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Youth is the sign of virility, of attraction, and of people who probably control most the consumerist market these days.  Some of us want that clear, firm skin, some of us want to keep that spry, fit body, and some of us are concerned with maintaining strong, healthy hearts – but chances are whatever type of person you are, some form of youth is a pursuit of yours.

Anti Aging products are certainly big business, in fact, just a hint of the fact that some lotion, cream or bottle of vitamin pills ”may help to reduce the signs of aging” is more or less a guarantee that it will fly off the shelves faster than you can say “free radicals”. Free what? Anything that’s for free has got to be worth a second look don’t you think? No, you see, free radicals are a bad thing which anti aging products are out to conquer. Unfortunately, marketing gurus have come up with lots of different gimmicks to try and persuade us that their stuff will give us back a little youth and vitality . . . even if it’s not entirely tested. It’s important that you learn the techniques to see through their ploys . . . go on, put your specs on or you’ll never see the small print.

I’ve just been reminded of an extremely unpleasant and disturbing incident which happened in my own household, not too many Christmas’s ago. My other half, (bless him), presented me with some rather pricey anti aging products (obviously trying to tell me something) which were supposed to do wonders for me. A week or so later my son (double bless him with a cherry on top) accused me of not using my anti aging gift, to which I tried to assure him that I had. You can guess what’s coming next can’t you . . . . “Dad, you’d better take it back to the store for a refund . . . it’s not working”. Don’t you just love ‘em?

Anti Aging Products

Let’s get back to the free radicals for a minute. They’re the major culprits behind our aging problems and can be produced by a whole load of reasons; smoking, mental stress, pollution and excessive exposure to the sun . . . the biggest culprit in the aging war which many people simply choose to ignore. You should never go out in the sun without adequate sunscreen for your health and safety, yet people still seem to equate a golden sun-tan with health . . . it just ain’t so . . . slap on the cream and cover it up is the best anti aging advice in the world.

Anti-oxidents are one way to fight these free radicals, and the best anti aging products have anti oxidents which help to neutralize the impact of free radicals. Complicated stuff isn’t it?

Aging Skin – The Main Culprits

• Age – well, what did you think the main culprit would be, your skin ages as you get older, it’s common sense. After you have reached a certain age (which does vary quite considerably, largely due to some of the other culprits) your skin gets saggy, you get wrinkles on your face and forehead and the best thing we can do is to try and hide them.
• Smoking – I know it gets the blame for all manner of things, but it really does assist the aging process and affect the skin. Lots of people with anti aging problems are heavy smokers.
• UV Rays – sunlight, over exposure to the sunshine can make your skin age prematurely.

Aging Skin – Anti Aging Defences

• Anti aging products – yes, there are shelves full of them, lotions, potions, pills and scrubs. Some of them will work better than others, and the more expensive ones are not necessarily the best, but if you look for naturally organic stuff at least you know that you’re trying to do something! Don’t be fooled by clever marketing ploys, try and find honest reviews about the products by real people who have actually used them . . . the internet is a good place to start. If you’re really brave you could try using an anti aging product on half of your face over a set period of time to see if there really is a difference . . . might be interesting.
• A Balanced Diet – yes, it works better than drugs and surgery. A healthy, nutritionally balanced diet can work wonders for your health and keep you young looking. Lots of fresh fruit and veggies . . .  Green tea is great at fighting the onset of aging too . . . and it also tastes rather good.

She doesn’t look bad for 65 years old does she?

• Drink lots of water – to keep your body and your skin hydrated. Think about it rationally for a minute or two . . . dry skin is wrinkly skin . . . a bit like dried fruits (plums – prunes!) or the leaves in fall, and your skin needs water, so if you drink plenty of the stuff then it will help your skin to retain its moisture and prevent it from drying up and getting wrinkly.
• Detox - which helps to get rid of all the toxins which build up in our bodies throughout the course of our normal lives.
• Sleep – it’s important for your health that you get a good nights rest – at least seven hours every night. Seven, is that all, I need at least nine! Anyway, sleeping helps to maintain skin quality, which is what we’re after . . . right?
• Skin care – oops, perhaps this should have been closer to the top. Apart from the bucket load of anti aging products you’ve probably got in your bathroom cabinet, you should also cleanse, tone and moisturize daily to reduce the toxins in your skin. And don’t forget to take off your make-up before you go to bed . . . . that means you too boys!
• Exercise – is great for your circulation, and circulation is essential for healthy, young looking skin.

So there you have it . . . the “secret” recipe for a healthy glowing skin and promise of eternal youth, but just remember, “beauty is only skin deep”, and “handsome is as handsome does” as my old Gran used to say!