Anti-Aging Skin Care, What You Should Know

Who would want to grow old?
Who would want to look old?

If only somebody knew the secret to the fountain of youth, that somebody would have riches beyond imagination. And this is not a gross exaggeration.

Any business, product or service that deals with anti-aging is sure to succeed. In fact, one of the fastest growing industry in the country today is the cosmetic industry which partly deals with helping people stay young and look young through augmentation, face lifts and surgeries. People are so ready to spend their hard-earned money on these procedures, something that they would not have done on any other kind of procedures.

Perhaps, one cannot blame these people from wanting to look young. With societys emphasis on beauty and youth, more and more people are associating success and the happy life with a supple youthful skin. Besides, women are prettier are more likely to go up the corporate ladder.

Causes of Aging

But despite all that has been discovered to help curb the aging process, no procedure or product has ever been discovered that is capable of completely stopping the aging process. This is not possible. The only thing that most procedures can do is to slow down the process or lessen the visible signs of aging.

The aging of the skin is actually caused by too much exposure to the sun as well as the loss of hormones such as testosterone and estrogen. These two processes lead to the oxidation of collagen and the elastin fibers of the skin. The loss of these two substances in the skin will result to dimples on the skin and of course the sagging.

Prevention the natural way

There are of course natural ways that you can do to help prevent aging. One of which is the clichd combo of eating well and physical activity. However often you cringe at hearing this advice will not change the fact that these two are the primary things that can help you save those skins from sagging.

Eating fruits and vegetables especially those that are rich in Vitamin C and D will help in keeping the skin supple and moisturized. Foods with anti-oxidants are also helpful as this directly prevents oxidation.

Physical activity, on the other hand, helps by toning the muscles and keeping blood circulation going. This means that nutrients and minerals are distributed throughout the body.

Positive and Negative Effects of Estrogen

Compared to other hormones, there are many large and dependable researches of estrogen and its possible effects on the body that have been performed. These researches have presented that estrogen offers many significant benefits. Because of this, many women are recommended to take estrogen to reduce menopause symptoms.

While many women are benefited by estrogen during or after menopause, some are found at greater risk for particular diseases if they take it. As researches give more information about estrogen, it may help pinpoint the reasons should those persons take it or not.

To most women, the helpful effects of estrogen are far more important than the harmful effects it can give. Estrogen helps reduce hot flashes and lessen the threat for osteoporosis. Other researches show that estrogen also lessens the risk of cardiovascular diseases like heart disease.

However, there are also researches, which presents that estrogen has no beneficial effects for heart problems. Others suggest that estrogen can protect a woman from having Alzheimers disease, but this is not yet confirmed. Recent clinical tests of estrogen in postmenopausal women with symptoms of Alzheimers disease have not presented any effects.

Other beneficial effects of estrogen are:

Reduce night sweats
Reduces the risk of colon cancer
Improves pelvic musculature
Avoid loss of collagen in the skin

However, besides its promises, estrogen has also increased the number of severe concerns because there are dangerous effects that could possibly happen with some women. For instance, some women take an estrogen with another hormone called progestin. Estrogen may also increase a risk of blood clotting, which can damage the proper circulation in the arteries.

Significant proof suggests that long-term use of estrogen can slowly increase the risk of breast cancer. In addition, researches have also shown that there is a greater risk of breast cancer among women who use both the estrogen and the progestin.

Other possible negative effects of estrogen include:

Vaginal bleeding or spotting
Abdominal pains
Poor sleeping habit
Skin rashes
Depression
Head aches, migraine headaches
Causes endometrial cancer

Therefore, with both of these positive and negative effects presented, the decision in taking estrogen will not be all yes. It depends on the woman if she wants to use it still despite of all the negative effects it could have.

Always remember, even if many years will pass, researchers will continue to find out information about the advantages and disadvantages of estrogen. When these new findings come out, more women and their physicians might reconsider their decisions about taking estrogen.

How Much is Too Much Estrogen

Through out the years, estrogen has caused so much fuss and controversy in the medical arena.

Many scientific studies were launched regarding its beneficial result as well as its adverse effect in the human body.

Despite its popularity in the market and in the scientific field for curing and preventing various kinds of illness and other afflictions, many issues still abound regarding its very nature.

Along side these issues were countless questions that continue to bewilder many people, one of the most frequently asked question regarding estrogen is how much is too much.

Does this compound, which has been proven to have medical benefits cause adverse effect when taken beyond adequate amount?

According to the recent findings of Womens Health Initiative in 2004, the daily-recommended intake of estrogen is highly dependent on the preparation used and to the brand name of the chosen estrogen alternative.

For instance, when a person is using conjugated estrogen, which is commonly used in the United States and falls under the brand name of Premarin, and Cenestine the sufficient intake should fall from .3 to .625 mg/ day.

The dosage is entirely different when the person is taking estrogen prepared by using synthetic Estradiol and the brand name is Estrace, research showed that adequate dosage is from .5 to 1 mg/day.

While the brand names Estretab and Menest works effectively when the person intakes .3 to .625 mg/ day under Estrified preparations, while a lower dosage is recommended for those who take ogen estrogen the ample amount for this brand ranges from .6 to .125 mg/day.

In the case of those who take Estraderm, Vivelle, Climera the finding suggests that .02 to .05 mg/ day be taken when transdermal preparation is used, while the Menostar estrogen brand has the lowest dosage with the required daily intake of only .014 mg/ day.

Since the matter of decision-making is relatively dependent on individual basis, rather than taking into consideration age groups and related cases.

It is recommended that each individual needs to be evaluated first on their health history to advise the most appropriate estrogen treatment and other necessary preparations.

Aside from this, other factors are taken into consideration in planning the estrogen therapy for each individual case.

Part of the related study undertaken by the group regarding too much estrogen intake, showed various negative effects on the body which will manifest in the duration of short term and long term intake.

The negative effects for short-term intake over dosage are:

Breast tenderness
Vaginal Bleeding or spotting
Enlarged Fibroids
Migraine and headaches
Abdominal pain and Bloating
Nausea
Skin rashes
Increase in Triglycerides
Coronary Artery Disease
Thromboplebitis

Another question resurfaces along side the inquiry regarding too much estrogen intake.

Does a woman who has been taking estrogen for quite some time, be subjected to the same daily-recommendations of intake for those who has just started the therapy?

Although the Womens Health initiative did not take in hand this particular query, observational undertakings proved that taking estrogen for quite a while starting in menopausal stage prove to have some health benefits.

Among these benefits are:

Lower hip fractures
Lower cases of heart attacks

While the negative effect for long-term intakes over dosage are:

Gall stone
Breast cancer
Endometrial cancer

The bottom line is, too much of something is bad for ones well being, even if we talking about a compound with an immense health benefit and wonders- as in the case of estrogen.

Estrogen as a Contributor in Signalling our Body Clock

As medical technology advances throughout the years, there has been much fuss in the medical field about estrogen.

Many studies and researches were conducted towards finding out the very nature of estrogen.

All of these undertakings agreed on one thing, estrogen is a primary component in the indication of the human body clock. It was found that it directly relates in the body cycle of a human being.

Estrogen, as defined in the modern medical dictionary- does not only pertain to a single compound but is rather made up of groups of steroid compounds.

While it is present in both male and female, it has higher concentrations in female, because it is the one responsible for the promoting of female secondary characteristics.

This includes breast development, and it is an important hormone that helps in promoting sexual vitality, relieving hot flashes, night sweats and other deficiency symptoms that go along with old age.

The female body produces three major types of this estrogen, these includes estriol, estradiol, and estrone.

Estriol is found to be the weakest among the three estrogens. Its high level of existence in the body denotes a less likely possibility of developing breast cancer.

As mentioned in the American Medical Journal Association dated in 1966, according to Dr. H.M. Lemmon, M.D. there is a higher concentration of this particular substance in the body of those women who does not have breast cancer.

It is very beneficial to the vagina, vulva and cervix. In cases where there is a related affliction to the mentioned parts, it is safest if the patient is going to use Estriol Estrogen preparation.

Estradiol is known to be the principal estrogen, it is helpful in carrying out reproductive functions and is produced in the ovaries. Because it is stronger than Estriol it is more effective symptomatic alternative than the latter.

Estrone on the other hand has the same function as the Estradiol, but it is considered to have a weaker effect.

The pituitary gland and the hypothalamus is the one responsible for producing these types of hormones, and acts as the lutienizing agent in controlling its production in the body.

As the menopausal stage occurs, it is usually characterized by a full year without menstrual period and the level of estrogen in the body gradually goes down. Decrease in egg production, low level of sexual desires, lower bone density and muscle firmness as well as skin integrity follows.

As the estrogen production starts to diminish in the menopausal period, this marks the transgression of the human cycle.

Lastly, this ultimately signals the descent of the human body clock as determined by the particular hormone-estrogen.