Health and Beauty Articles for Women

If you all tuned in to Horizon on BBC2 a couple of weeks ago, then you will also have seen Professor Lesley Regan challenge the anti-ageing claims that the cosmetic industry confidently makes and that we, perhaps foolishly, believe!
 
Interestingly the professor, who has just turned 50, was keen to prove what really could substantiate the anti-ageing claim and aimed to explore what, if any cosmetics, could be clinically proven as worthy of a place in any beauty cabinet.
 

Unsurprisingly many creams failed to live up to their claims and much of their clever marketing speak, when translated, was not wildly impressive at all. The programme even shamed many banned adverts for false claims.
 
I was delighted to see anything with an SPF factor get the attention it deserved. At SkinGenesis we always recommend wearing a cream or foundation with a sun protection factor all year round. However my ears pricked up when anti-oxidants were mentioned. Professor Regan did indeed find that creams containing anti-oxidants will help combat the signs of ageing and here’s why.
 
Anti-oxidants destroy nasty toxins, known as free radicals, which damage or destabilise cells in your body, and the ageing process is also extensively affected by these free radicals. So when it comes to looking younger, antioxidants science suggests that antioxidants will protect cells against premature, abnormal ageing and promote the growth of healthy cells.
 
The antioxidants used in cosmetics are derived from certain vitamins, mainly A, C and E, which form part of the body’s natural defence and balance system. These additives may help the skin repair systems, but hard scientific evidence for this is limited.
 
What is clear though is that while these ingredients are the key to effective anti-ageing cosmetics, if they cannot penetrate the skin they cannot do their work.  This is where formulations based on nanotechnology, or applied using clinic based techniques such as electroporation and iontophoresis to deliver the key ingredients can help.
 
Nano-technology is the science of encapsulating or suspending key ingredients in so-called nanospheres or nanoemulsions, increasing their penetration into the skin.  Electroporation and iontophoresis are trans-dermal delivery technologies we use for our Mesotherapy treatments and top-end anti-ageing treatments.
 
If you would like further information on our anti-ageing programmes, including SkinGymâ„¢, please call your local SkinGenesis clinic.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 29th, 2007 at 2:41 am and is filed under Articles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.