Friday, July 4, 2008

How To Do an Anti Aging Skin Care Review by Therese Higgins

Are you sick and tired of trying to sort through the glut of anti aging skin products on the market with their promises of younger, more beautiful looking skin? I know you want to find a truly effective anti aging skin care system, so I am going to show you how to do your own anti aging skin care review. Once you know how to do this, I know it won't be long before you have a skin care product that will have you turning back the clock on your appearance.

There really isn't any mystery to doing an anti aging skin care review. Actually, its quite simple. Its just a matter of reading the label on the jar of skin care cream. The trick is knowing what ingredients to look for and what ingredients to avoid.

Ingredients to Avoid

The following ingredients are found in many anti aging skin care systems. It seems incredible because not only are they ineffective at improving your skin, but with prolonged use, they can actually cause damage to your skin.

1. Mineral oil, a cheap, widely-used ingredient that also goes by the names of liquid paraffin, paraffin wax, and petrolatum. This ingredient is harmful because it clogs pores, blocking the skin's ability to eliminate toxins. Using anti aging skin care products with mineral oil can lead to premature aging.

2. Dioxane (a synthetic derivative of coconut). This ingredient all appears in many skin care products. Dioxane is a chemical that has been linked to cancer.

3. Parabens, including methyl, propyl, butyl, and ethyl paraben. This ingredient has less to do with anti aging skin care and more to do with shelf life. Ironically, it preserves the product but does nothing to preserve your youthful appearance.

4. Alcohols, including ethanol, ethyl alcohol, methanol, benzyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol and SD alcohol. Alcohol in skin care products have the effect of drying and/or irritating the skin. It can also make you susceptible to viruses, bacteria and molds since it strips away your skin's natural acid mantle.

5. Frangrances, which make anti aging skin care products smell good but exposes you to a variety of chemicals that can ultimately be damaging to your skin.

What these ingredients all have in common is that they are synthetic. And while their wrinkle-filling properties give you a temporary look of improvement in the short term, they can cause damage to you skin in the long term.

In order for an anti aging skin care system to be truly "anti aging," it needs to contain ingredients that work with your skin's own natural ability to sustain its firmness and elasticity. It also needs to be effective at helping your skin lower the production of damaging free radicals. This can only be accomplished by using nature-based/natural ingredients.

Ingredients to Look For

So as you do your anti aging skin care review, look for the following collagen and elastin-boosting, free radical-reducing ingredients:

1. Exotic kelp (phytessence wakame), a substance that blocks a harmful enzyme that breaks down the hyaluronic acid in your skin. This important acid holds your collagen and elastin fibers together, giving them the strength to keep your skin firm.

2. Bio-active keratin (Cynergy TK), a natural substance extracted from sheep wool. Keratin is a protein found throughout the body, which has an important structural role in the skin. This substance is known to increase moisture retention, reduce fine lines and wrinkles, boost firmness and calm skin inflammation.

3. CoEnzyme Q10, a potent antioxidant that can penetrate down through seven layers of skin. This antioxidant is highly effective at fighting free radicals.

4. No fragrance, which eliminates exposure to harmful chemicals on senistive skin.

One Final "Heads Up"

In your anti aging skin care review, there is one more critical component of reading ingredient labels that you need to know. The ingredients I mentioned above must be present in high concentrations or they won't be effective.

Cosmetic companies know the importance of these ingredients in truly fighting aging. However, they are costly. So in order to save money while impressing the consumer, some companies will include low concentrations of these substances so that they can be listed on the label. Don't be fooled!

So know that you know how to do an anti aging skin care review, take what you've learned and examine some anti aging skin care systems. You'll be surprised and happy when you find, like I did, that there are some terrific, safe, healthy and effective products out there. Your skin will thank you for it.

About the Author

Therese Higgins is dedicated advocate and researcher of healthy anti-aging skin care. Visit http://www.blithe-radiance.com to read about the results and recommendations that she shares with interested readers.

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