Skin aging is the biggest enemy for all beauty-conscious women. In this battle, women are actively fighting against it, using cosmetics as their preferred weapon.
Signs of skin aging include rough and thick skin, deep and regular wrinkles, pigmentation, and sagging. Skin aging can be caused by various factors, including physiological, psychological, and environmental factors. It is an inevitable natural phenomenon. However, skin aging can be delayed. To slow down skin aging, it is important to identify the internal factors that contribute to aging and choose skincare products that are suitable for combating them.
I. Increase in free radicals
Free radicals are unpaired electrons in the body that can cause significant damage to cellular tissues, leading to skin aging. The body has a superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzyme that can capture superoxide anions and protect tissues and organs. It also has a significant inhibitory effect on the activity of tyrosinase, which is responsible for melanin production.
However, as people age, free radicals increase while the SOD enzyme decreases. Excessive free radicals can accelerate the aging process of skin, leading to pigmentation and the formation of age spots, resulting in skin aging.
2. Effects of sunlight
Ultraviolet rays in sunlight can thicken the stratum corneum and harden the skin cortex, causing elastic fibers to lose their elasticity. Skin exposed to UV rays will have an increased number of free radicals, accelerating skin aging.
Based on the physiological effects of the skin, the damage caused by UV rays, the inhibitory effect of SOD on the activity of tyrosinase, and the ability to capture damaged cells' superoxide radicals, cosmetics manufacturers have developed SOD-based cosmetics and sun protection cosmetics. These cosmetics can delay skin aging, reduce pigmentation, and minimize the stimulation of UV rays, thus delaying the aging process.
3. Natural moisturizing factors
The stratum corneum of the skin contains 30% natural moisturizing factors (NMF), which have strong hydrophilic and moisturizing properties. In high humidity environments, NMF reduces its ability to absorb moisture, while in low humidity environments, it enhances its ability to absorb moisture, maintaining the water content of the stratum corneum.
Water is the best softener for the skin. When the stratum corneum contains 10% to 20% water, the skin appears soft and moisturized. When the water content in the stratum corneum is less than 10%, the skin becomes dry, flaky, and even cracked. Therefore, moisturizing is another important factor in skincare.
Based on the function and composition of the skin's natural moisturizing factors, cosmetics manufacturers have added substances with strong moisture absorption properties, known as moisturizers, to skincare products. These moisturizers enhance the skincare effect by mimicking the function of the skin's natural moisturizing factors.
