Carrots
he alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs)in apples, oranges—even milk—not only nourish us inside, they are crucial to keeping our outer layer looking refreshed and young.
Let’s face it—when it comes to maintaining a youthful complexion, time is not on your side. From the moment of birth, your skin works round the clock to eliminate toxins and replace dead skin cells with new ones. But somewhere down the pike, this system of recycling begins to break down. In fact, by the time you’ve reached 30- or 40-something, tiny laugh lines (never call them crow’s feet, please) may begin to creep around the edges of your eyes and mouth. Your once rosy cheeks may be reduced to a pallid patina. And, if you’ve been a sun worshiper at any stage in your life, age spots and leather-like skin are likely to be your reward.
Of course, one doesn’t awaken to “mature” skin overnight or with the lighting of candles on any particular birthday cake. Aging of the skin is a long process that occurs over time and largely depends on lifestyle and environmental factors. But it’s possible to slow down the progression of skin aging, or even help reverse skin damage, by taking advantage of Mother Nature’s best anti-aging cosmetic ingredient—fruit acids. In fact, fruit acids can help restore your visage and reveal a youthful (but ripe) new you more safely and better than many chemical procedures.
They are found in such edibles as pineapple (sorbic acid), grapes (tartaric acid), apples (maltic acid) and even milk (lactic acid). But the applications of these AHAs come from a bottle or tube, not from your refrigerator. When applied to skin, AHAs penetrate the upper layer to “unglue” dead cells that have become stuck together over time. The skin then sloughs off this layer to reveal new, healthy cells that have been, in effect, held hostage underneath. With regular use of AHA products, you can teach your old skin a new trick by helping it to re-establish the natural exfoliation and cell renewal process it once knew so well.
Papaya and pineapple are two of the most popular fruits used in natural peels, since they are both a rich source of AHAs. Each fruit contains a protein-dissolving enzyme, papain and bromelain respectively, that promotes cell renewal and stimulates collagen production. Not all AHAs are derived from fruit, though. Glycolic acid, obtained from sugar cane, is the best-known member of the alpha-hydroxy acid family and has been found to be useful in treating age spots, superficial scars, acne, fine lines and (sometimes) even deeper wrinkles.
Both sunlight and normal bodily processes foster the formation of free radicals, rogue molecules that harass skin cells. So it makes sense that the addition of certain antioxidants (free-radical fighters) to AHA products is helpful in winning the battle against the signs of aging. When a vitamin C-based topical cream is applied in the form of L-ascorbic acid, the skin is protected from the sun’s UVA rays, which target the deeper layers of skin and destroy the collagen matrix. When combined with vitamin E, L-ascorbic acid also shields against the burning rays (or UVB rays), which actually break down DNA and RNA causing free-radical damage and cell mutation. This form of vitamin C has also demonstrated the ability to stimulate collagen creation by regulating three pro-collagen genes and, when used in a natural face peel, can have a synergistic effect on reversing the evidence of sun damage.
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