Bare with me if you think this title sounds too "techy" for your liking - I promise you it is some of the best, yet most simple skincare advice I will give you.
I am a huge fan of the expression "prevention is better than cure", and I think it rings true for most things in life. And, to be frank, if you don't look after the fundamentals, spending £200 on a serum is completely pointless.
Before I dive in and share these 5 simple wonders - what do I mean by future-proofing my skin? Essentially, I mean maintaining youthful skin quality for as long as possible and not accelerating the ageing process. This can be done through lifestyle & topical treatments, I will share with you a mixture of both. You will see everything links back to collagen & elastin - our lovely structural proteins which keep skin firm, plump and generally looking youthful + wrinkle-free.
Number 1 - SPF
If you have been following me on my Instagram (@biochemsitbeauty), you know that every 5 minutes I praise the SPF lords. Wearing sunscreen regularly, even on the gloomy days, is one of the best ways to future proof your skin. You see, UV rays are accountable for 80% of the signs of visible ageing for caucasian skin, which is a crazy statistic. I have linked the PubMed study for this down below, but for now, I rest my case.
Number 2 - Diet
There are several aspects to diet, but I am going to briefly touch on 3 main ones here - a more comprehensive blog post on this will come soon, so keep your eyes peeled for that.
Antioxidants, Polyphenols & Vitamin C
Making sure you have a diet full of a variety of fruits and vegetables ensures that you get adequate amounts of the above. Extra bonus points if you go for organic, in-season & locally grown. Antioxidants combat free radicals which break down collagen and generally damage our cells. Think of antioxidants as being little skin warriors. Vitamin C, as well as being an antioxidant, helps boost collagen production. Polyphenols on the other hand, which are also antioxidants, can help repair damaged DNA, are anti-inflammatory.
Limiting Sugar & Refined Carbs
We all know sugar isn’t great for us, particularly our waistlines. But, regarding our skin, sugar in the bloodstream leads to advanced glycation end (AGE) products, which damage your collagen & elastin.
For the sciencey bit: sugars will covalently cross-link two collagen fibres, making them stiff and brittle and very difficult to repair.
Fasting
Although fasting is not something I currently practice, it is an area that has some interesting and exciting links to skin health, although more studies do need to be done on humans. The results so far show that fasting can help with inflammatory skin conditions such as acne and rosacea. I have linked some papers below if you would like to do some further reading.
Number 3 - Retinoic Acid
Retinoic acid is hailed as one of the best skincare ingredients and I don't know a single Dermatologist that doesn't use it (unless they are pregnant/trying). When applied topically, retinoic acid or its precursor all trans retinol, increases collagen production (types 1 & 3), and increases epidermal thickness. Photo analysis has shown a significant reduction in wrinkles after 12 weeks - pretty cool in my opinion. Retinoic acid/retinol also increases cell turnover which keeps your skin looking fresh, and helps with acne if that is one of your concerns.
Number 4 - Sleep
I, like most people, suck at getting to bed at a reasonable hour, but I am working on it. Sleep is crucial for skin health - it is when our cells go into “repair mode” and produce that vital collagen to keep our skin plump and not sagging. Blood flow is also boosted to the skin while we sleep, which is why you look like an ashy zombie if you're only running off a few hours.
Number 5 - Stress
Again, hard to avoid stress in our crazy modern lives - but managing stress can hugely benefit your skin. When we are stressed, our bodies produce cortisol; our “stress” hormone, which breaks down collagen & elastin. Chronic stress is also linked to inflammation as well as insulin resistance, which increases blood sugar levels and links back to my point on diet and sugar - basically just a vicious circle.
The key here is managing your stress - whether you like to unwind with yoga, getting lost in a book or going for a walk, calming the (sympathetic) nervous system is important.
So stay zen, eat your kale and sleep like a panda, is basically the end message.
In all seriousness, I hope you enjoyed the post and learnt something new - please comment down below if you have any questions and what you thought of this post and I will be in touch soon for the next one!
Lots of Love,
Madeleine
References:
POLYPHENOLS & SKIN: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3288507/
UV RAYS & AGEING: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3790843/
STRESS & SKIN: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25808947/
STRESS & SKIN: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25906193/
SLEEP & SKIN: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25266053/
DIET & SKIN: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30500532/
DIET & SKIN: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31039233/
RETINOIC ACID & SKIN: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26578346/