Smooth Solutions

“Forever Young, I wanted to be Forever Young“ goes a popular song. Indeed our quest for immortality is age old. Aging is a fact of life. Modern research has shown that it is well nigh impossible to stop the aging process but there are many methods available to retard its visibility. The largest organ of the human body is the skin – it forms the outer cover for our body and is remarkably resilient in protecting the human body from external environment and diseases. And as can be expected the effects of aging show up most visibly on our skin. As we age, the muscles of the face sag, the stuffing in the skin called collagen starts becoming less ‘springy’ and the skin which in the youth had a glow, loses its vitality and starts sagging. Laugh lines and wrinkles appear at the corner of the mouth and eyelids. Over time dead cells, dust and grime accumulate on the skin, which also gives the skin a dull look. Part of these changes is hereditary and a part of them are a result of environmental factors and lifestyle choices.

Rejuvenation of skin is attempted through a wide variety of ways. Some people favor concentrating on only the face and the neck, others favor a whole body approach. One of the commonest methods used is the abrasive technique in which herbal ingredients are mixed with chemicals and abrasive material like grounded walnut. After application the entire coat is pulled off or vigorously rubbed off to slough off the dead skin to reveal a glowing new layer. The build up of free radicals shows as aging skin. There are many products available in the market, which target free radicals to make the skin look younger. Yet others target the underlying muscles of the face. Muscle relaxants in the composition of topical creams try and relax or unfreeze the tired muscles to give a more ‘supple’ look. Botox is a favorite among beauticians wherein minute quantities of botulinum are injected into the areas of wrinkles and laugh lines to make them disappear. In this case the attempt is to freeze the sagging skin muscles. Then you have the whole body massages and the whole body ayurvedic treatments, spa treatments with oriental massages that promise a glowing skin and a young body. The last but not the least is of course Plastic surgery, just cut away that sagging skin and stretch it nice and tight and look twenty years younger.