Research and development departments of many cosmetic companies use the science of aging skin to come up with state-of-the-art products that address many of the reasons why skin appears to age as well as taking into consideration the proper daily procedures necessary to maintain healthy, radiant skin.

The first step is determining the essential steps in one’s daily routine that maintain healthy skin:

•Cleanse - remove makeup and impurities.

•Exfoliate - remove the dead surface cells that dull the skin.

•Freshen - refine the pores as well as tone the skin.

•Moisturize - keep your skin hydrated, soft and supple.

•Protect - your skin from the environment (sun and pollution).

Then they develop products that address all the factors in the aging process:

•The breakdown of collagen and elastin in the skin.

•The chronic loss of hydration and the skin’s diminishing ability to retain moisture.

•Protection from the most damaging factor of all – the sun.

•And lastly, providing antioxidants that protect the body against free radical damage.

So, why does skin age?

Many people watch (for the most part) what they eat? Why? …Because, they know that proper nutrition and a balanced diet help maintain a healthy weight and provide their organs with the “Fuel” they need to function properly…Right?

That’s great, but what about your body’s largest organ? The only organ visible to the eye…YOUR SKIN! It’s amazing, but the skin is your largest organ and it is largely ignored. Well, your skin needs to be properly cared for, for it to function properly as well!

Your skin is an ever growing organ that keeps the good things in and the bad things out. Formation of new, healthy skin cells requires good nutrition, protection from harmful environmental stress, and proper daily skin care.

As we grow older the proteins in the skin called collagen and elastin begin to diminish. Collagen is a tough protein that protects the skin against tearing and elastin provides the skin with its ability to return to shape after pressure is applied, in other words, its elasticity. Therefore, in our quest for more youthful looking skin, it is essential that we use products that help protect and replenish these proteins.

A second reason why skin appears to wrinkle has to do with the loss of hydration. As we age, our skin loses its ability to retain moisture. Therefore it is critical that we replace the lost moisture and use products that help the skin retain the new moisture we have just given it. Many people tend to confuse oily skin with moisture in the skin. The two are not the same. It is possible and even common to have oily skin that is improperly hydrated or even dehydrated.

The third element that acts as a major factor in the aging process of the skin is, of course, the sun. Excessive sun exposure damages the immune system in the skin, destroys both collagen and elastin production and kills normal skin cells. Heat and cold also damage skin and reduce its functionality. It is highly recommended that both men and women use a sunscreen product specially formulated for your face area with a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of 15 or greater on a daily basis. This will help protect your skin from everyday, incidental sun exposure as well as give you necessary summer-time protection. We all know it is important to use sunscreen during the summer months. However, the UVB rays of the sun that cause the more subtle long-term breakdown of the skin are present in full force from sunrise to sunset, 365 days a year. It is, therefore, important to use sunscreen products daily, during the entire year.

The last element that has become more and more of a danger to the skin as well as the rest of the body, both inside and out, is pollution. With more and more pollution in the air, the body is increasingly exposed to nasty chemicals called free radicals. A free radical is a chemical with a very reactive chemical bond. The chemical bonds, which hold atoms together to make molecules, contain pairs of electrons. A free radical essentially has no pair, therefore it will "steal" an electron from other molecules in order to gain a pair for its’ lone electron. The structure of the molecule that loses the electron is then changed, thus causing damage resulting in speeding up the aging process of the skin. Antioxidants such as vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin E help protect your body's cells, including your skin cells.

I personally use Mary Kay's anti-aging skin care system because it works. The research and development team has has taken all of this into consideration and developed a product line that when used all together significantly improves the natural aging process, helps bring moisture balance back to the skin and protects the skin from environmental stress factors that damage and thus pre-maturely age the skin. And this is the system that I recommend to my clients as well.

Have a great day!

Dawn Hull
Professional Skin Care Consultant
http://www.MaryKay.com/ShopOnline

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