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Smoothed Grooves Camocare firms up the lines of time By Dara Colwell If, like me, you want your wrinkles to disappear and still be able to chew on a good steak (unlike plastic-surgery icon Cher, whose heart of stone has seemingly immobilized her face), then Camocare's skin-firming system is the way to do it. Available at drug and health food stores, the chamomile-rich cream contains vitamin C, which helps firm the skin while the Camillosan chamomile smooths those "but he never called!" anxiety grooves away. The use of chamomile dates back 2,000 years to Egypt, where women crushed the petals of the flower to beautify and protect their skin against the desert's harsh weather. Camocare skin-firming lotion, which comes in day and night creams, smells like a good yeasty baked bread--and, of course, spreads more easily. It's a welcome, natural-smelling aroma. It works like this: Because vitamin C oxidizes on contact with air, water, heat and light, it tends to degrade quickly. Most creams containing vitamin C don't maintain their potency, but Camocare's Ester-C Topical is a stable formula that penetrates deep into the skin. This "proven penetration" (verbatim on their website with, surprisingly, no accompanying porno pictures) encourages firm skin. Camocare also carries a number of natural skin-care products that work to make fine lines disappear. There are cleansers, toners, a revitalizing mask, eye-therapy creams and moisturizers--all providing antioxidant protection against the visible signs of aging. One of Camocare's active ingredients, alpha liptene, is one of the strongest antioxidants around. Beauty column or no beauty column, I would have to honestly say the products work wonders. Initially, I didn't believe it. I managed to pass once for 18--no lying or exaggerating involved, at least on my part--and my delight at having smooth, youthful skin remains unsurpassed. And it saves on the face surgery. [ San Francisco | MetroActive Central | Archives ]