It is said that beauty is only skin deep.
And having smooth and supple skin is what many crave for.
To know how anti aging creams work, it is important to understand the anatomy of skin.
Skin in made of different layers of cells like the dermis and epidermis and sub cutaneous tissue.
Epidermis is the outermost layer and comprises of the cells that make keratin (keratinocytes), Melanocytes that give color and langerhan cells that give immunity.
Immature keratinocytes form the lowermost layer of the epidermis while the uppermost layer is stratum corneum made of dead keratinocytes, keratins and lipids, which form a protective coat.
Keratin makes the skin impermeable to water from outside.
These dead cells are removed continuously and replaced with new dead cells from below.
This process takes about 3 - 5 weeks.
Most anti aging scrubs and facial peels aim to refresh in layer by removing the old dead cells from the skin surface.
The dermis is the middle layer consisting of fibers of collagen and elastin, connective tissue, blood vessels, sebaceous and sweat glands, hair follicles and also some muscle and nerve cells.
Fibroblasts are the important type of cells n this layer as they produce fibrin, collagen and other structural proteins that maintain the skin structure.
The sebaceous glands are influenced by hormones at puberty leading to pimples and acne.
It is the same sebaceous glands that exhibit low sebum which dries the skin and cause wrinkling at old age.
Hence wrinkles arise from the dermis and not epidermis.
These glands are also targeted by anti aging products.
The innermost layer is the subcutaneous and is made of fat cells also known as adipocytes or adipose tissue.
This tissue stores excess fat and hence provides insulation and shock absorbance.
As a person ages, this tissue diminishes and intensifies the wrinkles.
Thus it is seen that not only different cells and their molecules, but also the composition and kind of the molecules makes a huge difference at the integrity of the skin.