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The most important part of restoring a youthful appearance to aged skin is to increase collagen production. Collagen is produced by cells known as fibroblasts, which decrease production with age. But there are two ways of stimulating them to manufacture collagen at a more youthful rate: increasing the amount of human growth hormone (hGH) in the body, and using topically-applied proteins to stimulate them.
hGH is much too large to get through the skin when applied topically, despite many claims to the contrary on television (although new treatments are being developed which may change this). But injections, sprays or ingested secretagogues such as arginine can restore the amount of collagen in the skin to more youthful levels. Because there is evidence that injecting hGH can promote tumour growth, it is probably best to take arginine on an empty stomach to naturally stimulate the pituitary gland’s production. And while hGH cannot penetrate the skin, certain short-chain amino acids are small enough to be absorbed through the epidermis and stimulate fibroblasts directly.
The most effective form discovered so far is a short five-chain protein made from a synthesis of collagen I, collagen III, and fibronectin, and has been found to stimulate collagen I (the most abundant form) production by up to 117%, collagen IV (an important component of the dermal-epidermal interface) by 327%, and GAG production by 267%, using a cream containing the peptide at a 4% concentration. A study done with a cream containing a 3% concentration applied twice a day for six months using subjects with an average age of 58 years old found an average reduction of deep wrinkles (those with a maximum depth of over 20 mm) of 68%, as well as a 47% reduction of furrows (the deepest wrinkles), a 51% reduction of moderate wrinkles, and a 16% reduction in the roughness of the skin (as measured by an image analysis of all the furrows and peaks of the skin). For further information about this research, see: Katayama et al., 1993. A Pentapeptide from type I collagen promotes extra-cellular matrix production. J Biol Chem, 268 (14), p 9941.
Another effective treatment is topically-applied antioxidants to reduce free radical damage. One of the most potent is alpha lupaline, and vitamin E is also well-known for its skin healing effects. Taking carnosine prevents glycation and crosslinking, as well as acting as an antioxidant. And replacing essential fatty acids and moisturising the skin are two more effective methods to restore the appearance of aging skin. Fatty acids are vital components of cellular membranes, and facilitate the transportation of nutrients into cells. Rosehip seed oil is particularly high in fatty acids (containing 45% linoleic acid, 32% linolenic acid, 15% oleic acid, and palmitic acid). The presence of Vitamin C and flavonoids, carotenoids, and retinoic acid (which increases the rate of cellular growth) is also helpful in facial lotions. Because of its rich composition of beneficial compounds, it is not surprising that rosehip seed oil has been found to reduce scaring, stretch marks, and the effects of sunburn. The high fatty acid content allows it to penetrate the epidermis quickly, which makes it an excellent moisturiser. But fatty acids are not the only means to effective moisturising – substances that share common components with human skin can moisturise as well, such as squalene, which makes up 25% of human sebum and helps to contain water within the skin, thus acting as a natural moisturiser.
Finally, retinoids have a whole range of effects for combating the effects of photo-aging. Topical retinoic acid increases collagen production, removes dead skin, and facilitates a more normal production of the epidermal cells in sun damaged skin, leading to its approval by the FDA in 1995 for reducing the effects of photo-aging. It also reduces the activation of the collagen-destroying enzymes which are produced after a short period of sun exposure. Some people do experience redness, blistering and peeling when using retinol creams, however.
These treatments are much better than some of the traditional procedures that have been employed by plastic surgeons for attempting to restore youthful looks. Facelifts, which involve stretching the face back with surgery, don’t really make a person look younger. The lines and wrinkles may be pulled taught, but the person can end up looking permanently ‘shocked’, with an expression that might be expected if they had seen a ghost. (Liberace had so many facelifts that he couldn’t close his eyes in his last few years – he ended up having to learn to sleep with them open.)
If you really want to have a very youthful-looking face, there is a way to do it. Injecting collagen directly into the skin will temporarily restore the facial structure and produce a youthful appearance, but because collagen is organic matter, the body begins to break it down, so the effect only lasts a few weeks. But there is another option, although it is very expensive and difficult to get done – injecting silicone directly into the face, which will also produce the shape formerly given by the lost collagen. But because it is only slowly removed by the body, it provides a youthful facial structure that lasts about six months. The problem with silicone is that the body may recognise it as foreign material, triggering an autoimmune disorder where the person ends up rejecting their entire face! Because of this, only a very few doctors in places such as Mexico will even consider doing this procedure.
It would be very unwise for a person to risk facial paralysis or death in an attempt to look younger, when there are now some remarkably effective and safe treatments available that can have a dramatic effect on aging skin, without any of the risks involved in experimental plastic surgery. And with so much research being done in this lucrative area, the prospects for looking younger are getting better all the time.
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