It is quite normal to expect people to want to look attractive and this might explain why anti-aging skin care products are so successful; this is due primarily to the fact we are all living longer and want to continue looking younger as we age. This is done using skin care products that encourage the growth of the protein collagen which happens to be the main source of the protein used in the connective tissue of skin; with around a quarter of our skin protein being collagen, the importance of this substance has not gone unnoticed. This area of anti-ageing treatments is connected to another group of products that help people to look young; this group is called antioxidants and apart from their cell repairing ability, they may be able to reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease.

Probably the best known of these anti-oxidants is vitamin C although no-one really knows just how much we should have each day. The main problem when using any skin care treatments which use vitamin C is that oxidization can occur as soon as they have contact with the air.

Other skin care treatments which mimic the effects of vitamin C are being tried all the time which are hoped to be more stable in the atmosphere and also cheaper to produce. These new anti-oxidant products are not quite as good as vitamin C although other naturally occurring compounds, vitamin E and lipoic acid can achieve the same effect.

Vitamin E is an antioxidant and component of human blood whose purpose is to help increase the body's immune system; it helps build resistance against infection like cancer for example. Lipoic acid is also an energy making component of the body, found in every cell; it can help reverse much of the damage caused to the skin by ageing.

Phytochemicals form the other category of anti-aging skin care products which are special chemicals that are extracted from plants with a variety of that are used in skin care today. A secondary but more important use of phytochemicals is the effect they have on the prevention of some strains of cancer; for example:

<ul> <li>Cancer of the Prostate</li> <li>Breast Cancer</li> <li>Cancer of the Bowel</li> </ul>

These types of cancer are also becoming some of the most prevalent worldwide.

For some time now it has also been known that the vitamins B5, B6 and B12 also have anti-ageing skin care properties. The use of anti-ageing skin care products is a huge scientific field to research and has far greater potential than just producing goods that reduce the visible signs of age. Gradually, new discoveries will be made to advance our understanding of the aging process; with the number of genetic discoveries made in recent years, it is only a matter of time before conquering the effects of age is commonplace.

The amount of research going on in this field will undoubtedly bring results in time, hopefully bringing down the cost of these anti-ageing skin care products in addition to increasing their reliability. At the moment though, science is still behind the field of natural anti-aging methods; man-made products may never replace those that are available naturally! Natural methods are known, but few people actually follow them; what proportion of the population actually eats healthily, takes plenty of exercise, drink sufficient water and obtain restful and regular sleep?