Did you know there are actually dozens of different B vitamins? However not all of them are beneficial to humans. But out of those, there are eight of them which are necessary for humans to live. We call these the vitamin B complex.

Which ones are essential?
The eight which are necessary for human life are thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine, biotin, folic acid, and cobalamins. Supplements which contain all these are usually called a super B complex. Often times, a super B complex will contain additional nutrients like vitamin C, too.

What is their purpose?

The B complex vitamins serve a broad array of purposes, but they’re best known for their role in energy production. For example, vitamin B12 benefits the body by aiding in the creation of red blood cells, which are needed for energy transportation and production.

Who is most likely to have a deficiency?
When we don’t get enough through our diet alone, a super B complex supplement is necessary. This is especially important for vegans, because vitamin B12 can only be obtained through meat and dairy. Fortunately, the supplemental form of B12 is made synthetically so it still accommodates that dietary lifestyle. Meanwhile most of the other B vitamins come from vegetables, so if you don’t consume a balanced diet, you may not be getting the recommended amount.

Most people consume adequate amounts of these nutrients through their food. However some of us have problems absorbing it due to abnormal digestive systems, especially the elderly. When this is the case, often times a doctor will recommend a super B complex vitamin or injections to help supplement your body.

Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is probably the most famous nutrient in existence today. It is now being used in a wide variety of things we use everyday; including food, beverages, and even skin care products.

What is the purpose of ascorbic acid?

Centuries ago, sailors on ships would develop a lethal disease known as scurvy. We later discovered this was due to lack of vitamin C in their diet. This water soluble vitamin is used by all living organisms in some shape or form. Many animals are able to produce it naturally in their kidneys, however humans do not have that ability. So we must obtain it through our diet.

Vitamin C can naturally be obtained through fresh plants, but the dilemma is that heating it ruins the vitamin. Therefore, ascorbic acid was developed as a synthetic version which can be added in to replace the natural vitamin C which is destroyed during boiling.

What are the benefits of ascorbic acid?

Both the synthetic form (ascorbic acid) as well as the natural form of vitamin C benefits our bodies in a number of ways. Acting as an antioxidant, it helps us neutralize free radicals in our body. It is a crucial component in various metabolic processes in our body. It is also said to help support our immune systems. This is why it’s not just being used in dietary supplements, but also vitamin C skin care products and other anti aging skin remedies. If you do not eat fresh fruits and vegetables on a daily basis, it’s a good idea to use an ascorbic acid supplement.

We all know how important vitamins are to our health. For this reason, many skin care products are now including these nutrients in their formulations.

What is vitamin K?

Because you don’t hear a lot about it, you may be asking what is vitamin K? Well, it’s primarily known for promoting blood clotting. Not the bad kind, but rather the healthy normal clotting we need so we don’t bleed to death if we have a cut. Therefore, it is commonly used to help with various circulatory issues. It has also been known to be helpful for hemorrhaging and bone health.

What’s the purpose of vitamin K eye cream?

As mentioned, vitamin K is most well known for its ability to help with circulatory problems. When applied in a topical cream form, it has been known to help bruises, spider veins, and other related conditions. Vitamin K eye cream is typically used to help with under eye dark circles, which are caused by overly prominent blood capillaries which are dark purple in color. Reportedly, vitamin K cream helps to diminish their appearance.

Does it actually work?

Many people who use it do experience an improvement in their dark circles. In fact, it’s probably the most widely used treatment out there for this problem. However, it shouldn’t be looked upon as a miracle cure. Just like any product, some people will be satisfied, others won’t.  When in doubt, it’s always a good idea to ask a dermatologist or other skin care professional for advice to see if they would recommend it or not.

Also known as AHA’s, these acids are the most common ones used in skin peels. They include glycolic, mandelic, and lactic acid. But how do they benefit your skin?

They work through exfoliation. Think of it as “peeling back” the top layers of your skin which may be damaged due to acne scars, excess sun, and other lifestyle factors. In turn, the fresh new skin underneath is brought to the surface. Now that you know how it works, you can see why it’s a popular choice for everything from treating wrinkles to being a scar remover. But before you dash out the door to get your own skin peel, there’s a few important things you should know.

There are many different strengths available. The products you buy at the store, such as alpha hydroxy cream, are the least concentrated. Meanwhile, the treatments offered at dermatologist offices use the highest concentrations. However stronger doesn’t necessarily mean better. Often times, a series of at-home treatments using a lighter strength will be equally as effective as getting one strong peel at the doctor’s office.

When you buy alpha hydroxy cream at the store, the concentration is most likely 5% to 10% glycolic acid. The side effects are usually minimal when using this formulation. But the strength used by doctors can be all the way up to 50% or even 70%. When these are used, there can be intense peeling and even chemical burns. So be sure to keep this in mind before you undergo this treatment.

As we age, our faces change drastically. One of the least desired changes is the formation of dark circles under the eyes. For some people, these will be so prominent that they wonder whether or not they have a medical problem or disease.

The truth of the matter is that these dark circles are not a disease and do not pose a danger to your health. But just because they’re not dangerous, it doesn’t mean they’re not a nuisance.

So how does one go about treating these? Unfortunately the solution isn’t always easy. The cause of these dark spots are usually genetic. Excess capillaries under the eye begin to become more prominent as the delicate skin above them thins out as we age. So common sense will tell you it’s extremely important to start a skin care regimen that will help plump up this area. The best eye cream for dark circles will therefore be those that hydrate and build up the tissue.

There are also other substances which may be able to benefit you. Some people opt for a skin lightener too in order to brighten up the area. One of the most widely used ingredients for this is kojic acid. Applying kojic acid cream under the eyes may be able to help. However be careful because this skin is more sensitive to irritation is thinner, so you don’t want to use too much of it.

With so many anti aging products out there, sometimes choosing the right one can be a major challenge. With so many different brands spending big money marketing their products, how can you truly know which are best?

What I recommend is instead of looking for certain brands, you should be looking at the ingredient labels. Here are some of the ingredients you should look for which have been proven to be effective:

Hyaluronic Acid
This is something that is already found in the top layers of your skin. It stimulates the production of collagen. But as the years go by the amount you produce goes down. This is why it’s so helpful to use hyaluronic acid cream or some other skin care product which utilizes it as an active ingredient.

Retinol A
This is a derivative of vitamin A that has been found to be extremely help in treating wrinkles. Retinol A helps by promoting cell renewal. Not only can it help minimize the appearance of existing fine lines and deep wrinkles, but it can also help with the prevention of new ones.

Vitamin E
Vitamin E skin cream is a powerful weapon in the fight against aging. As you probably already know, this antioxidant is extremely important to our health. When it is used in skin care, it can also benefit you in a number of ways, too.

So keep these ingredients in mind next time you are at a store or shopping online for skin care. Sometimes the brand names will have excellent formulations. But other times, you will discover that some of the lesser known brands use these ingredients in higher strengths.

A lot of women have been scammed by expensive anti cellulite creams that don’t work. For some it’s possible they didn’t use the product long enough, results can take some time to achieve. How ever the truth is some products are just glorified skin creams.

Can you get results using a cellulite lotion? We want to believe this is true, and I think it is. You just need to know how to pick the best products.

Look at the Ingredients

The number one ingredient used in anti cellulite lotions is caffeine. If you’re considering a cream check the ingredients and you should see caffeine or coffee extract as the first or second ingredient. If it’s not that doesn’t mean don’t buy it but look into the ingredients included. It’s these ingredients that will actually reduce the look of dimples on your things so be sure you understand what they can do for you.

Consider Guarantees

It’s becoming more of a fad these days offering a money back guarantee, but in a world where consumers are getting smarter all the time merchants have to do something to build confidence in their products.

Before buying any cellulite removing cream take the time to see if they offer a guarantee. How long is it? Is it a full money back offer or is there a restocking fee? How about on used or unused portions of the cream?

Choosing the best cellulite cream comes down to be an educated consumer. Letting yourself get suckered in by a beautiful ad in a magazine or a crazy hype campaign usually spells disaster unless you know what you’re buying.

It’s a very common ingredient found in various pharmaceutical products. Chances are you’ve heard of it before. But you may not know what it is exactly and how it is used.

What is it?
This isn’t some exotic substance. In fact, you have retinol in your body right now as you read this! It’s merely a certain form of vitamin A. Normally you get this in your food through various forms. When it comes to skin care, they use they usually use the form known as retinoic acid (retinol).

The Antioxidant Antiaging Miracle?
One of the most promising benefits of retinol is its effect on wrinkles and other signs of aging such as discolored spots. You see retinol A works differently than many other treatments out there. While other creams try and merely cover-up these aging signs after they occur, retinol works to try and prevent further damage, as well as changes the way your skin works so you can improve the wrinkles you already have. It does this by making the cycle at which you grow and replace your skin cells faster.

Which Products Use It?
Because it is such an effective treatment option, there are tons of products out there which use it. However be careful, because you need to pay attention to their concentrations. What is the best retinol A cream is not always what you would think. Some of them charge a lot for a tube, but their strength is only mediocre. This is why many people go with the prescription versions which are surprisingly similar in price to the non-prescription versions. The brand Renova was the first prescription to hit the market for wrinkle treatment, but since then, there have been other versions developed which are more affordable.

Skin bleaching is a trend that has really caught on in the last fifty years, but it should be noted that even ancient cultures performed this practice. When people hear the phrase “skin whitening” or hydroquinone, many cringe in disapproval, but this is actually an important medical treatment for a number of difference diseases which discolor the skin.

Melasma
This is a condition which causes patches of skin to turn gray or tan for no apparent reason. It is more common in pregnant woman. Scientists believe what triggers this “mask of pregnancy” are the body’s hormonal changes during the process. These changes are even more out-of-whack if there have been things like hormonal therapy used in order to induce pregnancy. One of the most effective methods used to treat this has been hydroquinone cream. How it works is that it reduces the pigmentation in the skin where it is applied.

Vitiligo
This is of course the famous dermatological condition that Michael Jackson had. It’s genetic and found more often in darker skinned individuals. What will start off as one pale spot, can turn into massive patches of skin lacking pigment. If you’re African-American, the side effects are even more pronounced since you will have patches of your normal black skin, along with patches of what looks like albino white skin. Unfortunately there is no known treatment to darken that skin which has lost its pigment. In this circumstance, some people choose to use hydroquinone lotion to just “bleach” all of their skin out so it matches.

Dark Spots
These darker spots of skin can arise from any number of sources. They may be scars from old acne. They can be caused by excessive sun exposure over the years which leads to patches of hyperpigmentation. Whatever the cause, they can be extremely embarrassing, especially if they are on your face. Many dermatologists prescribe hydroquinone products for patients to apply on these spots of discolored skin.

Nowadays, there are a plethora of creams on the market which all claim to treat wrinkles. You can find them ranging in price from a couple dollars, all the way up to almost a thousand dollars just for a silly jar of cream! For the consumer, it can be a real headache deciphering which ones are hype and which ones actually work for reducing fine lines and deep wrinkles.

When choosing the one that’s best for you, there’s a few important things to consider:

Price
As mentioned, there’s a wide range of what you can pay. Generally speaking, you will probably need to pay at least $20 to $50 for the most effective products. If you really want a great one, plan on spending around $100 to $125 for one tube or bottle. Anything that costs more than that, such as the famous Crème de la Mer, is in my opinion just better marketing, not necessarily a better product.

Prescription
There are a few prescription products out there too. Most of these are a retinol-based tretinoin cream. The first few weeks you use them you do experience some ugly side effects like peeling, but after you adjust to the tretinoin, the results can be remarkable.

Over The Counter
More commonly, people go with OTC products they can get without a prescription. You can pick these up at your local corner store or you can shop for them online. What is the best over the counter wrinkle cream? Well, there are many that make the cut, but personally I like to choose retinol based products. That’s the same ingredient used in the prescriptions but the over the counter versions just use a less powerful strength.