Vitamin D supplements are very effective at making up for a lack of sunlight. My parents got tested for vitamin D levels and they were off the charts. They have since stepped down from 5,000 IU to 1,000 IU daily. Enjoy the shade not the sun! 
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Our skin biological age calculations include a full-body, 60+ point measurement system using Merz, Visia, and autofluorescence imaging. The April 2021 biological age score is an approximation because the full suite of measurements were not yet completed
“Mesotherapy with Hyaron Video” After watching this video I say nope, not today! I think I’ll pass on this particular process. Of course, I’m not a doctor. So, I don’t really know if this process is safe or not. The thought of infection comes to mind, but “What do I know since I’m not a doctor?”
You are right about infection. It’s easy to get it if you are not familiar with the rules of aseptics and antiseptics. This procedure is not for everybody, even though technically it’s very easy to do. I do it on myself for many years because I did have formal training in injections. I never had any infections or even bruises.
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From a practical standpoint, how do you do this? Is there some way to limit this via a functional “stopper”, or bevel adjustment on the needle? Also - I know nothing about needles. When you say you use these needles: Micro-Injection, Needles 30G/0,30x13mm, 100pcs. | 30G | Needles | Mesoram Shop (USA)
Is there some sort of attachment that these needles plug into? What additional thing do you need (if any) to do what you’re doing?
I just watched the video above on mesotherapy… have to say, from perhaps the typical guy’s viewpoint this stuff looks pretty over the top (needles in the face just seem like something that could go horribly wrong… but I’m sure I’m over-reacting as I’m not much of a fan of needles in general).
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An interesting paper, related to this general thread topic:
Benefits of topical hyaluronic acid for skin quality and signs of skin aging: From literature review to clinical evidence
Skin aging goes beyond a chronological process and also results from extrinsic factors referred to as the exposome. Hyaluronic acid (HA) is an important component of the extracellular matrix, with loss starting at 25 years old. While many studies of HA concern topical use, few literature reviews only address the use of topical HA in dermatology. This review describes the different characteristics of HA-containing cosmeceuticals, with a focus on skin aging and the impact of exposome factors on HA synthesis and degradation. A review was performed using the terms HA, hyaluronan, topical, dermatology, cosmetic, aging treatment, exposome, and cosmeceuticals. Results are also presented from a recent randomized controlled trial (RCT), which investigated the additional benefit of using a HA epidermic filler (HA-filler serum) combined with Botulinum toxin type A (BoNTA) to treat signs of skin aging. Subjects were randomized to two groups: HA-filler serum starting 24 h after the BoNTA injection then twice daily for 24 weeks, or the control group, which received BoNTA. HA is a key ingredient used in cosmeceuticals for its hydration/antiaging properties (hygroscopic, rheological, and viscoelastic). Several clinical studies indicate that HA is both well tolerated and effective, adjuvant to both post-surgical and facial rejuvenation procedures. In the RCT, one of few studies to combine BoNTA and HA with a 6-month follow-up, the HA-filler serum lengthened the duration of BoNTA’s effect in reducing wrinkles. Numerous studies support HA-based cosmeceuticals as a noninvasive, effective solution for improving skin hydration and rejuvenation.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/dth.15903
From here: Chris Pollyanna's October, 2022 Longevity Review Newsletter
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Lara,
In the MesoTherapy video I linked to above the woman mentions the “EZ mesotherapy gun” - do you know anything about them and if they are generally a good idea. The seem to make the process easier for people, and perhaps a little less scary.
Also - it seems some people use multi-needle heads, do you have an opinion on the benefits or not of that approach?
And, after poking around on youtube a bit on this topic, I’ve quickly come to realize that women seem to be way ahead of men on the whole area of biohacking. It seems that beauty / skin biohacking (if youtube videos are any indication) is already a huge and growing market. Taking rapamycin seems like a pretty minor biohack (to me) compared to all this skin / injection stuff.
I think most of us are here because we want to stop and even reverse again, not hide some of its cosmetic effect
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Absolutely true - the core mission has to be (in my view) slowing the fundamental pathways / hallmarks of biological aging. But I also think that culturally women have had more of a focus on visible signs of aging, than men. Additionally, if you are (or think you are) addressing the fundamental hallmarks/biology of aging, then a natural next step (for some people at least) is to desire to have the visible appearance of aging mitigated also.
Its interesting, but I’m amazed at the number of times I see comments on the appearance of different “longevity leaders” as being a key indicator of the relative merits of what they are “promoting” or discussing. If they think the person looks older than their biological age, they disregard the advice or protocols, if the person looks younger than their biological age, then they pay extra attention to the advice and protocol. Though of course, the appearance of a person (from an aging perspective) has very little to do with the biological age of the person. Lots of Hollywood stars look young for their age, but I doubt their longevity biomarkers are doing so well. I’m much more interested in the bloodwork / biomarkers of the person, but people go for the simple proxy of appearance (as I guess humans have done for the past 1,000 generations of the species).
I think part of David Sinclair’s success is because he “looks” younger than his biological age. Of course, who knows what skin protocol he uses (or if he uses the Rivertown formula for his head to keep the gray hair at bay)…
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I have made topical hyaluronic acid serum and found it quite easy to do so. The confusing part was figuring out the molecular weight of the products sold on the Internet. This is important given the information from your Wiley article - “HMW-HA has very limited permeability through the skin and primarily stays on the skin’s surface, forming a thin protective hydration layer, while LMW-HA can permeate the stratum corneum, epidermis, and deeper dermal layers”
A recent purchase of HA showed that the HA was sourced as Sodium Hyaluronate. I did some research on this and cosmetically Sodium Hyaluronate will generally have a lower molecular weight. That weight can vary though A recent HA purchase on Amazon had the manufacturer reply to a question on molecular weight by the following:
Q: What is this made from and what is the molecular weight?
A: Pure Organic Ingredients Hyaluronic Acid is plant-based. While the exact molecular weight can vary depending on the batch. Our current batch has a molecular weight of 776.651 g/mol.
I have seen responses from other manufacturers that molecular weight is determined after the batch is made. Getting a real low MW HA product is probably more costly.
That said, your review article shows that in some experiments, a range of “low” molecular weights are effective. Low being relative to high. (Low being less than 1.000.00 and High being greater than 1.800.000)
I also add ascorbic acid powder (vit c) to the serum I make. It helps deliver higher concentrations in the skin applied topically and is essential to collagen production. (Keep the solution well sealed and out of the sunlight as vit c is highly unstable and will yellow.
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Needle is connected to a sterile syringe. Syringes are sold separately. You can also buy an injection gun. It has a setting for injection depth. It’s an expensive tool though and you’ll have to learn how to use it. I don’t use them. I recommend using a single syringe (3-5 ml). If you use a 4mm needle, insert only the half into skin, which will measure 2 mm. 1mm is a good depth to start. Try to do it on your hand at first. Use alcohol preps to disinfect. If there’s little blood, press on it with alcohol prep for 10-15 sec. May be one day I’ll make a short tutorial video.
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Multi-needle heads leak a lot of product. It’s a handy tool (gun + multi-needle head). It is great for a professional technician who does it all day long on many people. It saves time. For applications on yourself (once a month or so) it’s not practical. It’s much easier to use a single 3-5 ml syringe with a 4-6 mm needle.
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Thanks! As I read about this “mesotherapy” approach I realize that really its just a delivery method - i.e. injection of X under the skin at a low depth (e.g. 2mm).
In this review it got mixed reviews - but that doesn’t mean much because its mixing up many, many different therapies. https://www.realself.com/nonsurgical/mesotherapy
What I’m realizing is that people are injecting all kinds of things into the skin with the goal of increasing the health of the skin. There are all kinds of “cocktails” of ingredients that people are using.
So - the big issue is, are there any third-party independent validation on what mixtures / cocktails of ingredients that actually work, or work better than others? It almost seems like the wild west of cosmetics all over again - companies claiming great results, and no 3rd party clinical validation, so no way to know what is true and what is snake oil.
Lara - do you know of any good, independent sources for evaluations of different mesotherapy cocktails?
Below are some examples - but if you search on “mesotherapy cocktail” you get thousands of options (which I find more than a little amazing and interesting - I had never heard of this stuff until this week).
You are right there are thousands of them. I prefer to use well known brands, like Allergan (Volite Juvederm), Revitacare (CytoCare). Once I tried a Filorga cocktail and it gave me rash for 48 hours.
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Yes - I guess if its a larger, well-known pharma company you are much more likely to at least avoid any bad results (they are more likely to have been tested to a larger degree with more people prior to selling, larger companies just have a lot more budget for testing, and more to lose if they compounds harm people).
When I search on “marketshare leaders” in the the mesotherapy market it seems these are the largest companies:
The major players in the Mesotherapy market seem to include:
● Galderma (Restylane Skinbooster)
● Abbvie (Allergan Juvederm Hydrate)
● Teva pharm
● Koru Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd.
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Hi RapAdmin and everyone
Probably not a bio hack but I’ve been using RetinA for a few years now. It has really helped with discolouration. I have to use a lot of moisturiser though as it drys my skin out.
Cheers
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Hi All - As an (almost) 42 year old chica I have gotten into anti-aging skincare/treatments in the last few years and thought I would share what has worked for me. Most people think I am in my mid 30s.
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Red light therapy (has helped me to avoid fine lines/wrinkles and improve circulation but has not helped in firming the skin. Have used for 3 years now 2x/week with at home device.)
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A natural Vit A serum (retinol) at night from MadHippie (plus Vit C serum and facial mist from the same line) Vitamin A Serum | Mad Hippie (a good quality natural retinoid - it helps keep my skin moisturized but can’t say I have seen major changes). I may experiment with the stronger retinoids mentioned above in this chain.
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Radiofrequency facials - to stimulate collagen and thicken skin (have seen some skin thickening but it required a number of sessions - like 8-10, to see results.)
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HiFu facials - It uses a laser type device to create tiny injuries at a deeper layer in the skin to promote skin tightening. I have seen skin tightening results from this and will probably continue to do it about 2x/year.
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Sculptra injections. Sculptra is a biostimulator of collagen. It is not a filler. It injects small fiber-like particles into the face that stimulate the body to build new collagen around them. The fibers eventually dissolve into the bloodstream, but your own real collagen is built and results can be fairly long lasting. Typically it is recommended to have a series of 2-3 injections at least 1 month apart for the full effect. I have seen significant facial firming from this. It has helped firm/lift my jawline as well. This has probably been The Most Effective treatment I have done so far. It can be a bit pricy, but I live in Mexico so it was significantly less than it would be in the US. Great idea to get facial treatments on your next Mexico vacation!
Also, I have heard dermatologist Dr. Davin Lim say that injections are the most reliably successful skin care treatment out there and at this point I would concur. -
I have not done botox as I have some concerns about it weakening facial muscles over time. I do like facial exercises from https://www.youtube.com/@facerobics
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Next Steps - Dermarolling. Dermarolling seems to have pretty amazing results as an at-home routine to thicken skin and improve collagen. Some of the top biohacking beauties recommend it such as Rachel Varga and Leslie Kenny - videos below.
Dermarolling video - Rachel Varga, Biohacking skin expert. Dermarolling and Microneedling Information | How To Dermaroll Your Skin | Expert Tips - YouTube
Dermarolling video - Leslie Kenny, Biohacker and Founder of Primeadine, 55 yrs and gorgeous. Skin over 50: alternatives to Botox & fillers - YouTube
Also, for general inspiration, the Instagram page of Magdalena’s Secrets is amazing and with great tips as well. She is 57 and looks about 30. https://www.instagram.com/magdalenas_secrets/
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@ekf17 thanks for the extensive post. Lots of things I’ve never heard of.
Here are some summarized information on the options you’ve posted about (if people know of other sites that have summarized/reviews of options please post):
https://www.realself.com/nonsurgical/sculptra-aesthetic
https://www.realself.com/question/worcester-ma-effective-microcurrent-radiofrequency
https://www.realself.com/nonsurgical/retin-a
https://www.realself.com/nonsurgical/led-light-therapy
https://www.realself.com/question/los-angeles-ca-radiofrequency-infrared-skin-tightening-difference
https://www.realself.com/question/beverly-hills-ca-red-light-infrared-light-hurt-facial-fat
https://www.realself.com/nonsurgical/derma-rollers-microneedling
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How much less expensive are the Sculptra injections in Mexico vs. USA?
Is the “discount” of derm services in Mexico generally about this % lower in Mexico vs. the USA?
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Agree. Tretinoin is the gold standard . I use it. I am a cosmetic doctor. It works. Differin is the same family, no better but less side effects apparently. A simple way of avoiding side effects with tretinoin is to apply it with a moisturizer. As simple as that.
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