Extreme alternatives: healthier cosmeceuticals that really work.(Innerbeauty: new strategies for vibrant living)

You can take two approaches with anti-aging cosmetics.

The first approach is the "sanding and peeling" method, which may stimulate collagen production because of the skin's response to irritation. But this technique thins the skin, destroys its lipid barrier, makes it vulnerable to sun damage and may even the out its collagen-producing fibroblasts.

The second approach--which I recommend--rebuilds the skin's integrity and defenses while stimulating collagen synthesis and skin cell regeneration without irritation. That's why you won't find information in my column on self-microdermabrasion, alpha hydroxy acid or retinol products, natural or otherwise. Instead, I want to tell you about powerfully effective, skin-friendly cosmeceuticals that don't contain the soup of synthetic emollients and perfumes that conventional products have, nor do they carry the high price tag of collagen injections.

The Superantioxidants

"We've known for a long time that topically applied antioxidants, such as beta carotene and vitamins E and C, were able to significantly reduce skin aging. But those are weak antioxidants," says Linda Miles, vice president of Derma-E Bodycare. "Superantioxidants, like pycnogenol and astaxanthin, are 50-500 times more potent than vitamin E. They're also anti-inflammatory. Pycnogenol stabilizes the capillary system to encourage it to pick up and retain fluid, and thus it can benefit under-eye puffiness as well as rosacea. Astaxanthin, perhaps the most powerful of all antioxidant anti-inflammatories, stimulates defensive skin cells to seek out and eliminate problems."

Philip Cohen, MD, ND, co-formulated Ecco Bella's new Health by Chocolate line of edible, drinkable and externally applicable skin care products as well as the company's MD Formulated line. "Dark chocolate has four times the polyphenol antioxidant content of green tea, and the same as red wine," says Cohen. "It's also rich in magnesium, which increases energy production in the cells, increases relaxation and contributes to your glow." The MD Formulated and Health by Chocolate lines are enhanced with the superantioxidants astaxanthin, lycopene, lutein and blueberry extracts.

Research by Nicolas Perricone, MD, on the trio of vitamin C ester, alpha lipoic acid and dimethylaminoethanol (DMAE) continues to have phenomenal impact on skin care formulations. His own line of Products containing that famous ingredient trio (I call it "the Perricone trio") has been emulated or built upon in several other natural formulas with features of their own. These include offerings from Derma-E, Reviva Labs, Nutra-Lift and Source Naturals. Youthful Essentials' Wrinkle Serum, for example, offers the Perricone trio along with green tea, methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) and the exciting anti-aging peptide camosine. Camosine is not only a powerful antioxidant, but it's also known as a skin healer. Most notably, it inhibits a destructive protein/sugar reaction in the body called glycation, which contributes to a number of aging factors, including collagen breakdown.