I recently came across an article published by the BBC which flipped everything I knew about skin health and aging completely upside down.
I used to think of dryness, wrinkles, and sunspots as a symptom of aging but evidence shows that they may be a cause of aging-related diseases.
In case your brain is breaking or your BS alarm is going off like mine was, I wrote this blog post to summarize the findings presented in the BBC article and provide two ridiculously simple actions that may help reduce the risk of aging-related diseases.
Summary
1. There is mounting evidence that certain health risks associated with aging such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cognitive decline, are the result of compounding and unchecked inflammation.
2. It turns out that wrinkly, dry, and damaged skin releases a chemical cocktail into the body that accelerates inflammation and increases the risk of developing the majority of, or possibly even all, aging-related disorders.
3. So far, wrinkly, dry, and damaged skin has been linked to the onset of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, cognitive impairment, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's disease.
4. Skin is the largest organ in our body and skin health plays a major role in the overall level of inflammation inside our bodies.
5. The craziest part about this is that there are a couple of ridiculously simple ways we can care for our skin that actually reduce the chances of developing aging-related diseases such as cardiovascular disease and cognitive decline.
2. It turns out that wrinkly, dry, and damaged skin releases a chemical cocktail into the body that accelerates inflammation and increases the risk of developing the majority of, or possibly even all, aging-related disorders.
3. So far, wrinkly, dry, and damaged skin has been linked to the onset of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, cognitive impairment, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's disease.
4. Skin is the largest organ in our body and skin health plays a major role in the overall level of inflammation inside our bodies.
5. The craziest part about this is that there are a couple of ridiculously simple ways we can care for our skin that actually reduce the chances of developing aging-related diseases such as cardiovascular disease and cognitive decline.
2 Ridiculously Simple Actions That May Help Reduce The Risk of Aging-Related Diseases.
1 - Protect Yourself from UV Damage.
a. Follow the classic Australian regimen of “Slip, Slop, Slap:” Slip on protective clothing, Slop on sunscreen, and Slap on a hat.
b. UV damage breaks down collagen, leading to wrinkles, decreased integrity of the skin barrier, and an increase in melanin production leading to sunspots, cellular oxidation, and increased inflammation.
c. Chronological aging is responsible for only the tiniest fraction of the aging skin, while UV light is responsible for over 80% of visible skin changes. If you spent your whole life indoors with the curtains drawn you’d probably be really sad but it's possible that you might not see significant signs of skin aging until you reached your 80's.
2 - MOISTURIZE
a. This is the one that really blew my mind. There is direct evidence that topical moisturizing decreases internal inflammation and may even help prevent dementia and other age-related diseases 🤯
b. In one study, an international team of researchers asked older volunteers to apply a topical moisturizer twice a day for one month. The subjects who used moisturizer had significantly lower levels of three different classes of inflammatory chemicals inside their bodies than the subjects who did not use moisturizer.
c. These promising results were quickly followed up with another study by the same team, which involved treating adults over 65 years old with a moisturizing cream twice a day for three years. The participants' cognitive function was measured at the beginning and end of the study. After three years the cognitive function of the control group who did not use moisturizer had declined significantly, whereas the cognitive function of the group who had been moisturizing their skin had not deteriorated.
So you’re telling me that moisturizing can reduce the risk of age-related diseases???
Yep.
Moisturizing, especially with ingredients high in Vitamins and Antioxidants, not only reduces the appearance of wrinkles (win for team vanity) but also improves the integrity of the skin barrier, reduces both topical and internal oxidation and inflammation, and may also reduce the risk of age-related diseases.
Mind. Blown.
I share this information with you not to contribute to fear-mongering and discrimination around aging (I'm gonna write another post on this soon). I share this information with you out of pure excitement in the revelation that these self-care rituals of ours that many of us engage with instinctively and intuitively, which can be so easily deemed as superficial or self-indulgent, may actually be measurably improving our health, wellbeing, and quality of life in the long term.
This article certainly has me eager to develop a full-body product that can be applied on a regular basis.
One of the products from my original line that I am most often requested to bring back is the Calendula Body Oil. Is that something you’d be into?
This article certainly has me eager to develop a full-body product that can be applied on a regular basis.
One of the products from my original line that I am most often requested to bring back is the Calendula Body Oil. Is that something you’d be into?
I’d love to hear from you what kind of products & ingredients you would like me to formulate next! Would you prefer a body oil, body butter, body lotion, body cream, body moisturizer, ____ ?
What ingredients & botanicals are you loving and/or drooling over right now?
Until then, I feel even more excited about the moisturizing and antioxidant properties of the Triple Rose Vitamin C Facial Oil and its ability to contribute to long-term health and wellbeing.
Thank you for reading, thank you for being here, and thank you for joining me on this journey of botanical nourishment and delight.
XOXO
Sam, founder and formulator
Fam Botanicals
2 comments
Hi Jane!
I’m inspired by your continual pursuit of health, wellbeing, and living life to the fullest 🤩 I doubt I would have ever made the connection between topical moisturization internal inflammation without coming across this article but the more I think of it the more it makes sense. The skin is our first line of defense and integral to our overall immune health! I’m honored that the Triple Rose oil is part of your skincare routine! 🥰 I’ll reach out about including you in the prototyping process of the body product!
💖 Sam
Sam- this was an amazing blog post filled with great information and inspiration! I’m always giving my all to enjoy living my best life for overall health including brain health but had never made a connection between topical moisturizer and preventing inflammation and the various disease that accompany inflammation.
I’m very interested in a body lotion/moisturizer that is made with the same high quality standards as the Triple Rose. Thank you for all you do! Jane