Today, we live in an increasingly self-conscious world, one in which it is easy to become obsessed with how we look. Looking younger seems almost to be a national obsession.

Increasingly, wrinkles are regarded as unwanted facial characteristics. Newer and more potent treatments and drugs vie for our attention; claiming that they will reduce wrinkles and give us a more youthful appearance.

Why do most anti-aging treatments and surgeries focus on the face and neck as the area for enhancement? This is because usually the face and neck most clearly betrays the effect of passing time.

Being one of the most "exposed" parts of our body to the surrounding environment, the face reflects the ravages of time quite faithfully. Haven't you noticed that you can very accurately estimate the age of a person merely by looking at their face?

Even babies are born with this skill - they can differentiate between the face of an adult and a child.

There are very clear biological and environmental factors behind the maturing of our faces and wrinkles. As a person grows older, the shape of their cranium actually changes.

The skin tends to become darker with the passage of years. Also, it loses its elasticity and becomes less flexible.

Not only that, it becomes rougher but also more leathery. Various blemishes and discolorations appear on the skin. Not only is an aging face betrayed by lines and wrinkles, it also plays host to pouches and folds.

The pores of our skin appear wider, bags appear under the eyes and the very skin appears to sag. These conditions can often result in a double chin.

Many consider the above conditions unsightly. The sight of facial wrinkles and sagging chins is enough to send some of us rushing to the nearest plastic surgeon or botox treatment.

May be a better strategy should be to look into the reasons behind the appearance of wrinkles. Only then we can understand this process and attempt to actually reverse it.

Most experts will cite photo damage or sun damage as the primary reason behind wrinkles. This is because the sun's rays can very easily penetrate the skin's surface. These rays can actually physically destroy the delicate tissues of our skin, leading to wrinkles.

Although sun tanning is a very fashionable activity, research indicates that this could lead to earlier and also deeper wrinkles.

You might think that tanning, burning, and peeling is the only damage the sun can cause. These are, in fact, only the more apparent and superficial effects of sun damage.

-- The Deeper Ravages of the Sun --

Sunrays can cause much damage to the deeper layers of the skin. This is because Ultra Violet rays (in sunlight) have different bandwidth. UV rays and can actually penetrate much deeper into our skin.

Darker skin tones tend to be much less vulnerable to skin burns. However, in the way they respond to wrinkles because of sun damage is not very different. Apart from wrinkles, the sun also causes dryness of skin and the manifestation of age spots - all signs of a skin struggling to survive the challenges of time.

Studies show that most age related wrinkles start appearing around the age of 27. This also depends on a number of factors apart from the environment like...

- facial habits - genetic inheritance and - skin care regimens.

Biologically, wrinkles are caused by the breakdown of the collagen and elastin fibers. These fibers lie beneath our skin and which give it its flexibility and firmness.

Ultra violet rays contribute to the damage of skin fibers. What follows is when stretched, our skin is no longer capable of "snapping" back. This helps lead to wrinkles.

Gravity is also an acknowledged culprit in this game. It constantly pulls our skin downwards and causes it to sag over a period of time. This is especially visible on the face and neck and on our upper arms.

Cigarette smoking is another cause for early wrinkle formation. Scientists are not sure of the reason behind this, but studies have consistently shown that smokers are far more susceptible to wrinkle damage than non-smokers.

This is even evidenced when both smokers and nonsmokers belonged to the same age group. In these test groups participants exposure to the sun had been similar and their complexion was of similar types. The smokers experienced more wrinkles in their skin. Scientists suppose that this might happen because of the damage that the cigarette smoke causes to elastin.

Other factors which have been proposed to explain the formations of wrinkles like hormone loss as we age. Free radicals are said to attack our skin. Certain areas of our facial skin reflect age much earlier. Is the case especially in areas around our eyes and lips and our foreheads.

This is because our skin repeatedly folds around these regions. Our skin actually "remembers" our habitual expressions and over time. It gets permanently folded accordingly.

Botox injections have proven especially effective when these specific facial features have been targeted.

Some over the counter formulas are now available to help in the fight against the ravages of time. Rejuvinol™, available at www.BODeStore.com, may be one of these products. It is a unique nutrient-rich moisturizer that nourishes, tones and rehydrates for firmer, more resilient skin. Skin is protected from oxidation (aging), sun and environmental damage. It contains Hyaluronic Acid, a naturally occurring substance in the body, is one of the most effective moisturizing agents available.

When it comes to looking younger today, we owe it to ourselves to use everything in our arsenal to stave off the ravages of time.

Visit http://www.HealthandFitnessVitality.com for the latest in Timeless Health and Fitness Tips for 2006. Discover the newest trends at the Fit After Forty Blog. Find them at... http://www.healthandfitnessvitality.com/blogs/fitnessblog.htm Article courtesy of Kamau Austin, All Rights Reserved

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About the author:

Kamau Austin is Owner of AMS Publishing and is a business and fitness wellness advocate. See more of his health and fitness tips at www.HealthandFitnessVitality.com or get Internet marketing solutions at www.SearchEnginePlan.com