Anti-Aging: The importance of skin cell turnover.

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So is there a magic potion?

Anti-aging regimens have been around since the time of Cleopatra. It is said that she took daily baths in donkey milk, which required a stable of 700 donkeys to sustain. Believe it or not, she may have been far ahead of the anti-aging trends. Milk contains alpha hydroxy acids, which are strong exfoliators and softeners of skin. In 150AD, a Greek physician created the first "cold-cream," which had a short ingredient list of water, oil, and beeswax. We have all heard about the fountain of youth, which a Spanish explorer set off to find in 1513 (instead he found Florida). Fast forward through the years and you'll find remedies such as "frownies," which were patches created to hold the skin in place and reduce wrinkles, raw meat was being placed on the face to help minimize wrinkles, proteins from cow blood were considered anti-aging, and finally, in 1995 tretinoic acid was FDA approved to treat wrinkles.

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Let's be clear, there are things that we are fighting against that are out of our control in regards to aging skin. Genetics, previous environmental exposure (especially if you grew up when sunscreen wasn't prioritized as necessary for skin cancer prevention), and hormonal changes. What we can do, is prevent further damage and help to reverse some of the non-permanent changes that occur with skin aging.

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As you can imagine, this is a marketing gold mine for pharmaceutical and cosmetic skin care brands. This is where we come in. There are hundreds of products boasting the use of antioxidants, retinols, and lipid complexes. It takes time to research the science behind the ingredient lists, not to mention check authenticity of product. We have the experience, education, and time-spent reviewing efficacy of product, clinical results, and safety of each of the products and brands that we carry.