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LE Magazine January 2003
Combating Skin Aging
Going beyond antioxidants
While free radicals have been implicated
in much of the damage that occurs to aging skin, there are
other injurious factors that result in unsightly structural
and functional deterioration.
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KEEPING
THE
SKIN WELL OILED
Nourishing the skin with
topical ingredients is important, but in addition it is
essential that you feed your skin nourishing food and
drink. That means consuming lots of purified water and
minimizing ethanol intake. Aging causes a progressive
decline in our ability to internally synthesize the
essential fatty acids required by the skin to maintain a
youthful, moist appearance. Omega-3 fatty acids can make
the skin smoother, softer and look more radiant. When
skin is properly nourished, it shows less of the effects
of aging. The oral ingestion of fish, flax or perilla
oil provides abundant quantities of the omega-3 fatty
acids that are so beneficial to the health and
appearance of the skin.
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For instance, aging skin cells suffer from
metabolic imbalances that preclude them from performing
youthful repair functions. The groundbreaking work of Benjamin
S. Frank, M.D. showed that RNA improved cellular energy and
the ability of the skin's cells to use oxygen. This improved
metabolism enhances the movement of young cells to the surface
of the skin where they replace old cells.
Another benefit from topically applied RNA
is to repair early skin cell damage. Clinical trials by Dr.
S.J. Jellinek in the 1970s demonstrated how creams containing
RNA/DNA caused a visible lifting/tightening of the skin, and
the wrinkles appeared to be less visible in a three-week
period. Although the study was a small-scale study, it was
nonetheless a double blind test. Very few commercial products
provide the potency of RNA and DNA used in these studies.
Glycolic acid is a potent alpha-hydroxy
acid that has been shown to erase fine wrinkles in aging human
skin. The mechanism of action of glycolic acid is to break
down old cells at the skin's surface so they can be replaced
with more youthful cells underneath. A 22-week, double-blind,
randomized clinical trial at Massachusetts General Hospital in
74 women over age 40 showed that topically applied
alpha-glycolic acid significantly reduced wrinkling and other
types of damage caused by chronic sun exposure. An
alpha-hydroxy acid should be included as a constituent of any
anti-aging topical program.
A study in the Journal of Pharmacology
and Biophysical Research showed that ginkgo biloba
extract signals fibroblast activity in the skin to increase
the synthesis of collagen, while serving as an
anti-inflammatory agent. Topical application of gingko extract
has been found to reduce the irritation that some people
experience when using products like Retin-A and highly
concentrated fruit acid compounds.
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THE
IMPORTANCE OF MAINTAINING HEALTHY SKIN
Our skin is the largest organ in
the human body weighing approximately ten pounds and
covering an area of about 16 sq. ft. People often take
skin for granted and tend not to take optimal care of
it. Our skin is responsible for protecting our internal
organs from the toxic external world. Our skin protects
us from heat, cold and physical injuries. It also
provides us with sensory information about the nature of
the external world, and is our first defense against
invasion by bacteria, viruses and other toxic elements.
The skin is also an excretory organ, removing toxins
from the body via perspiration.
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One of the major problems of advanced
aging is the sagging of tissues caused by the destruction of
the skin's underlying support structure (primarily collagen
and elastin). While much of this structural deterioration may
be preventable by lifestyle changes and proper use of oral and
topical agents, it is difficult to reverse this unsightly
collapse of facial tissues. In a study published in Skin
Research Technologies,19 DMAE
(dimethylaminoethanol) was shown to produce a firming effect
on the skin. This mechanism may be due to the fact that DMAE
functions as a cell membrane stabilizer. Based on clinical
reports, DMAE may be the first topical agent that can help
firm sagging skin.
Keeping the skin moist
Replacing moisture lost to aging is a prime reason why
women use face creams. Most commercial face creams are
oil-based and work by blocking the release of water from the
skin.
As people grow older, however, they cannot rely on
oil-based preparations to block the release of moisture. That
is because aged skin loses the ability to attract moisture in
the first place and fundamentally becomes dehydrated. At this
point, aged skin needs to be replenished with its natural
moisturizer complex in order to attract and retain water.
The most advanced moisturizer is Ceraphyl® NGA, which functions by
reducing the excessive drying in the upper-layers of the skin.
Drs. Stig E. Friberg and David W. Osborne showed that
Ceraphyl® NGA inhibits
trans epidermal water loss by preventing the lipids (fats)
from crystallizing. This mechanism is central to preventing
dry, thin, leathery, dull, wrinkled skin. Ceraphyl® NGA also seems to increase the
effectiveness of sunscreens and enhance the receptiveness of
skin cells to antioxidants such as vitamins A, C and E.
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THYROID
FUNCTION AND SKIN APPEARANCE
People who are deficient in thyroid
hormone are often overweight, easily fatigued and
mentally depressed. Thyroid deficient individuals also
have dry, flaky, sluggish skin. A blood thyroid profile
or two-week basal temperature charting can reveal low or
borderline low thyroid function. Refer to the Thyroid
Replacement Therapy protocol at www.lef.org for
information about diagnosing and treating thyroid
deficiency.
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Hyaluronic acid helps the skin retain its youthful moisture
via a different mechanism than Ceraphyl® NGA. Hyaluronic acid maintains
the integrity of the connective tissue because it is a source
of manganese and glucosamine. Injectable hyaluronic acid may
one day replace injectable collagen, but this important
skin-preserving nutrient is available without a prescription
today in over-the-counter skin creams.
The ability of skin to hold moisture is directly related to
its NaPCA (sodium pyrolidone carboxylic acid) content. NaPCA
is one of the skin's most important natural moisturizers. Old
skin, however, contains only about half the NaPCA as young
skin. NaPCA facilitates the moistening by pulling water in out
of the air. Optimal protection against age-accelerating
dehydration is best obtained by the topical application of
NaPCA, hyaluronic acid, lactic acid, urea, Ceraphyl® NGA and squalane every day.
Delivering nutrients to the skin
A concern amongst dermatologists is whether agents that are
proven effective in fighting skin aging can be consistently
delivered to the specific layers of the skin where they are
known to induce their biological effect. The advent of
liposome delivery technology has enabled scientists to
increase the efficacy of topical anti-aging agents by
delivering them into the inner layers of the skin.
A patented liposome delivery system trademarked
QuSomes® (meaning "quick
liposomes") was discovered in late 2000. This technology
represents a substantial enhancement in conventional liposome
vehicles. QuSomes® not only
delivers active skin protecting ingredients faster into the
lower layers of the skin, but these liposomes are also
designed to protect the active ingredient from deterioration.
With the unique QuSome®
delivery system, the solubility of the active anti-aging
agents is preserved, thereby enabling them to reside longer in
the areas of the skin where they exert their greatest
biological effects.
The availability of QuSomes® enables nutrients like alpha
lipoic acid to be reliably delivered to the inner layers of
the skin. Alpha lipoic acid is a super-potent fat and
water-soluble antioxidant. What has scientists so excited
about alpha lipoic acid is its role in maintaining the health
of the mitochondria, the powerhouses of the cell itself. When
the mitochondria are metabolically compromised, skin cells
cannot perform youthful repair functions.
In addition, alpha lipoic acid helps turn off an
inflammatory messenger known as nuclear factor kappa B
(NFkB).The expression of NFkB induces inflammation at an early
stage. Factors that suppress NFkB inhibit skin damaging
inflammatory processes.20
(Editor's Note: NFk-B is a transcription factor. Transcription
factors are messengers found inside the cell, which carry
information from the cytoplasm to the nucleus. There they may
activate or inhibit the production of certain proteins or
enzymes, which then carry out a particular cell function. Such
a function might be increased inflammatory factors.)
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THE
SKIN'S TWO LAYERS
Our skin consists of two main
layers-the dermis and epidermis. The dermis is the inner
layer of skin that contains nerve fibers, fat cells,
blood vessels, sweat and oil glands, and hair follicles.
The dermis also contains collagen and elastin, two
proteins that are responsible for the structure and
elasticity of the skin itself. It is these proteins that
are subject to the process of aging. The sweat and oil
glands in the dermis protect the outer layer of skin
with a thin coating of oil and perspiration.
The epidermis is the very outer layer
of our skin. New cells generated by the dermis
continually replace this layer. Removal of the
epidermis, as in a scrape or burn, reveals an
unprotected sensitive dermis underneath.
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Another benefit to having abundant quantities of alpha
lipoic acid in the skin is its ability to regulate a
collagen-regulating factor known as AP-1. When alpha lipoic
acid activates AP-1, it turns on enzymes that digest only
glycation-damaged collagen. As we age, proteins become
glycated, resulting in the formation of non-functioning
cross-linked tissues (advanced glycated end products, AGEs).
The accumulation of these cross-links is a hallmark molecular
characteristic of visible skin aging.
QuSomes® can deliver
alpha lipoic acid deeper into the lower epidermis (top layer)
and upper dermis (lower layer) of skin. This makes alpha
lipoic acid an exciting new weapon in the battle against the
ravages of time.
Summary
Recently published findings indicate that one may have more
control over the rate at which their skin ages than any other
organ of the body.
To slow skin aging and partially reverse it, an individual
must take a comprehensive approach to gain control over all of
the factors that have been identified in the skin degeneration
process.
For many years, a debate raged in the dermatological
community as to whether topically applied anti-aging
preparations could slow skin aging. The scientific literature
now indicates that the daily application of a variety of
agents can have a profound effect on both the health and
appearance of the skin.
The next article describes the pioneering work of a medical
doctor who developed the first topical preparation that
contained ingredients that have now been shown to both protect
and restore skin that has been damaged by irradiation and/or
normal aging.
References
1. Podda M, et al. Low molecular weight
antioxidants and their role in skin ageing. Clin Exp Dermatol
2001 Oct;26(7):578-82.
2. Sander CS, et al. Photoaging is
associated with protein oxidation in human skin in vivo. J
Invest Dermatol 2002 Apr;118(4):618-25.
3. Fitzpatrick RE, et al. Double-blind,
half-face study comparing topical vitamin C and vehicle for
rejuvenation of photodamage. Dermatol Surg 2002
Mar;28(3):231-6.
4. Dreher F, et al. Protective effects of
topical antioxidants in humans. Curr Probl Dermatol
2001;29:157-64.
5. Yin L, et al. Alterations of
extracellular matrix induced by tobacco smoke extract. Arch
Dermatol Res 2000 Apr;292(4):188-94.
6. Traikovich SS. Use of topical ascorbic
acid and its effects on photodamaged skin topography. Arch
Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 1999 Oct;125(10):1091-8.
7. Darr D, et al. Effectiveness of
antioxidants (vitamin C and E) with and without sunscreens as
topical photoprotectants. Acta Derm Venereol 1996
Jul;76(4):264-8.
8. Rhie G, et al. Aging- and
photoaging-dependent changes of enzymic and nonenzymic
antioxidants in the epidermis and dermis of human skin in
vivo. J Invest Dermatol 2001 Nov;117(5):1212-7.
9. Giacomoni PU, et al. Aging of human
skin: review of a mechanistic model and first experimental
data. IUBMB Life 2000 Apr;49(4):259-63.
10. Scharffetter-Kochanek K, et al.
Photoaging of the skin from phenotype to mechanisms. Exp
Gerontol 2000 May;35(3):307-16.
11. Ridge BD, et al. The dansyl chloride
technique for stratum corneum renewal as an indicator of
changes in epidermal mitotic activity following topical
treatment. Br J Dermatol 1988 Feb;118(2):167-74.
12. Chapellier B, et al. Physiological
and retinoid-induced proliferations of epidermis basal
keratinocytes are differently controlled. EMBO J 2002 Jul
1;21(13):3402-13.
13. Koussoulakos S, et al. Effect of
vitamin A on wound epidermis during forelimb regeneration in
adult newts. Int J Dev Biol 1990 Dec;34(4):433-9.
14. Varani J, et al. Vitamin A
antagonizes decreased cell growth and elevated
collagen-degradingmatrix metalloproteinases and stimulates
collagen accumulation in naturally aged human skin. J Invest
Dermatol 2000 Mar;114(3):480-6.
15. Varani J, et al. Molecular mechanisms
of intrinsic skin aging and retinoid-induced repair and
reversal. J Investig Dermatol Symp Proc 1998
Aug;3(1):57-60.
16. Gensler HL, et al. Effects of dietary
retinyl palmitate or 13-cis-retinoic acid on the promotion of
tumors in mouse skin. Cancer Res 1987 Feb 15;47(4):967-70.
17. Abdel-Galil AM, et al. Prevention of
3-methylcholanthrene-induced skin tumors in mice by
simultaneous application of 13-cis-retinoic acid and retinyl
palmitate (vitamin A palmitate). Exp Pathol
1984;25(2):97-102.
18. Sorg O, et al. Cutaneous vitamins A
and E in the context of ultraviolet- or chemically-induced
oxidative stress. Skin Pharmacol Appl Skin Physiol 2001
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19. Uhoda I, et al. Split face study on
the cutaneous tensile effect of 2-dimethylaminoethanol
(deanol) gel. Skin Res Technol 2002 Aug;8(3):164-7.
20. Saliou C, et al. Solar
ultraviolet-induced erythema in human skin and nuclear
factor-kappa-B-dependent gene expression in keratinocytes are
modulated by a French maritime pine bark extract. Free Radic
Biol Med 2001 Jan 15;30(2):154-160.
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