| Anti-Aging Natural Skincare Information! | Your Skin care beauty site. This website has lots of lots articles, links and resources on skincare, acne prevention and anti-aging tips. | |||||||
Hyaluronic Acid - The Latest Craze In "Natural" Skin Care
Excerpt : Hyaluronic acid (HA) is making news. Once again the skin care industry is promoting the latest and greatest anti-aging ingredient - Hyaluronic Acid as the anti-aging ingredient to reverse the aging
So what is Hyaluronic acid? How does it work? Does it work as an anti-aging product for your skin? If so, is hyaluronic acid safe to use or are there site effects? What forms of hyaluronic acid are being promoted to consumers of 'natural' skin care products? Let's start out by looking at what hyaluronic acid actually is. Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a naturally occurring biopolymer, which serves important biological functions in bacteria and higher animals including humans. Naturally occurring, hyaluronic acid may be found in the tissue of higher animals, in particular as intercellular space filler. HA is found in greatest concentrations in the vitreous humour of the eye and in the synovial fluid of articular joints, but is also found in the skin, connective tissue and elsewhere in the body. Hyaluronic acid was made 'famous' by an ABC News report in which Connie Chung visited a Japanese village by the name of Yuzurihara. She found that the people there were living longer, looked
So what is it, that allows these Japanese to be so much more youthful, lead active, productive lives at their advanced age, where as in western countries most people in their 80s and beyond are in old-age homes? The conclusion drawn in the ABC report was that these people ate 'sticky vegetables' and that this factor was the secret to their apparent youth. In addition, the oestrogen-like molecules in their diet, fermented forms of soy in miso paste and tofu, seem to play an important role. These molecules, along with natural oestrogen, send a signal to the fibroblast cells to make more hyaluronic acid. But is this the whole answer? - I don't think so, but I'll get to this a little later. Next, let's look at what Hyaluronic acid does. According to scientific research by a variety of Universities and researchers, hyaluronic acid is used in the human body to cushion and lubricate joints, eyes, the skin, and heart valves (see
However, it is in the ant i-aging effect on the skin that we are focusing on in this article and the effect hyaluronic acid seems to have on the skin is at the level of promoting the formation of collagen. These are the fibres that firm the skin. Now, hyaluronidase, an enzyme that breaks down collagen fibres, is produced by free radicals and UV radiation. These factors breaks down fibres of collagen can cause prematu re wrinkles and sagging of the skin. Focusing on hyaluronic acid, it would seem reasonable therefore, that reducing the free radicals is a major key to reducing the hyaluronidase enzyme and secondly to promote normal levels of hyaluronic acid in the skin. Plant substances known as bioflavonoids,
When considering injecting hyaluronic acid into the skin to treat fine lines and wrinkles, we are once again loosing sight of the holistic approach to treating our bodies and thus run a serious risk of introducing factors, which may lead to side effects or other health problems. Further, we also run the risk of creating an imbalance in the chemical composition of the skin and who knows what possible problems await us as a result. Some known side effects of hyaluronic acid injection therapy for aging skin include: * swelling * infection * redness * tenderness * acne * lumps * tissue hardening * unknown risks when used in combination with collagen These side effects are serious enough to reconsider
Remember too, that the people in the Japanese village do not use injection therapy... They life an holistic life style incorporating unprocessed foods and physical activity together with a balanced mind-set and life style. So where can you get a holistic source of hyaluronic acid from? There are a couple of ways. The first is from "starchy root vegetables" such as the ones mentioned by the village doctor in the ABC report which include: Satsumaimo, a type of sweet potato; Satoimo, a sticky white potato; Konyaku, a gelatinous root vegetable concoction; and Imoji, a potato root. These vegetables help the cells of the body to thrive and retain moisture. Further, they keep joints lubricated, protect the retina of the eye and keep the skin smooth and elastic by promoting collagen. Another source of hyaluronic acid, for non-vegetarians, is to eat animal parts known to contain a lot of hyaluronic acid. You could make a broth from fish bones. That is, once you've taken off the fillets, boil the rest of the fish, including their head and make a fish stock. Similarly, you can make a meat
In conclusion, at Wildcrafted Herbal Products we do not believe that adding isolated ingredients in elevated concentrations to our natural skin care products is a preferred option. Rather, using a holistically natural approach to skin care and for that matter health care is a far more preferable option. Skin care is as much about taking care of your skin as it is taking responsibility and care of your overall health and wellbeing. Your skin is not an isolated part of your body and should not be treated as such. Again I would like to remind you of the Japanese villagers - they do not inject themselves with hyaluronic acid, they do not use hyaluronic acid in isolation, they do however life a healthy, active and mostly balanced life style. About the author: Danny Siegenthaler is a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine and together with his wife Susan, a medical herbalist and Aromatherapist, they have created Natural Skin Care Products by Wildcrafted Herbal Products to share their 40 years of combined expertise with you. © Wildcrafted Herbal Products 2005
More Skin Care ArticlesAcne Scar Removal Cream If you have acne scars you may be interested in acne scar removal cream. Where can you find acne scar removal cream? What can you expect from acne... Acne Treatment Is Only A Four Letter Word Away Acne treatment starts with the four-letter word "A.C.N.E." , and the path to a clear complexion begins with the four steps to eliminating and...
Anti-Aging Natural Skincare Site
|
sitemap
|
Recently Added Skin Care Articles
Some News About Skin Care
|
