These 2 New Breakthroughs Combat Skin Aging

In your quest to keep your skin looking youthful longer, I’ve got some exciting news for you.  Dermatology researchers now think they may have found the mechanism that triggers skin aging.  In addition, a new natural source of a powerful skin anti-oxidant has been found as well.  These 2 discoveries could be the 2 biggest breakthroughs in skin aging that you’ll want to know all about.  Let’s start with the first one…

Glycans: This Skin Sugar May Hold The Key To Skin Aging

Up to age 30, you have an abundance of a skin surface sugar called “glycan”.  After age 30, your skin glycan levels start decreasing significantly.  By the time you hit age 60, your skin’s glycan stores have dropped about 50%.  And, what glycans are still there may not work as well as they used to in protecting your skin.  Researchers theorize that this may be why older skin doesn’t heal as well or make as much collagen anymore.

Glycans act as important assistants to your immune system and its function.  They “inform” your immune system which cells in your body are normal and should be preserved.  They also tell your immune system which cells are precancerous, are infected, or deformed, and should be destroyed.

In skin aging, the abundance of glycans work more efficiently to save your normal, youthful skin cells while getting rid of damaged cells.  As glycan levels fall, remaining glycans become weaker and less efficient at saving normal cells and destroying damaged cells.  The process can get confused with normal cells being destroyed and damaged cells preserved.  Pretty soon, your skin starts showing the impact of too many damaged cells in lines, wrinkles, sagging, brown spots, and other discolorations.

Recently, skin care product manufacturer’s introduced creams that contained glycans, or glucose.  These were created to boost your skin’s surface glycans in an effort to restore your natural glycan function and efficiency.

By adding glucose to your skin’s surface cells via a cream, it was hoped that older skin cells would revive.  Your skin would then behave, and look like, more youthful skin.  It would be able to make more collagen, restore skin elasticity and tighten sagging.

There are several good glycan-containing skin products on the market.  Some of them list the glycan as “polysaccharides” or “oligosaccharides” obtained from plants like fruits, seeds, and plants.  A few promising ones include L’Oreal’s YSL Forever Youth Liberator, CosMediX Mystic, The Botanicals of Uth, and SkinActives Glycan Booster 7.  You can also ask your dermatologist to recommend a good glycans-containing skin product.

Poplar Tree Buds Offer Breakthrough in Skin Aging

Your skin, like every organ of your body, also needs antioxidants to keep free radicals from damaging it.  There are several known vitamins and minerals, A, C, E, selenium, that work as powerful anti-oxidants to maintain your skin health and combat aging.

Recently, a study out of the American Chemical Society reported a new source for a powerful skin antioxidant.  The bud leafs of poplar trees.  Poplar buds have been used in natural medicine for centuries to treat infections, soothe sunburn, and ease the pain of arthritis.

The nutrient propolis, a glue-like substance that bees make to seal their beehives, is made from the buds of poplar trees.  Propolis has also been used as a natural medicine since the days of the early Greek and Egyptian physicians.  It’s antifungal, antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory properties made it a valuable substance to fight infections, especially from wounds. So, poplar buds were looked at to test their capabilities in these areas as well.

What the researchers found is that poplar buds have both antioxidant as well as anti-aging effects on skin cells tested in the lab.  If you would like to try the anti-aging properties of poplar bud leaf, poplar bud oil is often used in deep tissue massage for its pain relieving properties.  It also helps cool down and heal scalds and burns.

There are also several commercial propolis containing skin creams available that promote repair, lessen scars, clear brown spots, and tighten skin.  A few of these products include EcoBeauty Propolis Cream, Egyptian Magic, EBeeHoney’s Propolis Cream, and BeeNaturals Miracle Skin Cream.

Additional ways to fight skin aging include:

• Tanning speeds skin aging.  Wear a screen of at least SPF 30.

• Wet your face with cool water, let air dry slightly, and then apply your moisturizer.  This helps lock the water into your skin.

• Limit products. Though it’s tempting to “throw the book” at skin aging, too many different ingredient products can work against you. Stick to 1-2 good moisturizing products that can double as eye and neck cream as well.

• Use a good exfoliant product 1-2 times a week.  More can cause skin redness and loss of barrier function.  Home microdermabrasion kits are good, but not more than 2 times a week.

• Hydration. Your skin draws water from your body.  If you’re not drinking enough water every day, it will show in your face and hand skin first.