Are you interested in the best skin care available? If so you need to know about collagen skin care treatments. Collagen is one of the most important proteins in our bodies, and in particular in our skin, and collagen replacement as we age is essential. But most collagen treatments don’t actually resupply our skin’s store of collagen.

Collagen is an extremely important protein for our bodies, and our skin, because it is extremely strong and forms fibers, or strands, that help hold us all together. And collagen in our skin helps keep our skin firmer and more elastic, and more supple.

Pinch a piece of your skin and pull and let go and it snaps back into place. It’s collagen that supplies that “snap”. Well at least our skin snaps back into place if we’re young, but as we age that “snap” back reduces.

Why? Because as we age our skin starts to lose it’s essential supply of collagen, and doesn’t produce as much as it did. Gradually our levels of skin collagen reduce, and that is one of the major causes of our wrinkles, lines, crows feet and sagging skin that we seem to be stricken with as we age.

Basically our skin is losing it’s “snap”. It’s losing it’s skin elasticity, and is suffering more and more from the forces of gravity.

So the question is, how do we restore our skin’s supply of collagen as we age? Are there collagen skin care treatments that successfully restore our skin’s collagen supplies? Do collagen treatments work?

The basic answer is that most collagen skin care products don’t restore our skin supply of collagen. Traditional collagen skin care treatments found in most anti aging and skin care products revolve around adding collagen to that bottle of moisturizer or night cream or day cream or whatever cream it is that is promoted as an anti aging cream with collagen. Sadly though, there is no evidence that supplying collagen to the skin can result in the skin increasing it’s supply of collagen, because it is not known if skin collagen can even absorb any more added to the skin.

And it is known that collagen molecules are too big to penetrate the skin anyway, so any applied topically to the skin remains on the surface of the skin, unable to penetrate.

So why would these skin care and anti aging companies put it in those bottles of skin care products if it really doesn’t actually do anything? Because when people see collagen listed on the label they buy the products, and those collagen skin care products you see on the shelves sell like crazy. So it’s in the bottle.

But there is a product that is known to restore skin collagen. It doesn’t do it by adding it to the skin, because that isn’t shown to work. It does it by stimulating the skin to make more of it’s own. If the skin produces it’s own supplies that has to work, because the skin is restoring it’s own stock of collagen itself.

It’s a product called Cynergy TK, and it’s found in the best natural skin care products. It’s very effective, studies have shown visible results within a month. But it’s expensive, so the big brands don’t use it. Why would they when their anti aging products sell like crazy with cheaper ingredients.

But there are small niche skin care companies that make excellent collagen skin care products using Cynergy TK. They can’t possibley compete with the big brands on marketing, because they can’t afford the TV advertising, so they compete on product quality instead. So when they get a new customer they usually get a customer for life.

And their products are cost competitive because they don’t need to factor in the cost of TV advertising. But because they don’t advertise you are unlikely to know their name.

So if you’re looking for effective collagen skin care treatments they do exist, but you need to work a little harder to find them.



Thanks to Peter Wilson for contributing this article to our Anti-Aging blog:

Anti Wrinkle Skin Care

A facelift is considered a major surgery, which should not be considered lightly, and many people balk at the procedure. The process is very extensive and usually puts you out of commission for several days. If you are not ready to undergo a facelift, there are some other treatment options you may consider.

Some non-surgical, or minimally invasive procedures done in lieu of a facelift include, laser facelift, microcurrent facelift, and Thermage® skin tightening. These procedures are efficient and comparatively pain free.

Laser Facelift

Laser skin resurfacing is non-invasive, leaves no scars, and does not require anesthesia. The laser resurfaces and tightens the outer layer of skin to give you a fresher, younger appearance. There may be some short-term discoloration after a laser lift, but it usually clears up in about a week.

Microcurrent Facelift

This option is very similar to the laser option, but small electrical currents are used to stimulate natural cell reactions to induce healing and tightening of the skin. The stimulation helps not only the skin, but stimulates the muscles of your face. It also effectively exfoliates dead skin.

Thermage®

This option uses heat to stimulate collagen growth and natural collagen replacement. Increased collagen helps the skins natural elasticity, making it tighter and fuller, smoothing out the wrinkles in the treated area.

Other alternative treatments that work to varying degree are facelift tape, creams, and powders. These products may help reduce wrinkles and hydrate your skin for a fresher appearance. Many creams and ointments are not effective and are merely gimmicks to take your money. To find out which of these products work best, consult a qualified professional.

Mini-facelift

A less invasive facelift procedure is also an option, sometimes known as a mini-facelift, this procedure uses smaller incisions and special barbed sutures placed under the skin that are sewn into place. The results of mini-facelifts are not as long lasting and will likely need to be redone within five years, but are a good alternative to the full operation.

There are two types of mini-facelift, anterior and posterior. The anterior option is more like a traditional facelift that pull up the cheeks toward the hairline, but uses small incisions and barbed sutures. The posterior mini-facelift adjusts the neck area, pulling excess skin back and up over the jaws. This procedure specifically addresses the loose skin about the neck sometimes called a wattle.

Injectable fillers

Less invasive procedures include products like Juvederm and Restylane which are fillers that are injected into the subdermal layer of skin. These products fill up the area behind certain types of wrinkles, and give your skin a younger more pleasing visage.

Botox® injections

Another option elected by many people is Botox injections. In fact, Botox is the most popular cosmetic treatment sought by men and women today. According the American Society for Plastic Surgery, over 4 million Americans had Botox injections in 2006. Unlike injectable fillers, Botox acts chemically to block acetylcholine, an enzyme that triggers muscle contraction. Since the muscles are in a continued state of relaxation, the frown lines that are commonly caused by scrunching your face fade for up to six months.

If you are concerned about the risks or costs of getting a full facelift surgery, investigate some of these other options. They may perform the job you expect and give you the appearance that you want, at least until you are ready to take the plunge and commit to the full procedure. Discuss the options fully with a qualified physician to see which treatment is right for your needs.



Thanks to Patricia Woloch for contributing this article to our Anti-Aging blog:

Anti Wrinkle Products