You may use this image in your ezine or website if you choose to publish my article. Click here to see the picture full-sized.--- Kamau Austin

There are treatments that can help you iron out the wrinkles that 
come with time. Separate the fact from the fiction.

Today, we live in an increasingly self-conscious world, one in 
which it is easy to become obsessed with how we look. Looking 
younger seems almost to be a national obsession.

Increasingly, wrinkles are regarded as unwanted facial 
characteristics.  Newer and more potent treatments and drugs vie 
for our attention; claiming that they will reduce wrinkles and 
give us a more youthful appearance.

Why do most anti-aging treatments and surgeries focus on the face 
and neck as the area for enhancement?  This is because usually 
the face and neck most clearly betrays the effect of passing 
time.

Being one of the most "exposed" parts of our body to the 
surrounding environment, the face reflects the ravages of time 
quite faithfully.  Haven’t you noticed that you can very 
accurately estimate the age of a person merely by looking at 
their face?

Even babies are born with this skill – they can differentiate 
between the face of an adult and a child.

There are very clear biological and environmental factors behind 
the maturing of our faces and wrinkles. As a person grows older, 
the shape of their cranium actually changes.

The skin tends to become darker with the passage of years. Also, 
it loses its elasticity and becomes less flexible.

Not only that, it becomes rougher but also more leathery. Various 
blemishes and discolorations appear on the skin. Not only is an 
aging face betrayed by lines and wrinkles, it also plays host to 
pouches and folds.

The pores of our skin appear wider, bags appear under the eyes 
and the very skin appears to sag.  These conditions can often 
result in a double chin.

Many consider the above conditions unsightly.   The sight of 
facial wrinkles and sagging chins is enough to send some of us 
rushing to the nearest plastic surgeon or botox treatment.

May be a better strategy should be to look into the reasons 
behind the appearance of wrinkles. Only then we can understand 
this process and attempt to actually reverse it.


Most experts will cite photo damage or sun damage as the primary 
reason behind wrinkles. This is because the sun’s rays can very 
easily penetrate the skin’s surface. These rays can actually 
physically destroy the delicate tissues of our skin, leading to 
wrinkles.

Although sun tanning is a very fashionable activity, research 
indicates that this could lead to earlier and also deeper 
wrinkles.

You might think that tanning, burning, and peeling is the only 
damage the sun can cause. These are, in fact, only the more 
apparent and superficial effects of sun damage.

-- The Deeper Ravages of the Sun --

Sunrays can cause much damage to the deeper layers of the skin. 
This is because Ultra Violet rays (in sunlight) have different 
bandwidth.  UV rays and can actually penetrate much deeper into 
our skin.

Darker skin tones tend to be much less vulnerable to skin burns. 
However, in the way they respond to wrinkles because of sun 
damage is not very different.  Apart from wrinkles, the sun also 
causes dryness of skin and the manifestation of age spots – all 
signs of a skin struggling to survive the challenges of time.

Studies show that most age related wrinkles start appearing 
around the age of 27. This also depends on a number of factors 
apart from the environment like... 

– facial habits
- genetic inheritance and
- skin care regimens.


Biologically, wrinkles are caused by the breakdown of the 
collagen and elastin fibers.  These fibers lie beneath our skin 
and which give it its flexibility and firmness.

Ultra violet rays contribute to the damage of skin fibers. What 
follows is when stretched, our skin is no longer capable of 
"snapping" back.  This helps lead to wrinkles.

Gravity is also an acknowledged culprit in this game. It 
constantly pulls our skin downwards and causes it to sag over a 
period of time. This is especially visible on the face and neck 
and on our upper arms.

Cigarette smoking is another cause for early wrinkle formation. 
Scientists are not sure of the reason behind this, but studies 
have consistently shown that smokers are far more susceptible to 
wrinkle damage than non-smokers.

This is even evidenced when both smokers and nonsmokers belonged 
to the same age group.  In these test groups participants 
exposure to the sun had been similar and their complexion was of 
similar types.  The smokers experienced more wrinkles in their 
skin.  Scientists suppose that this might happen because of the 
damage that the cigarette smoke causes to elastin.

Other factors which have been proposed to explain the formations 
of wrinkles like hormone loss as we age.  Free radicals are said 
to attack our skin.  Certain areas of our facial skin reflect age 
much earlier.  Is the case especially in areas around our eyes 
and lips and our foreheads.

This is because our skin repeatedly folds around these regions. 
Our skin actually "remembers" our habitual expressions and over 
time.  It gets permanently folded accordingly.

Botox injections have proven especially effective when these 
specific facial features have been targeted.

Some over the counter formulas are now available to help in the 
fight against the ravages of time.  Rejuvinol™, available at 
www.BODeStore.com, may be one of these products.  It is a unique 
nutrient-rich moisturizer that nourishes, tones and rehydrates 
for firmer, more resilient skin. Skin is protected from oxidation 
(aging), sun and environmental damage. It contains Hyaluronic 
Acid, a naturally occurring substance in the body, is one of the 
most effective moisturizing agents available.

When it comes to looking younger today, we owe it to ourselves 
to use everything in our arsenal to stave off the ravages of 
time.  

Visit http://www.HealthandFitnessVitality.com for the latest
in Timeless Health and Fitness Tips for 2006.  Discover the
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Article courtesy of Kamau Austin, © All Rights Reserved

This Article must be published with a disclaimer as such...
This article is for general information purposes only. Before
under taking any exercise or treatment program always first
check first with your doctor and health professionals.