A Guide to Skincare
Interestingly your skin is your body's largest organ. It is crucial for survival. It senses the world around you, contains and defends your internal organs and is your first line of defence against harmful organisms, environmental pollutants and damaging UV radiation. The damage the skin endures fulfilling these vital roles can lead to premature ageing and thus impact the skin’s ability to fulfil these roles both at a local level as well impacting the entire body.
The skin is composed of three layers: the constantly regenerating outer waterproof epidermis, the underlying dermis packed with collagen and elastin fibres and the underlying subcutis comprised of fat and connective tissue filled with cavities, and the newly recognised interstitium, which are fluid filled interconnected spaces supported by collagen and filled with lymph that drains into lymph nodes and may be important during inflammation, tissue repair and cancer spread.
Once these layers are damaged they signal their distress by pumping out inflammatory proteins which over time leads to a buildup of chemicals which spread through dermal blood vessels to other vital organs which damage and prematurely age them. This process is called inflammageing.
Accelerated Aging: as we get older, our skin loses collagen, water and fat making it more fragile
Worse still, many cells enter a state of senescence, hovering on the brink of death like a Zombie, spilling out large quantities of inflammatory chemicals elevating the risk and accelerating the development of age-related conditions like diabetes, heart disease and dementia as well as premature ageing. Studies show that if someone’s face looks older than their actual age they are at greater risk of developing cataracts, osteoporosis, arthritis, muscle loss, hearing loss as well as cognitive impairment.
Drugs to clear zombie like senescent cells or to reduce the production of their potent pro inflammatory cocktail are under investigation. Changing your lifestyle can give your skin the care it needs to ensure it will keep looking after you.
Ultraviolet’s radiation, exhaust fumes, cigarette smoke, particulate pollution, heavy metals and ozone generate reactive oxygen species(free radicals) that attack DNA, rupture cell membranes and degrade essential proteins. To protect you skin from this daily assault your skin needs anti-oxidants to mop up these free radicals.
Ultraviolet light is by far the most damaging with the predominant UVA light penetrating the deepest layer of the skin generating reactive oxygen species( free radicals) that cause skin ageing, wrinkling and cancers. Daily use of broad spectrum (reflects your protection against the year round deeply penetrating UVA rays) high SPF( determines your protection against UVB rays) tinted (helps protects against visible and infrared light which may be an important ray in causing pigmentation in prone individuals) is the single most important thing you can do to protect yourself against premature aging, skin cancer and pigmentation
The skin can mop up the damaging free radicals and neutralise them but it needs molecules found in cosmeceuticals and in our daily diet particularly fruit, vegetables and leafy greens.
Antioxidants for the skin
The choice of products promising to slow or reverse ageing can be overwhelming. But should you choose the one containing retinol or ceramide, enriched with green tea extract, marine collagen or pentapeptides?
Keep it simple.
If you don’t have time for anything else a cleanser, moisturizer and sunscreen will cover about 90% of what the skin needs on a day-to-day basis. Although it is good to cleanse twice a day, doing so in the evening is more important to remove the buildup of sweat, oil, pollutants, sunscreen and make-up as the breakdown of these chemicals can cause a stress response in the skin so it’s important to remove these. A soap free gentle cream cleanser is ideal.
The big 4 active ingredients
Deciphering claims about ingredients can be tricky.
The big 4 to focus on are retinoids( vitamin A ), vitamin C, niacinamide( vitamin B) and alpha hydroxyacids (AHA)
Retinoids
Retinoids regulates new cell production, boost collagen production, encourage cell turnover leading to the shedding of old cells, evens skin tone by reducing dark spots by inhibiting the enzyme that makes melanin, puts the break on chemicals that cause collagen breakdown, reduces oil and helps to restore cells damaged by ultraviolet rays and enhances hyaluronic acid production( which are the water sponges of the skin) resulting in healthier, firmer and glowing skin.
Retinoids include a form of vitamin A called all-trans retinoic acid( tretinoin) which isa prescription only medication. This is the only cosmetic ingredient for which claims of reduction in wrinkles, sallowness and hyperpigmentation are supported by evidence from randomized clinical trials, the gold standard approach for medical matters rather than the lab-based studies or small poorly controlled trials of other antioxidant. Tretinoin can takes 3 to 6 months of regular use to work and can cause skin peeling and irritation so it’s not suitable for everyone. Gentler alternatives include retinal and retinol which are converted into retinoic acid in the skin and tend to be less irritating.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is a great antioxidant especially in the morning as it protects the skin from oxidative damage due to environmental stresses from UV exposure and pollution, reduces uneven pigmentation, brightening the skin . L ascorbic acid is unstable in water, light and air so products containing it need to be kept in a dark cupboard and not stored for long. It can also irritate sensitive skin making vitamin C derivatives such as sodium ascorbyl phosphate or ascorbyl glucoside a better option for most. Vitamin C is often combined with Vitamin E
Niacinamide (Vitamin B)
Vitamin B is known as the skin's multitasker. It is a powerful antioxidant that mops up free radicals, it reduces pigmentation and uneven skin tone, helps regulate oil production so is good for acne sufferers, supports the skin's immunity by boosting proteins to aid with skin's natural defences, strengthens the skins ‘s ability to act as a barrier and reduces inflammation so is good for acne, rosacea sufferers and those with sensitive skin. It increases the production of ceramides( natural oils) in our skin making our skin look luminous.
Alphahydroxyacids( AHA)
As we age the skin turnover and shedding of dead skin cells decreases. AHA’s increase the rate of skin turnover and shedding thus improving fine lines, pigmentation and its overall appearance. AHA include glycolic acid, lactic acid and mandelic acid.