Ditch The Wrinkle Creams: Health Is Charisma

I was barely thirty when I first saw it. The tiny crows feet which appeared on either side of my eyes was enough to make me cry. It’s bad enough that we live in a youth-obsessed culture! I literally felt as if I had suddenly become over the hill. I stared at the face in the mirror, stretched the skin near my cheekbones to see if the marks would go away, and immediately started scouring my magazines for a wrinkle cream which would get rid of the lines.

As you can imagine, the number of ads and articles I found in just a few magazines overwhelmed me. Each product seemed to claim the same thing, that they’d help me win the battle against wrinkles. What wasn’t clear was why some products were only a few dollars a bottle and others cost nearly ten or a hundred times as much. I looked at the products being offered by the traditional brands and there didn’t seem to be any indication that they would do anything more than generic brands I encounted. I wondered how much money women my age and older would spend to try all these seemingly-similar products and found myself realizing I would have to make some budgetary concessions if I was to buy wrinkle creams for the rest of my life.

I tried doing some research on the internet and wanted to cry some more. Not one site was able to point me in the direction of a product that would make anything more than the nebulous claims about healing and wrinkle-fighting properties, and some of the so-called “reviewers” seemed to be outright lying. I came across one site which contained two or three positive reviews and a whole lot of negative reviews which were posted only a week or so afterwards. At this point I had no idea what worked and what didn’t, and even my friends swore by creams which other friends said were junk.

The answer to that lies in the skin’s structure and the reasons behind those fine lines. Wrinkles are said to be formed due to a number of factors, viz. skin’s natural aging process, free radicals in the air that damage the skin’s structure, UV rays from the sun, bad diet, lack of exercise, illnesses, certain prescription drugs, smoking and alcohol consumption. There are probably other reasons, but these are the main factors that are said to cause early wrinkling of the skin.

A woman who is having some success with a specific cream is likely taking care of herself in other areas. When solid lab test are carried out, products tested are never proven to be of real use in fighting the appearance of aging - no matter what the marketing for the product infers. Wrinkle creams can scrub off the outer layer of the skin and give you a bright, fresh appearance, but think about that - you’re literally scraping the skin off your face. Some creams contain ingredients that cause the face to become slightly more water-absorpant, hiding the lines.

As I looked at the ingredients in most of the skin creams I researched, I saw the following over an over again. Vitamin A. C. E. Green tea extracts. Copper. Coenzymes. All are supposedly antioxidants, but I’m not even sure what an antioxidant is, and apparantly neither are the labs which tested the creams because there is not one single statistic which shows which ingredients really help skin look better when applied to the surface.

Everyone seems to think that antioxidants are magical things which destroy “free radicals” that harm skin. Some people use fruit peels to remove wrinkles, but I learned that all they’re doing is abrasing the skin. There’s a thing called alpha hydroxy acids which fruits loaded with sugar produce and they exfoliate the skin’s outer layer. So, again - you’re scraping the skin off in the hopes that new skin will come in.

There are no quick fixes. No overnight miracles. Each of the ingredients mentioned above are said to have worked for some, but not for many others. Prevention is still the best cure. Use sun protection, drink plenty of water, eat a healthy diet rich in fruit and vegetables, eliminate smoking and excessive alcohol consumption and lead a stress-free life. Above all, re-evaluate your fitness regime. There is nothing like a good workout to get the circulation going, and to bring that glow back to your face.

Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!