Looking after your skin isn’t just a vanity project, with growing evidence that damage to the skin can drive ageing, inflammation and even cognitive decline
Growing evidence suggests that damage to the skin can have knock-on effects for the rest of the body, driving inflammation, muscle and bone loss, and possibly even cognitive decline. The more your skin deteriorates, the more the rest of you ages prematurely. In this emerging view, your skin doesn’t just reflect signs of ageing – it’s a contributing factor. There is even tentative evidence that taking better care of our skin could slow the harmful effects of ageing and improve our overall health.
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There is also the issue of which serums and creams to use, out of the vast range available. Traditionally, skin moisturising lotions have been based on petroleum products, which coat the skin in a water-repellent lipid layer. More recently, however, “barrier repair” formulations, containing specific lipids that become depleted in the outer layer of our skin when it dries out, have been developed, and there is some evidence to show that these provide superior benefits compared with traditional moisturisers.
Some skin experts recommend products containing glycerine, which acts as a humectant, drawing water into the skin. “If you’re going to put on lotion, make sure it’s got lots of glycerine,” says Bollag. There is decades of evidence that it improves barrier function, she says. Beyond this, lifestyle choices can help. “Much of this is kind of common sense,” says Watson. You need some sunlight because it drives the production of vitamin D in your skin, but don’t get too much and avoid sunburn.
Full story: The unexpected ways your skin impacts your health and longevity
Referenced Papers:
Atopic eczema and major cardiovascular outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis of population-based studies
https://www.jacionline.org/article/S0091-6749(18)32728-3/fulltext
Skin inflammation activates intestinal stromal fibroblasts and promotes colitis
https://www.jci.org/articles/view/147614
Topical applications of an emollient reduce circulating pro-inflammatory cytokine levels in chronically aged humans: a pilot clinical study
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jdv.15540
