Over time, your skin begins to show the signs of both internal and external influences, with the eventual result of skin that appears damaged or aged. Fine lines, wrinkles, creases, appear and eventually grow larger, as well as pigmentation problems such as age spots or other discolorations of the skin. Without the benefit of corrective skin therapy, these conditions will continue to grow worse. There is still hope, though! Happily, there are professional skincare products available that can help to counteract or reverse these problems, and help to restore skin to a younger, healthier appearance. Before we get to that, we must address some of the factors affecting sun damage and aging skin, as well as taking an inventory of the most common negative results that these factors can trigger. Once we have an understanding of these factors, we can look at how modern professional skin health products can work to reverse these factors and rejuvenate the skin.

Obviously, the passage of time is one of the primary factors of deterioration of the skin's appearance, but there are many factors that can cause premature aging of the skin, giving rise to a situation where your skin appears to be much older than your actual age. Some of the causes of this premature skin aging include: Sun damage (or "photo-aging"); stress; environmental factors such as air pollution (including cigarette smoke); extremes of dry or humid weather; self-induced environmental factors such as smoking or these use of irritating skin products including makeup, cosmetics or lotions or the use of harsh soaps. Along with these external factors, internal aging affects the growth of new skin cells; as the slowdown in the growth of new skin cells occurs, the appearance of these signs of aging is accelerated.

Other factors, such as the loss of fatty tissue under the skin can leave skin lax or sagging or excessive or frequent facial expressions can lead to permanent lines or wrinkles ("laugh lines" or "frown lines") can have further negative effect on the skin. Sun exposure is almost invariably a leading factor in damage to the skin however wind and air pollution are also risks associated with the external environment. The effects of this combination is obvious when you examine the skin of someone who spends a great deal of time working outdoors in the elements, they have dry, leathery and creased skin at a very early age. In most cases, damaged skin is the result of a combination of several (or many) of these causes working together on the patient's skin to produce damaged skin that may suffer from a variety of common skin problems that are often lumped together under the description of age spots, aging skin and so forth.

The results of these factors are a combination of problems that are routinely lumped together due to their common causes: fine lines, wrinkles, dark spots, "sun spots" or "age spots" (also known as melasma in medical terms) as well as poor skin or uneven skin tone. Additionally, other changes in skin texture can occur, including thin, dry skin with less elastic quality due to loss of the skins natural ability to hydrate itself. Having established some of the factors that lead to premature skin aging, what can be done about it? Obviously, limiting exposure to some of the external risk factors such as sun and element exposure is one of the key ways to minimize skin damage; however there are also ways to help reduce the skin's internal aging process as well! Professional skincare products such as the Obagi Nu-Derm system and other similar products can actually help counteract and offset the natural aging process, leading to skin with a younger, healthier appearance, as well as a reduction in pigmentation to help get rid of age spots or brown spots on the skin. The skin layers become thicker better hydrated and more like younger skin both in appearance and in the actual physical skin structures.

The Obagi Nu-Derm products have a proven history in correcting skin problems; products like Obagi Gentle Cleanser and Obagi Sunfader (among others) have been helping people correct skin issues for nearly twenty years. Today, Obagi has a presence in over 35 countries worldwide, with a proven track record in helping to correct some of the most common adult skin disorders and to improve the appearance of the skin. These topical products can be applied at home and over the course of a few weeks can lead to dramatic skin improvement through their steps of Prepare, Improve, Stimulate, Protect and Control. Let's examine each of these steps in detail: The "Prepare" step is used to cleanse the skin and make it ready for the treatment products.

This step consists of Obagi Gentle Cleanser (for normal / dry skin) or Foaming Gel Cleanser (for normal / oily skin) to remove impurities, make-up, excess oils, and dead skin cells. The soap-free cleanser s is followed by the use of Obagi Toner to tone and refresh the skin and restore the skin's pH balance. The "Improve" step utilizes Obagi Clear and/or Obagi Exfoderm. Obagi Clear contains 4% hydroquinone, and is essential to improve uneven skin color and age spots. For some people with normal to oily skin types, Obagi Exforderm or Exfoderm Forte may be used in order to help exfoliate dead skin cells and improve the penetration of the other Obagi products. The "Stimulate" step is a combination of Obagi Blender and prescription Tretinoin Cream used together to stimulate skin cell renewal and helps to even skin color and improve skin's overall health.

The "Protect" step refers to the application of one of Obagi' sun protection products: Obagi Sunfader SPF 15 with hydroquinone, Obagi Physical UV Block SPF 32 or Obagi Healthy Skin Protection SPF 35. By protecting the skin again sun damage, these products can help protect against sun-related premature aging and ultraviolet damage to the skin. The "Control" step is accomplished through the use of complimentary Obagi moisturizing products, including Obagi Eye Cream for the sensitive eye area, Obagi Action, a moisturizing cream, or Obagi Tolereen with hydrocortisone for the temporary relief of the itching or burning sensations associated with minor skin irritations. The combination of these Obagi products, used as directed by the appropriate skin care professional helps to rejuvenate the skin layers and restore skin to a healthier state.

The appearance of the skin is smoothed and wrinkles have a diminished appearance. Pigmentation and discoloration is reduced and made more even to minimize the appearance of freckles and age spots. The deepest layers of the skin become more uniform. The Obagi Nu-Derm system helps to increase collagen and elastin, for more elastic and firmer skin. All of these actions help to give skin a more supple, hydrated and youthful look and feel, creating healthier skin from the inside.

Now, you no longer have to settle for damaged or old-looking skin. Fine lines, wrinkles, creases as well as pigmentation problems such as age spots or other discolorations can be dramatically improved through the use of professional strength corrective skin therapy, such as the Obagi Nu-Derm system. These professional anti-aging products can help to counteract or reverse these problems, and help to restore skin to a younger, healthier appearance. Additionally, you can also change the environmental factors such as sun exposure. With the help of your skin health professional, you can make progress to reverse the negative influences and rejuvenate your skin.

Ray Socram has over a decade of experience, having worked as the office manager of a private plastic surgery clinic and as a customer service agent at www.BestSkinShop.com. For more information about anti-aging and sun damaged skin solutions, visit Best Skin Shop: www.BestSkinShop.com or send email to shop@bestskinshop.com