Can skin care prevent aging?
Doctor Tiina Meder: “Can we slow down skin aging? If we put the why question aside for a moment, the short answer is yes, of course we can. But can we do it with skin care alone?
Can skin care alone stop aging?
The answer is still debated and many people, including doctors, think it is impossible. The general idea is that skin care cannot penetrate deeper skin layers, cannot interact with skin cells and is simply not as effective as laser, injections or surgery.
But is this really true?
Let’s debunk some of these myths.
Does skin care penetrate the skin?
Yes. And not only does it penetrate the skin, it can do so very quickly. Of course, not just any skin care can penetrate deeply, but honestly, we don’t want all our cosmetic products to do that, it would make our lives difficult. So how do we know what penetrates and how? First of all, size matters. Research has shown that any substance with a molecular weight of less than 500 Daltons can penetrate the The skin’s protective barrier can penetrate into the deeper layers. This should not really be news, since many people have probably used anti-inflammatory or analgesic creams for muscle and joint pain. Anti-inflammatory agents, such as ibuprofen and voltaren, have a small molecular size and penetrate the skin, fatty tissue and muscles to reach the surface of the joint and relieve pain there.
Some cosmetic ingredients have a similarly small molecular size, including retinol, glycolic acid, vitamin C, niacinamide (vitamin B3), panthenol, vitamin E, almost all peptides, caffeine and many others. Many plant extracts contain active molecules of very small size, for example, centella asiatica is rich in asiatic acid, which is able to penetrate into capillaries and provide capillary strengthening and restoring action. In addition, the beauty industry today uses many innovative technologies to increase the penetration of active ingredients, from delivery vehicles (liposomes, nanosomes, niosomes, microsponges, dendromers, etc.) that reach deeper layers themselves and create pathways for other ingredients of a larger size (this is how many essential oils work, for example).
Can skin care interact with skin cells?
Yes, and we are gradually gaining a better understanding of how different substances affect cells. Some agents increase the “transmissibility” of skin cells and help to transmit the necessary messages; many simply connect to cell receptors and affect them directly; and some agents belong to the class of bioidentical substances, which the skin recognizes as its own and reacts in the same way as substances produced by the body. This is the mechanism of action of, for example, niacinamide and vitamin C – with age, their amount in the skin cells decreases, but when applied to the skin, they penetrate deeply and are gratefully accepted by the skin cells without any resistance.
Can skin care be as effective as laser or surgery?
No. But the reverse is also true: laser and surgery do not have the same effect as skin care. Cosmetics can compensate for the age-related deficiency of some substances, aging delay and postpone the appearance of wrinkles. Skin care can directly influence some cell processes, helping cells metabolize oxygen as they used to do at a young age, or restoring the synthesis of collagen or hyaluronic acid, at least partially.
Laser can eliminate pigmentation in the upper layers of the skin, and skin care can prevent the synthesis of excess pigment in the deeper layers of the skin. Injections can cause local swelling that fills a fold or wrinkle, and skin care can delay its appearance or help skin cells restore the synthesis of substances that can fill that wrinkle from within.
In addition to the already known cosmetic ingredients, skin care has in recent years started to use ingredients that normalize the microbiome. Research has shown that the condition of the skin, including the way it changes with age, largely depends on the state of the microbiome, billions of microorganisms that live on the skin surface. It turns out that the body outsources many processes to them – for example, hydration is largely provided by microorganisms, rather than by skin cells. As we age, the microbiome also needs some support, and skin care can restore its ability to hydrate, protect, fight free radicals, and maintain the synthesis of essential substances.
The latest discoveries in skin care are related to the advances of genetics, namely epigenetics. Apparently, some substances applied to the skin can activate dormant genes or put some overactive genes to sleep. Some ingredients, such as teprenone, the cells of the ephemeral culture of wakame algae, and our old favorites coenzyme Q10, niacinamide and some others, can extend the active life of cells and the ability of cells to synthesize and repair substances that were thought to decrease irreversibly with age.
It is clear that skin care can help to prevent aging. It is very important to remember that the skin, as dermatologists put it, is unforgiving of negligence, lack of daily attention and, above all, damage. Even after many years, the skin can avenge its pain – this is exactly what happens with the UV effect, all the sunburns that are received in life accumulate. To keep your skin happy, you need to care for and protect it every day, it only takes a few minutes in the morning and before going to bed. Of course, your skin will appreciate a visit to a beautician at least once a month.
Regular care is essential for your skin’s health and for a naturally beautiful appearance.”
