Anti-ageing addresses the various causes of ageing in different disciplines in order to reduce the very different effects. Thus, medicine, ecotrophology, sports science, the cosmetics industry and food manufacturers are all concerned with the phenomenon of ageing and are researching ways to slow it down.
Anti-ageing – How do cosmetics delay ageing?
In the field of medical remedies and treatments, the first thing to mention are some drugs that delay the ageing process. Since hormones play a special role in ageing, hormones are also used as anti-ageing remedies. Hormones include melatonin, DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) and the growth hormone somatotropin. However, the anti-ageing effect of these agents is controversial.
On the other hand, the positive effect of certain drugs that are used against high blood pressure and arteriosclerosis, for example, is undisputed. Their effectiveness in prolonging life is proven. But cosmetic surgery is also one of the medical anti-ageing measures. Actually, anti-ageing is about delaying the ageing process. However, plastic medicine offers extensive therapy options to eliminate the visible effects of ageing such as wrinkles or sagging skin. This is done, for example, by lifting and tightening, by injecting hyaluronic acid or Botox. Medical bleaching of age spots should also be mentioned here.
The influence of nutrition on the ageing process is now recognised. Therefore, a balanced diet is usually recommended first. Important points here concern the sufficient intake of vitamins and minerals and the avoidance of overweight. Calcium, selenium, vitamins A, C and E and beta-carotene are also used as dietary supplements as antioxidants that protect the body from free radicals and thus prevent ageing. Anti-ageing without sport is hardly conceivable. Healthy exercise and regular sport with a calorie consumption of around 500 kilocalories per hour keep the body agile and fit and have proven anti-aging effects.
Spectrum of anti-aging cosmetics
Of course, there is also a whole spectrum of anti-aging cosmetics. This includes not only skin creams or face masks that are designed to reduce the formation of wrinkles, but also products that replenish wrinkles. Again, antioxidants, vitamins, hormones and essential fatty acids are used. Hyaluronic acid and retinol are applied to stimulate the formation of collagen. Collagen provides a firm skin appearance. Professional cosmetic treatments are offered as special anti-aging. Here, too, hyaluronic acid is injected, for example. However, oxygen treatments of the skin, electrostimulation or massages are also offered.
These treatments are supported by the food industry, which now offers anti-ageing foods. On the one hand, this includes all healthy foods that are supposed to delay ageing due to their natural ingredients. But above all, there are more and more functional foods to which certain ingredients have been added that are said to have an anti-ageing effect. The transition to the above-mentioned food supplements, which fall more into the realm of medicine, is fluid.
