care products. Like lipoic acid, phytochemicals help reduce the occurrence of cancers; these include:

*Prostate Cancer in Men

*Cancer of the Breast

*Cancer of the Bowel

All of which are on the increase globally. For some time now it has also been known that the vitamins B5, B6 and B12 also have anti-ageing skin care properties. Although the area of anti-ageing skin care products is huge, more is being learnt about the whole ageing process and about natural products that can reduce the effects it has on our bodies as well as our skin. Although current regimes are quite effective, there are many ways to combat the effects of time; however, research is moving forward rapidly and it is only a matter of time before a new generation of products becomes available.

With the research that is now taking place, many people are confident that in time, more effective, cheaper anti-ageing skin care products will be discovered. However, man-made skin care regimes should be used only as a supplement; we must not forget however, that there are many more natural methods we can all use to reduce the signs of aging on a regular basis. Regular sleep patterns, exercise, a good healthy diet and less stress will all contribute to reducing the signs of ageing, for instance!