5 things that make your skin feel younger - Healthy Living Association

5 things that make your skin feel younger

5 research-backed ingredients for younger skin

If you choose the right ingredients, you can turn the clock back and enjoy youthful, fresh skin again. Here are the 5 top ingredients for younger skin you should add to your daily skincare routine. Of course, keep in mind not all of these go well together, so make sure to read the packaging of your products to learn about possible reactions. Have you added them to your routine yet?

1.      Retinoids

This is a basic when it comes to healthy and younger-looking skin. Retinoids, also known as retinoic acid, are one of the most common ingredients in anti-aging treatments, but do you know how they work?

Simply put, retinoids are drugs based on vitamin-A and have been studied since the seventies. This ingredient speeds up superficial cell turnover. This means your skin regenerates faster and your cells create more collagen. For mature skin, this helps to reduce fine lines and wrinkles, fade age spots and deal with pimples [1]. In fact, after 4 months of consistent use, studies show that the depth of the dermis doubles among patients 60+ years old.

The most common retinoids are prescription-only drugs because they’re considered active ingredients. This is a powerful component that can cause irritation and excessive photosensitivity. To avoid these side effects, experts recommend using them only at night, applying sunscreen during the day and using on alternate days.

2.      Vitamin C

Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, boosts collagen production within your skin’s cells. While normal, healthy skin has plenty of Vitamin C, aging and exposure to the environment lowers those levels in the epidermis. [2]

Luckily, topical application can help restitute normal levels of Vitamin C on the skin. It’s important to note that Vitamin C topicals need to have pH levels below 4.0 to improve absorption, and human skin can only absorb a max concentration of 20%.

Vitamin C helps lower UV damage to your epidermal cells by limiting the effect free radicals have on it, and helping your skin barrier repair faster. However, since this is an acid, it’s not recommended to mix Vitamin C with other components like glycolic acid, lactic acid or salicylic acid.

3.     Niacinamide

This common ingredient in skincare is a form of vitamin b3. When you don’t have appropriate amounts of this compound on your epidermis, it can lead to skin disorders. When applied topically, niacinamide can reduce the look of acne, control free radicals (that cause aging signs) and improve overall elasticity.

As such, applying products with niacinamide reduces redness, improves collagen production and gives an overall boost to how your skin looks [3]. In general, this ingredient is great for those with a damaged skin barrier or sensitive skin, so you can apply it often without side effects.

4.     Vitamin E

Who hasn’t heard of vitamin E? this oil-based vitamin works well at decreasing cell oxidation rates. Oxidation is what happens as we age, when free radicals enter cells in our body. In turn, vitamin E captures those free radicals and protects your skin from damage.

While ingested vitamin E works exceptionally well, topical application is best if you want faster results. Using it as a serum or oil protects the epidermis from UV rays, sunburn and general oxidative stress [4]. That’s the reason why many sunscreens have it added to their formula.

Mature skin needs the added protection of vitamin E, so incorporating this ingredient to your daily routine is a must.

5.     CBD or cannabinoids

CBD is short for cannabinoids, a series of compounds derived from the processing of the Cannabis sativa plant. While these haven’t been as thoroughly studied as other ingredients in this list, their positive effect on skin health is promising

According to a recent study carried out by Italian researchers [5], CBD improved skin conditions on all tested patients on their sample. These individuals showed some of the most frequent skin disorders: psoriasis, atopic dermatitis and scar tissue. After a 3-month treatment with CBD-enriched oil, skin parameters improved significantly. This means their skin was softer, hydration barrier was stronger and the affected areas were healthier overall.

CBD works by fighting inflammation. This is a reaction your skin has when it’s subjected to pollutants, environmental stress or physiological conditions. CBD takes care of the inflammation so your body has the chance to regenerate damaged skin. Aging skin with wrinkles, dark spots and congestion, shows the same inflammatory patterns as other chronic conditions. As such, topical CBD can help fight those signs and help you achieve a youthful look.

How should you use these anti-aging ingredients?

While these compounds can be very beneficial, it’s important to use them carefully.  Like other active ingredients, sometimes they can interfere with each other. In those cases, you might not get their full benefit, but it can also increase your chances of allergies, redness and damage to your skin barrier.

To avoid any problems, you can either use these on their own on non-consecutive days, or go for a formula that combines some or all of these compounds. Many serums and night creams like this will have several active ingredients that work together without clashing with each other or causing adverse reactions. That way, you can reap the benefits of younger-looking skin without the hassle of measuring or charting application days.

References
  1. Do retinoids really reduce wrinkles? Harvard medical school. Available here.
  2. Vitamin C and Skin Health. Oregon state university. Available here.
  3. Web MD. Available here.
  4. Keen, M. A., & Hassan, I. (2016). Vitamin E in dermatology. Indian dermatology online journal, 7(4), 311–315. https://doi.org/10.4103/2229-5178.185494. Available here.
  5. Palmieri, B., Laurino, C., & Vadalà, M. (2019). A therapeutic effect of CBD-enriched ointment in inflammatory skin diseases and cutaneous scars. Clin Ter, 170(2), e93-e99.

 

2 Comments

  1. Roger Hayes

    November 11, 2020 at 7:12 pm

    What strength, how much, and how many times a day to you take CBD?????

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