The British magazine, The Economist, reports that beauty products and services are a “$160 billion-a-year global industry, encompassing make-up, skin and hair care, fragrances, cosmetic surgery, health clubs and diet pills.” The desire to look and feel one’s best – to reduce wrinkles, lose weight, smell good and so on – “is not mere vanity,” the article concludes. “Being pretty … confers enormous genetic and social advantages.” Of course, looking and feeling one’s best also confers a tremendous amount of confidence and self-esteem to people in achievement-oriented Western cultures. Products and services designed to reduce wrinkles and restore youthful looks are no longer limited to the female of the species. In fact, the fastest-growing segments of the “personal care services” and beauty industries are men’s products. Therefore, the products and services that can be marketed to both men and women have a built-in advantage. Read the rest of this entry »

Although it sounds like nothing so much as a tabloid headline screaming from the supermarket checkout line, there really are some “beauty secrets of the stars.” The professional make-up artists of the entertainment industry are, without a doubt, the world’s leading experts on make-up, beauty products, treatments – and, of course, those tantalizing “secrets.”

Not many people know that Max Factor, now a household name in cosmetics, was a leading Hollywood make-up artist. What he learned “on the job” he later built into one of the world’s first beauty product empires, and the “technology of beauty” in continuous development by TV and movie make-up artists has driven the development of consumer beauty products for almost a century now. There really are beauty secrets of the stars, although in a world of mass communications (and consumerism) it just isn’t so easy to keep secrets anymore. Read the rest of this entry »

Most of us will spend our summer vacation in the sun. Whether you are barbecuing in your backyard with family and friends or at the park oohing and aahing at the beauty of a spectacular beach, being outside is pretty much a must. But, while we are all enjoying the summer today, we may pay for it tomorrow by suffering the painful effects of sunburn.

The dreaded sunburn comes from overexposure to the sun’s damaging ultraviolet (UV) rays. The uncomfortable symptoms of sunburn can include redness, pain and even blisters. If you become one of the millions of people who will fall victim to this stinging problem, there are various remedies you can use that will help soothe the pain.

If you plan on spending your day under the blazing rays of the sun, make sure to have an Aloe Very plant handy. Use the natural sap that is inside the leaf and spread it over the effected area. The gel contained inside the plant helps soothe the burn and moisturizes and protects the skin. A nice cool bath is also helpful in alleviating the painful effects of sunburn. If you do try this one, make sure not to use soap because it inhibits the skin’s naturally occurring oils, which will help heal your skin. If your burn begins to peel, whatever you do, don’t scratch. I know this is a tough one; I used to love to scratch and peel away the remnants of a burn, but doing this can cause further damage and irritation to the effected area. If the itching becomes too much for you, Calamine lotion works well, as it helps stop that nagging, itchy feeling. And of course, always, always use a good SPF lotion whenever you are outdoors. Even when the sun isn’t out, the UV rays are beating down on you and drying out your skin. These UV rays will even cut through the clouds on an overcast day, so it is vital that you always have some type of sun protection on. A good rule of thumb is to get an SPF of no less than 15, and for those of you with fair skin, a higher SPF is required.

Fun in the sun doesn’t have to mean pay for play. By being careful, smart and educated, you can help soothe the sting of those burning rays!

As you age, your health concerns, both major and minor, begin to change. Somewhere in the third or fourth decade of life your appearance undergoes yet another transformation, the appearance of wrinkles. Of course, if this is the most serious health concern you have in middle age, you’re doing very well, as there are a variety of effective anti-wrinkle face creams that can help.

Regardless of other health issues, you are now getting to an age where you are concerned about wrinkles, lines on your face and crows feet near your eyes, among other skin-related conditions. Your skin is not as elastic as it was. The inner layers begin to thin a bit, and fat cells that keep your skin smooth and resilient start deteriorating and disappearing. Anti-wrinkle face creams are formulated to counter these effects.

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They are variously referred to as “smile lines,” “laugh lines” and “character lines” and are a normal part of aging. In their mid-20’s most people will begin to notice “crow’s feet,” those small, initially faint lines or wrinkles at the outside corners of their eyes. They are often the first indication that you really won’t look 18 forever, and getting rid of crow’s feet will most likely increase in importance as the years go by.

Crow’s feet are usually among the first wrinkles to become visible. Years of facial muscle movements – everything from laughing and crying to squinting – and the natural effects of the environment create these dreaded facial wrinkle lines. For various reasons, from sun and wind to the gradual effects of aging, our skin begins to lose its elasticity. Collagen, which imbues skin with its resilience and “stretchability,” breaks down and gradually loses its effectiveness.

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Acetyl hexapeptide 3 is a synthetic peptide used in various skincare products. Certain peptides act as “messengers” in the skin, helping the epidermis to communicate more efficiently with the dermis. Some research results claim to show a measurable effect and tests are continuing in a number of places.

This sort of “peptide communication” within the skin is diminished with age. This results in reduced collagen production as well as the buildup of damaged elastin fibers. However, using no harmful chemicals and no surgery, you can reduce the appearance of wrinkles with a muscle-relaxing effect similar to Botox injections. Acetyl hexapeptide 3 is the active ingredient in a variety of preparations, although a Spanish firm, Lipotec, manufactures and sells the compound (known by its trade name, Argireline).

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Anti-Aging Products

It is a natural human desire to want to live as long as possible. The desire to prolong one’s life was common long before the advent of American consumerism, although the explosion of mass communications over the last 100 years has resulted in the proliferation of life-extending products, services and technologies. Today, anti-aging products are a mainstay of the self-help, nutritional and alternative health industries, as well as a huge area of research for pharmaceutical firms.

The most important phrase for consumers to remember, whatever products or services they are thinking of buying, is “caveat emptor,” or buyer beware. It is not enough to expect the government – through the FCC, FTC or FDA – to keep spurious anti-aging products off television and out of the magazines. People have to use their own critical faculties to judge for themselves.

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Most people would agree that while aging is better than the alternative, the effects of aging on our face are less than desirable. Everywhere we look, we see cosmetic ads promising to turn back the hands of time. Sadly, most fail to live up to those lofty promises. One problem may be consumer’s lack of knowledge about what works and what doesn’t. Add to that the fact that we are constantly being told that we need separate skin care products for each issue we may need to address such as anti-wrinkle cream specifically for wrinkles, and a different magical potion to help improve sagging skin. It’s no wonder people are so confused, when it comes to anti-aging skin care.

While it’s true that different ingredients target different problems, it’s important to know exactly what you need and why, if you want to reach your full youth enhancing potential. With so many people being concerned with natural skin care, nowadays, consumers are looking for ways to achieve anti-aging results without going under the knife, which is why it is vital to get the facts. There are some amazing skin care products out there, and the trick is to know what to look for. The anti-aging skin care industry has made huge strides, in recent years, and there are ingredients that can make a marked improvement in the tone, texture and elasticity of our skin.

One such ingredient is Hyaluronic Acid (Hyaluronan). In fact, it is so powerful that it has been nicknamed by the press as “key to the fountain of youth.” Hyaluronic Acid cushions and lubricates skin tissue, and moisturizes skin from the inside. By moisturizing from the inside out, Hyaluronic Acid helps to smooth wrinkles by hydrating the skin, and that is just one of its many benefits. Because this ingredient is used topically, it is safer and less expensive than surgery, and much more in line with more natural skin care products. The youth enhancing effects also include increased production of collagen, which not only reduces wrinkles and improves skin elasticity, but also may help repair sun-damaged skin, which is a major bonus in the area of anti-aging skin care. Normally, the most one can hope for is to prevent the ravages of time.

As far as anti-aging and anti-wrinkle defense go, Hyaluronic Acid is especially recommended for men and women starting in their 30’s in order to help minimize the first signs of aging. While this ingredient may help repair damage, it is even more potent when used before the effects of aging show up on our face. Another youth enhancing effect is the volume it adds to the face, which helps to give it a healthy, youthful appearance. In fact, in an article by Caitlin Castro for Woman’s World, it is stated that “using hyaluronic acid boosts collagen production almost three-fold, resulting in firmer, smoother more youthful-looking skin,” and that “it erases fine lines, wrinkles and even crow’s feet within months.”

There are a lot of skin care products on the market, ranging from anti-aging skin care to natural skin care. Unfortunately, most people are unaware of what they really need. Is a product claiming to be anti-aging good enough? Or, do I specifically need an anti-wrinkle cream? With Hyaluronic Acid, you can be sure that you are getting an all around product that, among other things, penetrates to the deep layers of the skin, which provides collagen support to fill and tone the areas of application.

Botox is all the rage, but is it worth the risks or expense? With so many people running to cosmetic surgeons and plunking down hundreds of dollars a pop for a few injections of the latest wrinkle cure, I began to wonder if the skin care products on the market were even worth pursuing. After doing a little research and testing them on myself, I am happy to say they are; especially any skin care product that contains the ingredient hyaluronic acid.

I spend so much time trying to cover up my imperfections with cosmetics that I sometimes forget to treat my underlying problems. Once I started to see those tell tale signs of aging, my first instinct was to rush right over to my dermatologist’s office for a few shots of youth in a needle … botox. But, I found out it isn’t always for everybody, and there are amazing skin care products on the market that may work as well.

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When it comes to anti-aging skin care, it is important to think about the entire body, not just the face. I mean, we all spend so much time creating youth enhancing affects on our face, but from the neck down … it’s not always a pretty picture. While there are more and more anti-wrinkle creams for our body on the market, it takes more than just that, to combat the hands of time. An important aspect of any skin care program is knowing what you may be doing to speed the aging process along. Once you know what you may be doing to inhibit your youth enhancing efforts, you can rectify the situation and get back on the anti-aging freeway.

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