Mary Jessen: Wellness Makes Cents

Maintaining Youthful Skin: Internal and External Approaches to Skin Aging

Oh dear! I’m beginning to notice lines on my face! I’m getting old!

What’s all the fuss about Hyaluronic Acid? Should I look into it? Does it really make a difference to the texture and aging of my skin? Will it help? How can I control aging of my skin, my face especially!

As we age our skin visibly changes in several ways. Our inner body is also aging is inside and we are unaware of it. Our skin is our first visible sign of aging. I like to think it is “Mother Nature’s Signal” to pay attention to needs that may be not satisfied daily.

We like to think nutrition as a weekly need. Reflection of all the fruits and veggies of the week is not enough to satisfy daily needs. Somehow we have lost the point that our body has DAILY needs. We think in terms of weekly points or calories. It should be in DAILY Recommended Values of Nutrition. (When we focus the fruits and veggies quotas, we will find ourselves more satisfied. Nutrient satisfaction with natural fibers, creates satisfaction long after meals.

Good nutritionally solid foods can relieve skin aging in five ways:

1. Nutrition is closely related to skin health. Daily nutrition needs are required for all biological processes of the skin from youth to aging.
2. Water is a vital need for healthy skin. Water in the body serves as: nutrient, solvent, transportation carrier, maintains body volume, and regulates our body’s temperature. Studies show that drinking more than 2 L of water per day positively affects our skin’s health. Proper water intake promotes deep hydration.
3. Nutrients: iron, iodine, zinc, copper and other trace minerals are related to skin immunity and inflammation. Our body and our skin’s needs include trace minerals daily.
4. Vitamin deficiency affects skin health. The lack of vitamins in your body can cause skin disorders.
5. Proteins also play an important part. Their function is to construct and repair tissues, and supply energy. Are you getting the proper amount of protein Each and Every day? This amounts to
   • Protein requirements by age:
     • Babies need about 10 grams a day.
     • School-age kids need 19-34 grams a day.
     • Teens assigned male at birth need up to 52 grams a day.
     • Teens assigned female at birth need 46 grams a day.
     • Adults assigned male at birth need about 56 grams a day. You notice we need to increase our protein amounts as we age.

What foods will help my skin stay “youthful?”

1. Healthy fats: Extra virgin oil is one of the healthiest oil. It is rich in healthy fats and antioxidants that reduce inflammation and oxidative stress. (Oxidative stress happens when there is an imbalance of free radicals within the skin cell.)
2. Green Tea, which is high in anti-oxidants, help stabilize the cell. Anti-oxidants will not allow intrusion or formation of free radicals.
3. Fatty Fish: salmon which can help improve skin elasticity and hydration is an example.
4. Dark Chocolate: (Here be certain it is pure dark chocolate, not milk chocolate. Choose a variety that is 70% cocoa solids.) Dark chocolate is rich in anti-oxidants and flavanols which help with overall skin health.
5. Vegetables. (You knew I’d get to these!) Vegetables carry anti-oxidants, but also many carry carotenoids which can help protect the skin against the sun’s UV rays. You still need an SPF sunblock.
6. Flaxseeds: They are high in omega-3 and lignans, which also help fight against free radicals. These support your skin membrane and structure.
7. Pomegranates: Anti-oxidant rich pomegranates may help with skin repair and protect the skin against sun-related damage. Most fruits are high in these anti-oxidants and should be a part of your daily diet. Try to incorporate it raw and not as a drink.
8. Avacados. Great dip and rich in heart-healthy fats: monounsaturated fats and anti-oxidants. These help support a healthy skin membrane They also help prevent free radical damage that can lead to aging.
9. Tomatoes. High in lycopene. Lycopene protects your skin, with some minor protection from the sun’s UV rays. Add a tomato to your salad or in your sandwich.
10. Collagen peptides. Collagen is the most abundant protein. As we age, our body begins to break down collagen. It begins to produce less of it. This can lead to the signs of skin aging such as wrinkles, and sagging skin. Consuming collagen peptides may improve skin elasticity, moisture, firmness while reducing wrinkles.

What it comes down to: you are what you eat! Your diet can cause skin aging or it can improve it. This is a long-term process. Start early. Don’t expect big changes when you hit 60.

The combination of oral supplements for anti-oxidants and diet are needed to work hand-in-hand for healthy skin. Improvement of the health of your skin does not happen over-night. It is an on-going process. Begin your day with a daily multiple vitamin and mineral supplement. Multi-vitamins and minerals become more important over the age of 30.

Vitamin supplements:

Many vitamins claim to have anti-oxidant properties. Retinoids are the most common anti-aging supplement to treat and prevent photo-aging of the skin. They can be ingested or applied topically.

Vitamin C is a powerful anti-oxidant. Its’ concentration in the skin is most related to skin’s biological functions. This vitamin is involved with collagen in your skin.

Vitamin D can reduce DNA damage, inflammation and photo-aging process caused by ultra-violet rays. It can protect the skin.

Vitamin E and C in combination help protect against chemical assaults and UV-induced irritation and damage.

Co-enzyme Q10 can also help with anti-aging.

Last, I have to emphasize a daily multiple vitamin/mineral supplement. Many vitamins will work only in synergy with another. Always start with a good multiple supplement. Our bodies need Daily Amounts of vitamins and minerals. Sometimes this is hard to eat. Thus the daily multiple is your best friend against skin aging (that and staying out of the sun or smoke.)

As we age, our skin becomes:

The National Institute of Health defines: ‘Skin aging is a multi-process. It consists of two distinct and independent mechanisms.

The first is intrinsic, which happens naturally internally. It happens due to hormonal changes. The deficiency of estrogen and androgens (male) results in collagen degradation. It also causes dryness, loss of elasticity, and wrinkling of the skin. With menopause comes aging skin.

The second is extrinsic, which is not part of natural aging and is a result of external factors. Premature aging is usually associated with external skin damage. Environmental factors include sun exposure, smoking, and air pollution and photoaging from the sun. Always use Sun Protection on children as the damage goes deep within skin layers.

Signs of aging skin:

1. Rough, dry, and itchy.
2. Slack due to the loss of elasticity (through loss of collagen and elastin). With this loss of elasticity, our skin will begin to lose its firmness and sag.
3. Transparency: This is the thinning of the top layer of our skin (epidermis) and the layer under that (dermis). We notice our veins pop out. We can watch our tendons in our hands move. We bruise more easily. And sometimes it takes longer for the bruise to disappear.
4. We may develop skin lesions. These are non-cancerous (benign) tumors. All part of aging.
5. We will notice skin aging in our face, besides in our hands. There is a loss of fat below the skin. It is noticeable around the wrinkles or sagging around the eyes (first), temples, chin and nose areas. .
6. Gravity also plays a role in aging skin. It can even affect our ear lobes!
7. Your sleeping position can affect your facial muscles. This is a result of the head positioned on your pillow night after night. This happens as your skin loses elasticity. (I noticed it on my face, after shoulder surgery. I could only sleep on one side! And yes, that side has more lines!)
8. We all know not to smoke. It is believed that the smoke interfers with blood flow to the skin. Also stay away from second-hand smoke.
9. About 85% of older people develop “winter itch.” This is due to dry-overheated-indoor-air. The loss of sweat and oil glands can worsen dry skin. Overuse of soaps, antiperspirants, perfumes, Hot baths or showers all contribute to dry skin. Conditioned water due to “hard water” leaves a drying saline deposit on the skin. Water without conditioning can also harm the skin with dry natural minerals. You might want to consider a Humidifier in the winter-heating months.
10. Being out in the sun without UV protection can also damage certain fibers in the skin called elastin. (Elastin helps your skin maintain it’s shape.) Nothing can undo sun damage. Remember to reapply sun protection lotion every two hours. This cannot be stressed enough. UV sun damage cannot be undone.

Daily external injury, (extrinsic), in addition to the normal process of aging, causes loss of moisture. The key molecule involved in skin moisture is hyaluronic acid (HA) that has unique capacity in retaining water. Hylauronic Acid is present in our skin. Our body lessens its production as we age.

Hylauronic Acid

Hyaluronic Acid is a humectant. It is a substance that retains moisture. It is capable of binding over one thousand times its weight in water. This substance is naturally found in many areas of the human body. It is found in the skin, eyes, and synovial fluid of the joints.

HA is a polymer that gives space for other molecules to hitch a ride on. It can deliver medications in your body. It acts like a scaffold structure, helping tissues to grow. HA is key to wound healing in your body. HA is truly a versatile molecule.

As we age, the production of key substances in the skin, including hyaluronic acid (along with collagen and elastin) decreases. As a result, our skin loses volume, hydration, and plumpness.

How to use Hylauronic Acid:

Applying Hyaluronic Acid topically is one way to replenish your skin. Topical hyaluronic acid is only absorbed within the top two layers of your skin. It needs to be replenished often. Hyaluronic acid has two molecular forms. A large molecule cannot penetrate the skin. A smaller molecule can penetrate deeper. For maximum benefit look for a product with HA molecules in a variety of sizes.

“A high molecular weight hyaluronic acid is more likely to create a film on the skin surface. It won’t penetrate deeply into the skin. Its effect may not last as long as that of a lower molecular weight acid.” (1) (This may help you decide if the store product is worth your money.)

Hyaluronic Acid helps your joints move smoothly. It prevents pain and injury from bones rubbing against each other. It is Very good at retaining moisture. A quarter tsp of hyaluronic acid can hold about one and half gallons of water.
HA is often used for dry eyes; also used in moisturizers, creams, lotions, ointments, and serums.

Hyaluronic Acid helps your skin stretch and flex. It can reduce wrinkles. It also helps wounds heal faster.

Oddly enough Hyaluronic Acid can be taken by mouth in dietary supplements and pills. It is available in some eye drops for dry eyes. It is common used for vaginal dryness, especially for women in menopause. And it is available in topical products to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines.

It can be used by injection too. It benefits arthritis, acne scars, lip fillers, inhalers, nebulizers, and even in your nose.

Topical Hyaluronic Acid is worthy of the hype. Be aware that topical has it’s limitations to the top two layers of your skin. If you want deeper help, you must turn to your doctor for injectable HA.

I love the moisturizing benefits of Hyaluronic Acid and can notice quite quickly the response on my skin. But it is fleeting and does wear off as HA topical does not penetrate very deep. I do recommend it for use on your skin.

Find a good source of Hylauronic Acid. Do your homework.

Find a good source for a pure product. As with many over the counter creams, lotions, and serums, there is a wide difference of the ingredient.

As I have said before, I choose Shaklee Skin Care due to its science and commitment to Purity of Product.

REFERENCES:

(1) https://www.healthline.com/health/beauty-skin-care/how-to-use-hyaluronic-acid#quality-varies

Harvard Medical School https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/the-hype-on-hyaluronic-acid-2020012318653

National Center for Biotechnology Information: //https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7146365/

Medical https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/318652

Eating Well: ttps://www.eatingwell.com/article/84789/anti-aging-foods-for-your-skin/

Nursing Times.net: anatomy and physiology of aging ( 27-11-2017)

Web Med: https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-1062/hyaluronic-acid

Cleveland Clinic: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/22915-hyaluronic-acid