By Dr. Valerie Rosenbaum

Never buy an anti aging skin care product unless you know what ingredients it contains. Anti aging skin care products should be regulated like health supplements and in some countries, they are.

But, in the United States cosmetic companies are allowed to use materials that are strongly suspected of or ‘known’ to cause cancer. The European Union has stricter regulations concerning what can and cannot be included in an anti aging skin care product, but the Bush Administration is against strict regulation of cosmetic companies.

Things may change, but in the meantime, you can be sure that your anti aging skin care products are safe, if you stick with a company that has signed the ‘Compact for Safe Cosmetics’. There’s a bit of a pun in the name, but the agreement is a serious one.

If a company signs, they pledge not to use compounds that have been linked to cancer. They pledge not to use known carcinogens. They also promise not to use ingredients that can cause birth defects and neurological damage.

It sounds like any company would be willing to take that pledge, but the major manufacturers, with ‘names you can trust’, have so far been unwilling to sign. So, your first step in finding a safe and effective anti aging skin care product is to look for one that has signed the compact.

Cosmetic companies are promoting all kinds of ideas and using various ingredients in their anti aging skin care products, but there are many naturally occurring compounds that are even more effective than those abrasive and irritating synthetic chemicals. First, let’s look at some protein.

You may not know it, but your skin’s layers are actually made up of a complex mesh of amino acid proteins woven together to basically protect the internal ‘you’ from the elements. When it comes to an anti aging skin care product, two of the most important amino acid peptides are keratin and hyaluronic acid.

For many years, cosmetic companies have tried adding these two to their anti aging skin care products, but the manufacturing processes that they use, as well as the source is wrong for human skin. So, they didn’t produce the desired result.

A new form of keratin called ‘Functional Keratin’ is now available for a manufacture to include in an anti aging skin care product. But, the big name companies are not using it and probably never will. Not because it isn’t effective, but because it is expensive.

Instead of adding hyaluronic acid, one company found that a different compound, derived from a type of kelp, prevents the amino acid from being broken down. So, the levels naturally rise. Look for anti aging skin care products that contain Functional Keratin and Wakame, they increase the body’s innate ability to produce new cells and fibers.

Other good ingredients to look for are coenzyme Q10, which inhibits free radical activity and repairs some of the older damage done, jojoba wax, for its protective and healing abilities, and olive oil because its composition is very close to the skin’s own oils, so it moisturizes. If you look hard enough, you can find an anti aging skin care product that contains all of these ingredients and more.

About the Author: Dr. Valerie Rosenbaum is a board certified dermatologist specializing in anti aging skin care. She has done extensive research on the way many chemicals used in natural skin care products do more harm than good. Visit her website DefendYourSkin.com to find out which skin care products she uses and recommends.

Source: isnare.com

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