Peoples' preoccupation with anti-aging skin care products that claim to make you look younger is not surprising; as we are living far longer than previous generations it is a good idea to look after your physical appearance. This group of beauty products generally works by enabling the synthesis of collagen, the main protein of connective tissue in animals and the most abundant in our body; approximately one quarter of the protein contained in skin is collagen. Most anti-ageing products (collagen included) fall into a category of natural everyday products we all use; these are known as antioxidants which remove toxins from the body.

You probably know many anti-oxidants by name, including vitamin C, the use of which is still, even now, hotly debated in the science and nutrition community. Skin care treatments that are based on vitamin C, pose the problem of becoming oxidized themselves as they come into contact with air during their usage.

To get around this some skin care treatments are based on derivatives of vitamin C, which are more stable and less expensive. However, these anti-ageing skin care treatments are not as effective vitamin C based products, although vitamin E and lipoic acid are also anti-oxidants and have similar effects.

Vitamin E is an antioxidant and component of human blood whose purpose is to help increase the body's immune system; it has been linked to resistance to a number of conditions including certain types of cancer. Lipoic acid is found in every single human cell and helps provide energy; an additional function is to repair skin damage caused by the normal aging process.

For some time now it has also been known that the vitamins B5, B6 and B12 also have anti-ageing skin care properties. The field of anti-ageing skin care products is vast and needs a great deal more research. There is no doubt that what has been learned so far is only a small part of the jigsaw puzzle; there is still a long way to go however, before methods that successfully reduce the effects of age are commonplace.

There may be many challenges still to overcome but in time scientists believe they will succeed in producing more effective anti-ageing skin care products that are less expensive and available to more people. Scientific research into anti-aging products is still in the early stages but they should never be relied upon; we must not forget however, that there are many more natural methods we can all use to reduce the signs of aging on a regular basis. You know all these things but how many do you practice? Regular exercise, restful sleep, drinking plenty of water, eating a healthy diet and keeping your stress levels low are all necessary.