REDEFINING "ANTI-AGING" SKIN CARE
REDEFINING "ANTI-AGING" SKIN CARE
Consumers and industry agree. Cosmeceuticals are the future of anti-agingskin care. World-class companies in the industry are flooding themarketplace with cosmetics that claim pharmaceutical benefits along with temporaryvisible effects.
Botanicals are the rage. By adding cosmetics grade extracts of herbs inappropriate strength, and by using proven a delivery mechanism surely youtoo will receive the multiple benefits claimed. Unfortunately, this is not thestory for many consumers. Often women experience less benefitthan advertised, or mild to severe side effects along with the benefits.
Because of the western notion of a single-cause-single effect it seems thatsimply by adding multiple ingredients to a base one receives multiplebenefits from a cream or lotion or gel. We see this science as flawed, andhave a very different vision of the future of anti-aging skin care.
Essentially, no science of combination, no technology of delivery, has yetbeen found which will provide a really effective holistic side-effect freebotanical product with multiple cosmeceutical benefits. Manufacturers ofAHA, BHA and retinol based products are left to juggle the amount of extract tobe added versus the benefit received versus the side effects produced.
Where will the "new new" in cosmeceuticals come from? What science existsfor effective side-effect free formulation? And when can we expect to see thesetransformational products and regimens? Who will emerge as the leader inproviding holistic side-effect free skin care?
THE "NEW NEW" NATURAL COSMECEUTICALS
Real face and body care is going "back to the future." The deepest knowledgeof botanicals belongs to ayurveda, the world's original system of healthcare. Maharishi Ayurveda possesses an unrivaled set of technologies forprocessing and extraction of raw herbs. And Vaidya R.K. Mishra,world-renowned ayurvedic dermatologist, embodies the knowledge of the use(sanskar) and the science of combination (sanyoga) for developing authenticayurvedic formulations and treatment protocols that maximizepharmaceutical-like benefits for internal and external benefits.
New ingredients, new knowledge of the structure and function of the skin,and new approaches to treatment are redefining what is possible in anti-agingskin care. New ingredients like Gotu Kola, Sensitive Plant and Flame ofForest are creating excitement, and the possibility that whole plantextracts will usher in a new future for skin care.
Of course, if you talk to an ayurvedic dermatologist there is nothing newhere. Authentic individualized use of herbs and mineral formulations havekept the women of India looking younger than their biological age in theworld's harshest environment for at least five millennia.
Vaidyas, traditional herbal doctors, claim ayurveda has a more completeunderstanding of botanicals and their holistic interactions with thestructure and function of all aspects of the skin. For example, Gotu Kolahas been scientifically shown to stimulate collagen synthesis by up to 30%.
Vaidya R.K. Mishra includes Gotu Kola in formulations that increase collagensynthesis. However, major cosmetics firms consider it virtually unusablebecause it causes contact dermatitis (rashes and irritation).
In a recent interview, a research chemist from a prominent firm in theindustry asked Dr. Mishra the secret to safely including Gotu Kola inanti-aging formulas. Dr. Mishra explained that the knowledge of ayurvedicherbal combination and the psychophysiology of the skin require more thanthe specific knowledge of balancing the unwanted effects of just a single herb.
Unlike other modern cosmeceutical products an authentic ayurvedic formulawill contain multiple ingredients all of which must be balanced one toanother and to the condition of the skin. For example, the purpose ofSensitive Plant is to re-awaken the full functioning of the 1,300 nervescontained in one square inch of skin.
But this must not interfere with collagen synthesis, or overheat thetemperature receptors. Ordinary multiple ingredient cosmeceuticals such asthose using AHAs, retinols, and vitamins also create multiple side effects.
In reality no science of combination exists for botanical formulations inthe West. The worldview that one cause targets one effect is too simplistic forreal world skin care. The skin is a very complex and delicate living organthat metabolizes virtually anything applied to it. Thus, a face cream shouldbe alive in all its ingredients. The botanical intelligence of each extractmust be able to awaken the intelligence with which it is associated. Eventhe base must support skin structure and function through perfect metabolism.
Ideally, a perfectly balanced ayurvedic anti-aging formula should work inthe long term as a transformational agent to actually make the skin younger. Itshould re-enliven full functioning as if each skin cell remembered itsyouth. This, according to R.K. Mishra, is the intelligence level of the skin, whichforms the basis of the ayurvedic theory of skin care.
Note: Information provided in this article is for the sole purpose ofimparting education on Ayurveda and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cureor prevent any disease. If you have a medical condition, please consult ahealth professional.
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