True Skin Care

Posts Tagged ‘collagen and elastin’

There are thousands of pores spanning across the skin of your face. We all have different sized pores and this is often determined by the skin type we have.

While there are obviously exceptions to every rule, you will tend to find that people with oily skin will usually have larger pores than those with normal or dry skin.

Having larger skin pores can make the skin look rougher and anything that can help to reduce the size of the pores will make the skin look smoother.

Therein lays a problem, as the pores tend to get larger as we age.

During the aging process we lose collagen and the loss of collagen results in a reduction in the elasticity of the skin. This in turn leads to enlarged pores.

The answer obviously is to use products that will help to stimulate collagen and in doing so reduce the size of the pores or at the very least stop them from getting any bigger.

By firming the skin the pores can become smaller and in doing so the skin will also look smoother.

So what can you do to reduce the size of your skin pores and have a smoother looking skin?

Well, anything that will reduce the loss of collagen from your skin will help to stop the pores from becoming enlarged and it has been shown that antioxidants are effective at helping to retain levels of collagen and elastin in the skin.

You should therefore look for face care products that have suitable levels of antioxidants in them, in the form of Vitamins A, C and E and also natural antioxidants such as green tea extract, grade seed extract and pycnogenol.

Pycnogenol is an antioxidant that is derived from the bark of the Landis pine trees. It has proven to be a very effective antioxidant and is often found in face care products

Have you ever noticed when they have those programs on television where they try to make ordinary people off the street look years younger that they always seem to choose people who have been smokers for a long period of time?

There is a very good reason for this and that is because cigarette smoking is one of the biggest causes of skin deterioration along with sun exposure.

Not only does smoking affect your skin condition but being around smokers and having to breathe their secondhand smoke will also affect your own skin condition.

Cigarette smoke contains a high concentration of a compound that destroys the DNA of skin cells and in doing so reduces the ability for those skin cells to renew themselves.

The problems for the smoker are considerable. It is quite easy to spot a smoker from the fine lines that have formed prematurely around the mouth as a result of the action of sucking on cigarettes.

There are generally lines around the eyes from trying to look through the smoke haze.

The nicotine in the cigarettes slows blood circulation and this in turn causes other skin problems including higher rates of skin cancer and an inability to heal if there is ever any damage caused to the skin.

Smokers will usually have thinner dryer skin and an inability to utilize antioxidants that are required for maintaining a healthy skin.

The skin will rapidly begin to look lifeless and will lose its tone with increased smoking.

Only excessive exposure to the sun will cause more damage faster than smoking and a combination of the two will ensure that you look old well beyond your years.

Smokers have skin that is considerably thinner than non-smokers due to the deterioration of collagen and elastin and this is also responsible for the skin sagging.

Collagen and Elastin fibers are the structural support that the skin needs to remain youthful.

Collagen production is stimulated by the hormone estrogen and this is necessary for the skin to remain firm and wrinkle free.

The problem with menopause is that this production of estrogen begins to wane and this causes a breakdown in the production of collagen.

The result of the decreased collagen is that the skin becomes slack and more susceptible to wrinkles.

There are other factors that are affected by menopause that also reduce the condition of the skin.

With the skin becoming increasingly fragile with age, the top layers of the skin, the epidermis and the dermis are more easily separated and this leads to the vulnerability to damage more easily.

The skin becomes less durable and more susceptible to cuts that would not have resulted in previous years. As well as this, there is the problem that when cuts do occur, they take a lot longer to heal.

The same applies to bruises, that are easier to get, and often look somewhat more severe and they will generally take longer to disappear.

Due to the delicate nature of the skin during menopause and as we age there is a need to be a lot gentler than would be expected with the skin of a younger person.

This care even applies to the way that creams and cleansers are used on the skin and particularly the face.

As the skin ages and becomes more fragile it is necessary to avoid pulling the skin when applying skin care products.

By rubbing in creams and toners the skin can easily get ‘pulled’ and in doing so stretch it causing permanent damage if this is done on a regular basis. It is better to pat the skin when applying lotions and make up.

Good quality moisturizers applied day and night will assist in maintaining the skin in the best possible condition and will be money well spent.