All the faces of aging

My birthday is coming soon. I don’t really pay much attention to it and I don’t mind putting +1 to my lifespan. But I do mind when I have to put -1 to the quality of my skin, and the visible changes on its surface are the main reminder of the passing of time. To celebrate my upcoming day in a productive way, I’m trying to figure out if and how my skin can keep a satisfying score, despite getting older.

Aging vs getting older

When it comes to numbers, the time that passes affects all of us the same way. Year after year we add another candle to our birthday cakes, letting everyone know we’re officially getting older. But whatever happens in our bodies within the 12 months separating one candle from another, that’s aging. And it can be very different to each of us. Getting older simply means maturing within the passing of time, while aging is a multi-level process of degeneration of tissues in the body. The first thing doesn’t sound that scary, being mature has rather positive connotations, but the second one usually comes with the fear of loosing the good looks, decline in mental and physical health and the need for long-term care.¹ But should we really be afraid of aging? According to Dr. David Sinclair, a professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School and the author of the book „Lifespan: Why We Age, and Why We Don’t Have”² (very comforting title, isn’t it?) we should but only if we tend to neglect our healthy, daily habits. As he writes: “Aging is a disease, and that disease is treatable.” And to know where to look for the cure, we should better understand the factors accelerating aging.

Types of aging

Aging isn’t just one thing. It’s a very broad term that includes the changes in the brain functions, metabolism or skin quality.³ To narrow down the research area, today I’ll focus on the last one – I believe the pursuit of heathy skin is what got us here after all, isn’t it? Let’s start with the basics. There are 2 types of skin aging:⁴

Intrinsic aging is a naturally occurring physiological process that results in gradual thinning and drying of the skin, fine wrinkles or pigmentation spots

Extrinsic aging is a process triggered byexternal environmental factors including the quality of air and water, the type of diet, smoking and unprotected exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet rays, resulting in coarse wrinkles and loss of the qualities of healthy skin: elasticity, bright and glowing complexion and even skin tone

Even though they are two separate forms of aging, they affect one another.⁵ The intrinsic rate of skin aging can be significantly influenced by personal and environmental factors. On the other hand limiting the amount of external, aging- triggering factors promoting extrinsic aging can help slow down the intrinsic aging, too. Let’s take a closer look at the anti-aging science.

Intrinsic aging

Aging doesn’t happen overnight. It happens gradually and the first visible signs usually appear around the age of 25-30. Slowly, the skin starts to look thinner and paler, as if the complexion needed an extra kick of vitamins. Over time, the signs of aging become more visible, including:

• loss and descent of underlying fat
• dryness
• hollowed cheeks and eye sockets
• loss of firmness
• pigmentation spots
• rough skin texture
• dark circles around the eyes
• fine lines, crow’s feet and wrinkles
• dullness
• uneven skin tone

This is what one can see when looking in the mirror. What’s impossible to notice is the complexity of the process that happens inside the body. At the cellular level, the primary aging-related mechanisms occur as cell proliferation (the process by which one cell grows and divides to produce two daughter cells) slows down.⁶ The epidermis, outer layer of the skin,⁷ gradually becomes thinner, and the contact surface area between dermis and epidermis decreases, resulting in a further weakened ability of cell proliferation.⁸ Around the same time, the activity of fibroblasts, cells that contribute to the formation of connective tissue, decreasesleading to reduction of the synthesis of elastin, hyaluronic acid, chondroitin, collagen and decreased cell-collagen fiber interactions.⁹ Intrinsic aging is based on our genetic makeup, somatic capacity, and composition¹⁰ and according to some specialists it’s responsible only for 10% of skin aging.¹¹ That means that we can learn to manage at least some of the other 90%.

Extrinsic aging

Skin isn’t just our outer layer. Skin is an actual body organ, the largest one to be precise.¹² It’s there to protect it from external factors such as bacteria or chemicals, prevent from moisture loss and help regulate temperature. Since it’s constantly on the frontline, the risk of damage is very high. The impact of external, environmental and lifestyle factors leads progressively to the loss of structural integrity and physiological changes in the skin, called extrinsic aging. Unlike intrinsic aging, that affects the entire body, extrinsic aging signs can be often noticed on the environmentally exposed skin areas: the face, the dorsal side of the hands, or the neck.¹³ What are the main factors causing the potential damage?

Unprotected sun exposure Yes, I know, sun isn’t just evil. UV radiation is the best natural source of vitamin D.¹⁴ But when it comes to skin quality, it accounts for about 80% of facial aging.¹⁵ Biochemical studies report a 45% decrease in collagen in sun- exposed skin compared to protected skin.¹⁶ That means that regular sunbathing can almost double the pace of aging process!

Air pollution You’d think that air pollutants are to blame only when it comes to clogged pores? Wrong. Some chemicals attached to pollution particles can weaken the skin barrier, penetrate through the skin’s layers and cause oxidative stress.¹⁷ The long-term oxidative stress damages the body’s cells, proteins, and DNA and contributes to aging.¹⁸

Smoking I think I got you another reason to quit smoking. Nicotine causes blood vessels to narrow, reducing oxygen and nutrients flow to skin cells.¹⁹ This can effect in remodeled or damaged structures necessary for skin elasticity, inflammation, excessive formation of free radicals and cause coarse wrinkles, uneven complexion and grayish skin tone.²⁰

Nutrition Vitamins, carotenoids, tocopherols, protein peptides, flavonoids, essential omega-3-fatty acids and a variety of plant extracts have been proven to have a major anti-aging properties.²¹ They enter the skin as a precursor after digestion and absorption and take part in the synthesis and metabolism of skin components. The dietary anti-aging ingredients reduce the risk of skin oxidative damage by removing cellular ROS (reactive oxygen species²² ) and promoting antioxidant enzyme activity. Poor nutrition means increased risk of pre-mature, extrinsic skin aging.

Anti-aging strategies

Let’s come back to Dr. Sinclair’s words for a second. “Aging is a disease, and that disease is treatable.” You’re probably wondering what could the treatment be like? According to Dr. Kara Fitzgerald²³, a functional medicine practitioner whose research is focused on reversing biological aging, simple, affordable and low-tech diet and lifestyle changes can reverse the dreadful process by three years when followed for just eight weeks. Simply by putting more attention to the way we eat, exercise, structure our daily self-care routines and sleep, we can change the expression of our genes and switch the slow-aging mode on.²⁴ Sounds promising? These are the rules to follow:

Support methylation Methylation is a simple but very important chemical process, which involves adding a ‘methyl group’ onto other chemical compounds which then allows the body to do most of its processes, such as production and metabolism of several key mood-modulating neurotransmitters; dopamine, serotonin, noradrenalin, adrenalin, achieving hormonal balance, detoxification, maintaining healthy homocysteine levels and reversing aging.²⁵ One of the easiest methods to support the methylation process is choosing the right nutrition. Focus on foods containing foliate, vitamin B12, vitamin B6, choline, and betaine²⁶ : dark leafy greens, asparagus, broccoli, avocado, asparagus, beets, citrus, poultry, dairy, eggs, whole grains, sweet potato and if you’re vegan/vegetarian, remember to take B12 supplements.²⁷

Cleanse from the outside Keep in mind that environmental pollutants affect your skin every day and you need to wash them off, even if you don’t wear make up. Each time you cleanse your face²⁸, you remove particle load from its surface, improve skin barrier functions and prevent penetration. To make sure your cleansing routine won’t leave your skin dry and itchy, avoid the products containing soap, SLS and SLES. LAST Cleansing Gel²⁹ is filled with pure natural saponins extracted from the Tea Tree seeds with anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, balancing properties, complemented with the saponins from Indian Soap Nut Tree for mild purification and detoxication. If you’re looking for a product that will cleanse, nourish, hydrate and protect your skin at the same time, LAST got you covered!

Cleanse from the inside Toxins, chemicals and pollutants can easily accelerate extrinsic aging. If you want to slow the process down, think detoxification. Engage in simple activities that make it easier for your body to remove the harmful substances. Dry brush, do a sweaty workout, go to a sauna, get a draining massage and drink plenty of water to promote healthy lymphatic flow and say goodbye to unwanted particles. ³⁰

Focus on antioxidants Your skin is naturally equipped with antioxidants that create a protective, anti- aging shield: pyruvate, uric acid, ascorbic acid, bilirubin, glutathione, vitamins E or C, to name a few. The outer part of the skin called epidermis contains higher concentrations of antioxidants than the dermis.³¹ If you want to boost your skin’s ability to fight free radicals and slow down the aging process, enhance your diet with antioxidant-rich foods: berries, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cantaloupe, cauliflower, dark leafy greens, tomato, kiwi, red peppers, beets and pumpkin.³²

Mind the sun The UV radiation is responsible for 80% of facial extrinsic aging signs, including wrinkling, dryness, sagging and spotty pigmentation.³³ I know it’s not possible to avoid it all the time, especially that it’s crucial for vitamin D production in human body. If you want to stay in the sun, do it wisely. Apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen of SPF 15+ on your face, neck, chest and all the other exposed body parts and re-apply every two hours, or after working, swimming, playing or exercising outdoors.³⁴ Limit time in the midday sun, wear protective clothes and make sure your skincare routine is ultra hydrating during hot summer days.

Ditch the sugar Sugar is the most aging-triggering food component. Every time you eat something sweet, the glucose that gets into your bloodstream „sticks” to lipids, DNA or proteins and produces advanced glycation end products (AGEs). The more AGEs you accumulate in the process of glycation, the more they damage the proteins in your body: skin gets more and more wrinkled, saggy, dryer, brittle, prone to acne flareups and inflammation and its cell structures become still and harden. If you want to learn more about glycation and the ways to protect your skin from sugar-related pre-mature aging, make sure to read this article from our Journal: link

Work on your sleep routine I know it might seem that health specialists exaggerate the meaning of good night’s sleep but trust me, they don’t. Or better, trust the specialists. Let me quote you the results of one study evaluating the effect of chronic poor sleep quality on measures of skin health and aging: „Good sleepers had significantly lower intrinsic skin ageing scores (…) At 72 h after tape stripping, good sleepers had 30% greater barrier recovery compared with poor sleepers. At 24 h after exposure to ultraviolet light, good sleepers had significantly better recovery from erythema.”³⁵ Or another one that proved „ that poor sleepers had increased signs of skin aging and slower recovery from a variety of environmental stressors, such as disruption of the skin barrier or ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Poor sleepers also had worse assessment of their own skin and facial appearance.”³⁶ If you’re interested in a real beauty sleep, aim for 8 hours of regeneration each night, avoid blue light in the late afternoon, keep the temperature in your bedroom around 20 °C and implement a relaxing pre-bed routine, including meditation or yin yoga. ³⁷

Redefining the way we perceive aging makes it easier to redefine the perception of self. It’s inevitable that the way we look, think and feel will change over time but with the right tools it can be a smooth, enjoyable and exciting transition. And that’s my birthday wish to all of us.

Marzena Jarczak

An international model based in Paris. A researcher, copy writer and a journalist exploring for us the areas of neuroscience, brain, biohacking, living healthy life. Author of Out & About series discovering cultural life in Paris in all its aspects. A strong, wise personality with a growth mindset.

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