Whether flipping through the latest magazines, turning on the TV or surfing the Internet: Anti-aging products literally haunt the consumer. Few other topics occupy the cosmetics industry as much as skin aging. While geneticists and researchers search for the mysterious “age gene,” cosmetic studios and beauty brands advertise their latest products and treatments. But what achieves real effects and where do users merely fall for a good advertising strategy? And are natural anti-aging methods just as effective as cosmetic ones?
True beauty comes from within
Wrinkle injections are used to reduce wrinkles and visually rejuvenate the skin. In most cases, Botox (abbreviation for botulinum toxin A) is the drug of choice here. There are two fundamentally different strategies for the treatment of wrinkles and signs of aging: The treatment from the inside or that from the outside. In accordance with the saying “true beauty comes from within”, the most effective means should be those that are ingested. In fact, there are numerous offers on the market for this purpose, mainly composed of special amino acids, vitamins and herbs. The capsules or tinctures to be taken for drinking are mostly made of purely natural ingredients and thus fall into the category of “natural anti-aging remedies”. But what about the effect? According to experts, healthy and young-looking skin requires a very specific composition of important minerals and vitamins. These are primary:
- Cell-protecting antioxidants
- Vitamins A, C and E
- Provitamin beta-carotene
- Silicic acid
- Coenzyme Q10
If you eat a balanced diet and eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, you do not need additional capsules, tinctures or the like. But stress, extensive sunbathing, lack of exercise and unhealthy diet often lead to deficiency symptoms. In fact, hyaluronic acid capsules and the like can then lead to visible success. Nevertheless: you should not expect a miracle with the natural means.
The classic: anti-aging cream
In contrast to the anti-aging treatment from “inside”, there are also the classics from the outside. Right up front here is always the anti-wrinkle cream. It is interesting that really good anti-aging creams have similar ingredients as the means for ingestion. Here, too, you can choose between purely natural and chemical active ingredients. The effect of anti-aging creams, however, is controversial. According to Ökotest, no manufacturer has yet been able to prove the effects of its anti-wrinkle cream in the laboratory. Hopes are always pinned on new developments and beauty hype, such as the currently celebrated peptides. These chains of amino acids are supposed to act specifically in the affected skin region and achieve effects similar to Botox. However, this too has not yet been proven.
Is Botox the real deal?
Schematic diagram comparing young skin and old skin with wrinkles. Click to enlarge. If cream manufacturers are already advertising that the effects are supposed to be botox-like, is Botox really the “non plus ultra” of the anti-aging industry? In fact, Botox is so far the most effective means of fighting wrinkles without surgical intervention. Nevertheless: Botox is often help and horror at the same time. Treatment with the injection is usually not entirely inexpensive and in some cases not painless either. In addition, there are possible side effects. These include:
- Partial facial paralysis
- Lowering of the upper eyelids
- Disturbed eyelid closure
- Initial difficulty eating or drinking
- Swelling in the treated areas
- Temporarily altered voice pitch
While many of these side effects are extremely rare, they still make us aware of the serious interference with the facial skin and muscles.
There are alternatives!
There are numerous alternatives, which you can learn about from cosmetologists or an aesthetic medicine practice. For example, the following practice offers on its website aesthetic-antiaging.de, in addition to Botox, injections with less aggressive ingredients for wrinkle injections and wrinkle treatment. At this point, again, the natural and cosmetic anti-aging treatments meet.For example, you can have individual wrinkles specifically treated by injections with hyaluronic acid. This can be quite useful as a combination to the capsules. However, the treatment must be repeated at regular intervals. Another permanent option are so-called gel implants, which are also placed under the skin by means of a small injection. Either way, cosmetic anti-aging treatments always deliver a quick and immediately visible anti-aging effect, but also carry greater risks than their natural competitors.
Does surgery make sense?
Surgery is probably the most radical, but also the most successful, anti-aging treatment. Using an endoscope with a small camera, three to five small incisions are made behind the hairline, then the forehead and individual wrinkles can be lifted and tightened. An operation that leaves good results when performed professionally. But unfortunately, there is always the risk of complications, which can result in permanent and clearly visible scars, asymmetries or “over-tightening”. Surgery is really only recommended if you suffer from an allergy to the injectables or large bags under the eyes. In the latter case, however, there is now a brand new method in which the bags under the eyes can be removed by laser. And this is done without a single incision.
So what now: natural or cosmetic?
All in all, nowadays the natural ones cannot be clearly distinguished from the cosmetic anti-aging methods. The beauty industry is always trying to reconcile these two components. In addition, there are modern alternative methods, such as autologous blood or hormone therapy. Because the key to young skin is as complex as the processes in our bodies themselves. Accordingly, there is no “right” or “wrong”. Everyone has to find the best method for themselves and a combination of natural and cosmetic treatments may well give good results without you having to go under the knife. Otherwise, we can only continue to wait for researchers to find the key to eternal youth.