Aging Process

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Skin Care For Men – Yes it is Important!

March 29, 2010 in Skin Care by admin | No comments



The skin product industry is a tremendous multi-billion dollar business, yet the majority of resources are utilized to gear products toward women. Skin care for men is just as essential, and men want to look and feel younger just as much as their female counterparts.

A recent study conducted by a well published men’s magazine revealed that 27% of men considered the skin on their face to be the most important feature that people notice first. That statistic tells us that for many men skin care is a priority. This article is written for men to understand what ingredients are important in a quality product, and which will help you look and feel younger.

What to look for

One of the most important components of human skin is keratin. It lends structure to the skin, and helps to give it a taut youthful appearance. Naturally, as we age the keratin in our skin breaks down. If it is not replaced and restored, we get wrinkles and our skin ages.

Any skin care for men should include a functional form of keratin that the skin can absorb and use readily. Many companies claim to include keratin in their products, but it is actually just synthetic filler made from animal by-products.

A primary reason for aging in the skin is the presence of free radicals. These are damaging compounds found in all of our cells. They can be neutralized by antioxidants, and effective men skin care products should include a potent antioxidant. One of the strongest antioxidants is Coenzyme Q10, which is very powerful at destroying these free radicals. The end result is a halting of the aging process, and healthier, younger looking skin.

Many people think that skin care for men does not need the same concentration of vitamins and minerals as women’s products. Not true! In fact, researchers have found that many times men’s skin needs a higher quantity of these nutrients to penetrate areas of skin with hair growth, such as the beard or mustache area.

One compound that delivers such vitamins and minerals with great efficacy is Wakame, which is derived from Japanese sea algae. It is used as an oral dietary supplement, and is now being included in products used to nourish the skin. As an added benefit, Wakame is also a powerful antioxidant.

What should you avoid?

Some additives to avoid include parabens and fragrances. Parabens are universally used in many commercial skin products as a preservative to increase shelf life. Their safety is questionable as they have been suspected of causing various types of cancers.

You may think that men skin care products would not include fragrance but many do. These fragrances can dry out your skin and cause harmful allergic reactions, so are best avoided when choosing a product.

The bottom line is that skin care for men is a growing area of research and technology, and it is important to know what makes a product effective and what makes a product useless. The best consumer is a well informed one. Good Luck!

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Goji Berries – The Latest Thing in the Health Food World

August 26, 2009 in Heath food and drink by admin | No comments



The Goji berry is the latest thing in the health food world, but the small, dried red fruit has actually been used for centuries in Chinese traditional medicine. Mention of the berries has been found as far back as the 7th century, but lately, the goji berry has stepped into the spotlight. The little fruit has certainly opened some eyes and stirred research as of late.

Considered beneficial to improving the immune system and vision, the goji berry also protect the liver and provide antioxidant effects. Many a tea or tincture has used the healing powers of goji berries. Several studies on the goji berry from Chinese researchers have claimed that the fruit packs a whallop of health benefits, and those claims have hit international renown.

A goji berry contains plenty of the body’s daily nutritional needs. The fruit offers 68% of the recommended intake of carbohydrates and 12% of protein. In 100 grams of goji berries, there are 370 calories but only 90 of those are from fat. These little berries sure do offer a lot of health in a small package!

Goji berries have been found to regulate immunity and enhance the body’s natural defenses. They improve our ability to handle daily stress by improving energy levels to increase coping ability. The goji berry can also slow the aging process and in cases of serious nutritional deficiency can help to reverse it.

The flavor is an interesting combination of tart and sweet, something in between a cranberry and raisin. People who like something a little in between those popular fruits enjoy goji berries. In their dried form, goji berries are easily snacked on. A juice can also make an interesting alternative. In fact, goji berry juice is one of the best ways for children to consume the fruit, as dried berries can be difficult to chew.

To have the extra health boost that goji berries provide, add them to your regular died. Dried, the berries can be added to many dishes. Teas are very popular and goji berry infusions are growing in popularity. For those who enjoy a faster pace of life and want nutrition on the go, a goji berry juice is probably the best choice.

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Coenzyme Q10 in Skin Care Products is Good Right? Wrong

January 1, 2009 in Skin Care by admin | No comments

Everyone knows Coenzyme Q10, (or CoQ10) is a great ingredient to find in your skin care products. If you look on the label of your anti aging product bottles it’s almost obligatory to see Coenzyme Q10 listed.

That’s why it’s there, because everyone expects to see it there, so if they do it sells. But is it good to see Coenzyme Q10 listed in the ingredients?

Hard question to answer, because it’s not easy to say. Yes and no. It depends. And that’s why it’s not sufficient to assume that if Coenzyme Q10 is listed on the ingredients list that’s good. Because it depends on a number of things.

What is Coenzyme Q10 and what does it do? It is a substance that is naturally made by the human body and is essential for the proper functioning of our cells. It’s like a vitamin, or what is known as an anti oxidant, and as we get older our store of CoQ10 starts to decrease. As CoQ10 is important to our skin health this isn’t good. As an anti oxidant it helps protect our cells against damage by free radicals.

And as free radicals are important factors in the aging process, we need good stores of anything that help protect us against them.

And it helps our skin molecules to function properly, and produce substances like collagen and elastin, both essential to skin health as well.

Our supply of Coenzyme Q10 starts to deplete with age, and stress, and other lifestyle factors like poor diet. And in particular Coenzyme Q10 is depleted when our skin is exposed to UV radiation. Ie it’s exposed to the sun’s rays.

So if it helps protect our skin cells from free radical damage and also helps produce useful skin substances, wouldn’t it be good to see Coenzyme Q10 listed on the label of the skin care and anti aging products we use?

Not necessarily. There’s some problems. Even if it’s to be of use to us it has to be there in sufficient quantities, and often it isn’t. Secondly it has to be present in a form that can penetrate the skin. Even if there is sufficient quantities in the product it’s no use if it can’t penetrate the skin and get to where it can do it’s work.

Otherwise it just sits on the surface of the skin.

How have the best skin care and anti aging companies overcome this? By producing a special version of Coenzyme Q10 called Nano-Lipobelle H-EQ10. This is a type of CoQ10 that has tiny particle sizes that do get into the skin, and has been shown to increase the amount of collagen and elastin in the skin. This in turn has quite a significant effect on combating wrinkles.

And it can work it’s anti oxidant miracles once it’s got into your skin and can then help prevent skin damage.

Nano-Lipobelle H-EQ10 is extremely expensive, but if it works then there will be companies that will use it to produce the best, and most effective, anti aging skin care products that money can buy. But as these companies don’t spend stacks of money on marketing their products are cost comparable to the other products you’ll find on the shelves that don’t contain Nano-Lipobelle H-EQ10, and aren’t very effective.

But as they don’t spend stacks on marketing, chances are you’ve never even heard of them, even though they produce the best anti aging and skin care products in the world.

So no, it isn’t necessarily good to find Coenzyme Q10 in your skin care products, but it is good to find Nano-Lipobelle H-EQ10. But you won’t find it in mainstream skincare products on the shelves.

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