My sources:
From http://www.skincaresearch.com
and MedlinePlus http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/004014.htm
http://www.vitalenatural.com.au/index.asp

9/21/13
Skin Tightening
Sagging skin is something that comes with getting older.

A sagging face is arguably one of the most prominent signs of aging. 

Aging changes in the skin are a group of common conditions and developments that occur as people grow older. Skin changes are among the most visible signs of aging. Evidence of increasing age includes wrinkles and sagging skin.

Skin changes are related to environmental factors, genetic makeup, hormonal, nutrition, and other factors. The greatest single factor, though, is sun exposure. This can be seen by comparing areas of your body that have regular sun exposure with areas that are protected from sunlight.

Natural pigments seem to provide some protection against sun-induced skin damage. Blue-eyed, fair-skinned people show more aging skin changes than people with darker, more heavily pigmented skin.

Changes in the connective tissue reduce the skin's strength and elasticity and is especially pronounced in sun-exposed areas produces the leathery, weather-beaten appearance common to farmers, sailors, and others who spend a large amount of time outdoors.

Sebaceous glands produce less oil as you age. Men experience a minimal decrease, usually after the age of 80. Women gradually produce less oil beginning after menopause. This can make it harder to keep the skin moist, resulting in dryness.

Growths such as skin tags, warts, and other blemishes are more common in older people.

EFFECT OF CHANGES

As you age, the skin become thinner, more fragile, and the protective subcutaneous fat layer is lost. Aging skin repairs itself more slowly than younger skin. Wound healing may be up to 4 times slower. This contributes to pressure ulcers and infections.

Keep the skin  hydrated and  moisturizers. Moist skin is more comfortable and will heal more quickly.

There are cosmetic procedures that can reverse this, but they’re all pretty invasive and require weeks of recovery time. There are ways to obtain tighter and fresher-looking skin without having to undergo cosmetic surgery. One of them is opting for topical skin tightening treatments.

When looking for a topical skin tightening treatment, it’s important to understand the difference between topical agents that reduce the appearance of wrinkles and those that actually tighten the skin. Most of the time consumers begin a regimen consisting of only anti-wrinkle creams that only help smooth out wrinkles but not actually tighten the skin. 

If you’re trying to tighten a loose skin, you’re going to need an “anti-aging” treatment. This could come in the form of a cream or serum. The reason why is because anything that contains the word “anti-aging” focuses on the whole aspect of aging, as opposed to a wrinkle cream which only focuses on one. 

A quality anti-aging treatment will include skin firming ingredients such as DMAE* which has been proven to improve not only tighten and firm the skin, but also tone the muscles beneath, to give the face a leaner appearance. Another important ingredient to look for in anti-aging treatments is Ubiquinone. Ubiquonine is a super antioxidant that boosts our body’s ability to produce collagen, elastin and other important skin molecules, helping our skin look young and healthy.

Everyone knows our skin needs collagen to look younger and tighter. Once we hit 25, the production of collagen begins to slow down. It’s as if the factory is losing workers every year. Products which contain DMAE* and Ubiquinone*, work by helping your body produce the components (elastin and collagen) that once made your skin young and wrinkle free.

The key to finding the perfect anti-aging treatment lies within reading product reviews and actually trying out the product for yourself. Everyone’s skin is different and reacts differently to even the most expensive of products.  We’ve reviewed a few and the one that out-shined the rest was a cream called *LifeCell All-in-One Anti-Aging treatment. It was the only product we found that targeted all aspects of aging. Wrinkles, loose skin, discoloration, dryness, etc. Lifecell contains all of the ingredients mentioned before and even more age-fighting ingredients.

*DMAE- Is a substance naturally produce in a small amount in the brain. It smooth and tighten the muscles beneath the skin. Can be found in sardins and anchovie . It's a powerful cell and tissue protecting properties  can be attributed to the fact that this supplement us a efficient anti-oxidant that reduces harmful oxygen particles.

*Ubiquinone- CQ 10 extreme anti-aging benefits. Cell revitalizing natural substance. 

*LifeCell All-in-One Anti-Aging treatment- 

https://www.lifecellcream.com/?gclid=CIys4q_u4LkCFY9xQgodfwoAQQ

Helpful videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_jOC9WlLvI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yKc03-r9uc&feature=c4-overview&list=UUdPdkNV28-iWZXIqwWd_XYA

Unveil the Secrets: What Is Anti-Aging?

A Bit of Science

Anti-aging is the study of slowing down or reversing the processes of aging.

During the process of aging, an organism accumulates damage to its cells, its tissues and its organs. This accumulated damage is the result of oxidation damage to the cell contents caused by free radicals.

Free radicals - are very unstable and react quickly with other compounds. They attack the nearest stable molecule, "stealing" its electron. When the "attacked" molecule loses its electron, it becomes a free radical itself, beginning a chain reaction.

Once the process is started, it can cascade, finally resulting in the disruption of a living cell. If you've seen a peeled apple turn brown, you've seen oxidation in action.

Environmental factors such as pollution, radiation, cigarette smoke and herbicides can also spawn free radicals.

Normally, the body can handle free radicals, but if antioxidants are unavailable, or if free-radical production becomes excessive, damage can occur.  Free radical damage accumulates with age.

How Antioxidants May Prevail Against Free Radical Damage

Antioxidants are nutrients (vitamins and minerals) and enzymes (proteins inside your body) that can help to prevent and repair damage to your body's tissue. Antioxidants do this by slowing or preventing the effect of free radicals. It's important to constantly replenish your supply of antioxidants.

Vitamins C, A and E protect the body against the destructive effects of free radicals.  They act as scavengers, helping to prevent cell and tissue damage that could lead to cellular damage that causes aging.

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In addition to helping fortify cells against free radicals they also encourage cell and tissue growth, helping the skin, which is constantly shedding and regrowing cells, to repair itself.

Antioxidants are very helpful in an anti-aging regimen, as they help fight fine lines and wrinkles.

When evaluating creams, looking for those that contain antioxidant vitamins and natural extracts, is a good place to start.

For more active ingredients look for Retinoids, Alpha Hydroxy acids, Glycholic Acid and Peptides; they are essential. Some of these agents can promote the growth of collagen, which has the power to reduce the appearance of fine lines.

Can skin-care really work as well as a face-lift?

Creams will not give you the same, dramatic results as surgery. But in some ways, that's not a bad thing.  A cream won't remove all the wrinkles, droops and sags that surgery can, but you may improve your skin just the same, and you won't run the risk of looking artificial.

The choice of which path is better, of course, is up to you.

Creams are much cheaper and less invasive than surgical face-lifts, and you can use them from the comfort of your own home. All things being equal, who wouldn't choose the less expensive, less risky option?

Surgery can tighten the skin by pulling it, but it can't improve the overall texture of your skin. Creams may continually exfoliate and moisturize while reducing the appearance of pores and wrinkles -- things a surgical face-lift can't do.

A few suggestions from a professional:

Dermalogica-

MAP-15 Regenerator --dramatically improving skin firmness and clarity

Multivitamin Power Firm--Combat visible lines around the eye area with this powerful firming complex of skin-rebuilding antioxidant vitamins.

SkinCeuticals

A.G.E Interrupter-  (Glycate, Collagen, Elastin) Improve the creping, thinning appearance of mature skin.

Retexturing Activator--  Exfoliation and hydration. Visibly diminishing surface lines.

Retinol 1.0--help stimulate cell regeneration and build collagen to diminish the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and age spots

Sources material: Simply Anti Aging, Health Check System. 

Sara West Skin-Care Today: Blackheads & Enlarge Pores

Sara West Skin-Care Today: Blackheads & Enlarge Pores: "Pores are a fact of life; everyone has them. Not everyone knows how to best minimize their appearance. The closer you look in the mirror, ..."

Sara West Skin-Care Today: Blackheads & Enlarge Pores

Sara West Skin-Care Today: Blackheads & Enlarge Pores: "Pores are a fact of life; everyone has them. Not everyone knows how to best minimize their appearance. The closer you look in the mirror, ..."

Sara West Skin-Care Today: Blackheads & Enlarge Pores

Sara West Skin-Care Today: Blackheads & Enlarge Pores: "Pores are a fact of life; everyone has them. Not everyone knows how to best minimize their appearance. The closer you look in the mirror, ..."

Blackheads & Enlarge Pores

Pores are a fact of life; everyone has them.
Not everyone knows how to best minimize their appearance.
The closer you look in the mirror, the larger those pores are going to appear.
Lets address the issues that cause havoc to your pores.
Genetics are often to be blame.
Individuals with oily, thicker skin tend to have larger, more noticeable pores. Pores are barely visible on drier skin.
As we age, one of the ways sun damage affects the skin is through the enlargement of the pores. Sun damage and aging cause the epidermis to thicken and the rim of the cells which cause them to enlarge and become larger in diameter.
Pores may be more visible simply due to lack of good skin care and poor exfoliation. Too much surface oil can collect around the edges of pores, creating the illusion that the pores are larger than they really are. Blackheads and enlarged pores often go hand-in-hand. Blackheads can either expand the pores or simply focus attention on them. Pores can appear larger than life for many reasons, blackheads is one of them.
Blackheads are the superficial plugs that form within the pores.
Contact with air allows oxygenation to take place, turning the plugs black, further heightening visibility.
Sebaceous glands continue to produce sebum that accumulates behind the plug and serves to nourish the bacteria that cause acne.
Dead skin cells, debris, oils and bacteria choke the pore opening, expanding its diameter. Blackheads are the common outcome. Plugs within the pores congest the gland and expand the pore.
A professional esthetician performing extractions, exfoliation and peels, can indeed cleanse cellular matter caught beneath the surface and exfoliate and peel dead cells that are trapped with debris and oil.
Chemical based treatments can often succeed in solving multiple issues. Sometimes a strategic combination produces the best results. Targeting the key factors that cause exaggerated pore diameter quickly minimizes visibility.
. Unplugging debris
. Eliminating bacteria
. Reducing excessive oiliness
. Removing blackheads
. Smooth out the edges
. Reduce sun damage
. Draw the pores closed
Here are some of the products that my salon offers for treatment of blackheads and enlarged pores.
Rejuvenating Peel Pads
Use these peel pads to remove dull, old surface skin cells, unclog pores and smooth the surface and texture of your skin. Even out the skin tone, reduce lines, reduce acne and reduce enlarged pores.
Retinol Drops
Vitamin A is an effective exfoliant. It helps reduce lines, pores, sun damage, acne, and stimulates collagen. Use daily in the evening under moisturizer.
Sebum clearing masque
Acneic and breakout-prone skin.
A cooling, refining and deep cleaning Kaolin and Bentonite clay masque that purifies, absorbs excess surface oil and helps prevent breakouts.
Daily microfoliant
This unique Rice-based enzyme powder microfoliates dulling debris and instantly leaves skin noticeably smoother and brighter.
Keeping you skin clean is essential to healthy skin.
Your daily routine should include these treatments:
Morning:
Cleanser, toner, moisturizer with sun-screen if you’re going to be outdoors.
Night:
Cleanser, exfoliation, serum, night cream and eye cream.
Once a week:
More aggressive exfoliation and clay mask, serum, suitable moisturizer.