It doesn’t matter if you are 21 or 45, no one wants the appearance of wrinkles to brigade her skin. Now, I love the saying if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, so I do not encourage young people to use anti-wrinkle creams and reducers just yet. The key is building defensive skin that is healthy and strong that will delay the appearance of wrinkles before.
To understand how to defend your skin against wrinkles, let’s understand what causes them. Wrinkles and fine lines are the trauma sign, cry for help that our skin gives us when it has been literally stretched to the limit. Our miraculously created bodies have natural defenses and are elastic by nature. Anytime our skin is stretched, or our physical structures grow, our body’s first response is to adapt and grow with us.
Wrinkles appear when our elasticity is weakened and our skin fails to stretch in and out of position like it once did. The elasticity of our skin is rooted in collagen and vitamins C and E. Therefore, the trick to smooth, wrinkle-free skin is not poking and prodding our skin with more anti-wrinkle treatments but making sure that our daily facial cleansers and body soaps and even some of our foods have the above ingredients.
Collagen is a protein that naturally occurs in the body. It supports flexibility of the skin and the connection of our body tissues. Since collagen is natural, you cannot “buy” it, but you can buy products that contain collagen boosters that will aid in your skin’s wrinkle defense.Vitamins C and E are collagen’s biggest support system. Vitamin C, found in many fruits and juices, promotes collagen production by thickening the dermis. It also reduces water loss and enhances the effectiveness of skin treatments such as micro-dermabrasion.
We all know that extreme sun exposure is wrinkle’s number one advocate, but, luckily, in our favor, vitamin E increases the efficacy of sunscreen lotion. Vitamin E is also great for preventing the peroxidation of fats, a leading source of cell membrane damage in the body. If our body’s cell membranes are intact, than the body’s elasticity is intact. Both vitamins are body-strengthening and empowering and will aid in wrinkle reduction but more importantly prevention.
What does all of this mean for you? Again, I cannot stress the importance of reading cosmetic ingredient labels and supporting products that are full of collagen boosters and these vitamins. Also look for food products that contain these vitamins. Finally, don’t speed up the appearance of wrinkles and lines by being rough with your skin. Avoid pulling on skin to apply make-up or rubbing skin harshly during rinses and treatments; try patting the skin softly instead.
Fighting wrinkles, one vitamin at a time!
Brittany Kaytrina Earls
(photo credit: tzofia)
Wed, Apr 8, 2009
Skin Care