Cosmetics that Protect and Enhance the Health of the Skin
At an early age, women begin applying makeup to their
faces. The cosmetics are usually put on in the morning,
re-applied throughout the day, and then taken off only at
bedtime. As women grow older, they often saturate their faces
with heavier layers of makeup. As a result, most women spend the
majority of their lives wearing cosmetics.
This begs the question of whether this constant exposure to
cosmetic preparations is healthy for the skin. A look at the
ingredients in commercial cosmetic products reveals that they
provide little in the way of beneficial effects. It would seem
logical that if a woman is going to wear cosmetics to enhance
her appearance, the ingredients in those cosmetics should at
least help improve the health of her skin.
Sadly, the $45 billion-a-year cosmetic industry has overlooked
the obvious—the desirability of including validated anti-aging
ingredients in cosmetic preparations. An ideal cosmetic would
incorporate nutrients that have been shown to protect and
improve the skin’s appearance. This would provide significant
benefit to the tens of millions of women who wear makeup every
day.
Recognizing the deficiencies in commercial makeup products,
Rejuvenation Science has identified a cosmetic company that
includes in its products ingredients that protect against
age-accelerating environmental factors and provide nutrients
that have been shown to partially reverse some aspects of skin
aging.
Wrinkles, dryness, sagging, and irregular pigmentation
characterize aging skin. Yet scientific studies have identified
nutrients that can slow and even partially reverse these
unsightly outward effects.1
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Sun Exposure
Sun exposure, for instance, is a major cause of skin aging
and skin cancer. Photodamage is characterized by the formation
of damaging free radicals. Photoradiation depletes the body’s
natural antioxidant systems and increases the destructive
modification of proteins in a process known as glycation. These
pathological effects can be seen in the upper and lower layers
of the skin.
Glycated proteins result in the stiffening, wrinkling, and
unsightly leathery appearance of aging skin.2
Collagen degradation induced by ultraviolet light causes a
breakdown of the skin’s structural support system, resulting in
skin sagging, distortion, and excessive wrinkling.
Women concerned about the health of their skin try to avoid
prolonged exposure to the sun. The unfortunate fact is that
normal, everyday sun exposure causes cumulative damage that
results in premature aging. Sun exposure not only accelerates
aging, but also increases skin cancer risk. A dermatology
researcher described the multiple pathological effects of
sunlight and concluded his study by stating:
“. . . everyday use of products that protect against UV
radiation is necessary to prevent acute and long-term
photodamage (clinical and cellular changes) leading to
photoaging, photoimmunosuppression, and photocarcinogenesis.”3
Considering the deleterious effects that ultraviolet light
inflicts on the face, it makes perfect sense to fortify
lipsticks and foundations to guard these facial areas against
destructive ultraviolet rays. Some women pay dermatologists
thousands of dollars for collagen injections in their lips and
faces, yet neglect to protect their own precious natural
collagen against destructive solar rays. Now there are cosmetic
products available that provide sun-blocking agents to guard the
lips, cheeks, forehead, nose, and other parts of the face. These
new cosmetics also provide nutrients that help rejuvenate
collagen.
Applying Green Tea Extract
Many independent studies reveal that the topical application
of green tea extract provides broad-spectrum protection against
skin aging. These published studies indicate that people can
derive significant benefit from green tea extract applied
topically on a consistent basis.
In a study published in the prestigious journal
Proceedings of
the National Academy of Sciences USA, hairless mice were
irradiated with ultraviolet B (UVB) light twice weekly for 20
weeks.4 Their exposure to
UVB meant that these mice had a high risk of developing skin
cancers. The mice were then treated topically with green tea
extract after the UVB exposure (once a day, five days a week,
for 18 weeks).
The study results showed that topical applications of green tea
extract decreased the number of nonmalignant tumors by 55% and
reduced the number of malignant tumors by 65%. Cellular analysis
showed that topically applied green tea extract significantly
increased apoptosis (cell death) in tumor cells, but did not
have an apoptotic effect in healthy cells. Significantly, this
study clearly demonstrated that green tea extract can inhibit
the development of skin cancer after long-term exposure to UVB
light.4
Green tea extract possesses antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and
anticarcinogenic properties. Studies of human skin have
demonstrated that green tea prevents ultraviolet-induced damage
that leads to immune suppression and skin cancer induction.
Treating human skin with green tea extract prevents penetration
of UVB radiation. Scientists have published research indicating
that green tea prevents the DNA skin damage, inflammation, and
immune suppression that result from UVB exposure.5
ANTIOXIDANTS AND SKIN AGING
Recently published research confirms
that a decline in natural antioxidant systems is a key factor
responsible for the unsightly appearance of aged skin.
Scientists believe that due to its antimutagenic and antitumor
activities, green tea extract is a promising candidate for use
in topical formulations for skin cancer prevention.6
When skin is exposed to ultraviolet light, inflammation-inducing
leukocytes infiltrate the skin, immune cells are depleted, and
oxidative damage occurs. A group of scientists pretreated the
skin of mice with green tea extract in order to define how this
might protect against immune suppression and cancer. Topical
green tea application before a single dose of UVB exposure
inhibited the expected infiltration of leukocytes into the skin.
Green tea also prevented UVB-induced depletion of the number of
antigen-presenting cells in the immune system. As far as
oxidation is concerned, green tea protected against UVB-induced
hydrogen peroxide and nitric oxide free-radical damage in both
the epidermis and dermis. The scientists concluded that green
tea might be effective in preventing solar-induced skin cancers
and immune suppression.7,8
While the anticancer potential of green tea is well established,
the effects of green tea on normal skin aging processes are also
of significant interest. Scientists conducted a study
investigating the effects of green tea extract on healthy skin
cell proliferation and UV-induced cell death. When topically
applied to aged human skin, green tea extract stimulated the
proliferation of structure-supporting skin cells (keratinocytes),
which increased the epidermal thickness of the skin. In
addition, this topical application inhibited the UV-induced
destruction of keratinocytes. Aging is characterized by thinning
skin and destruction of skin cells. This study showed that
topical application of green tea extract improved these two
molecular parameters of skin aging.9
Free radicals cause tremendous damage to the skin and are a
major causative factor in skin aging. In a study that measured
antioxidant levels in the skin, green tea extract was topically
administered to hairless mice that were then exposed to UVB
light. The results showed a substantial reduction in the
depletion of natural antioxidants normally induced by UVB light.
Topical green tea prevented the reduction of glutathione by
87-100%, of glutathione peroxidase by 78-100%, and of catalase
by 51-92%. Topical treatment with green tea extract also
inhibited oxidative stress when measured in terms of lipid
peroxidation (a 76-95% reduction) and protein oxidation (a
67-75% reduction). Molecular measurement of skin-aging damage
showed that significant protective effects were conferred by the
green tea. The scientists next added green tea extract to the
drinking water of these mice and observed similar antioxidant
benefits to the skin, though comparatively less than when green
tea extract was applied topically.10
In another study of hairless mice, scientists applied green tea
extract before UVB exposure. These treatments were repeated
every other day for two weeks, for a total of seven treatments.
Topical application of green tea extract significantly decreased
UVB-induced bifold-skin thickness, skin edema, and infiltration
of leukocytes. Using molecular measuring tests, the scientists
determined that green tea suppressed the damaging effects of UVB
and the subsequent inflammatory cascade by several well-defined
mechanisms.11 This study
corroborates other findings indicating that topically applied
green tea extract may protect against accelerated skin aging.
Why Skin Cancer Protection Is Critical
Aged skin is more vulnerable to cancer than younger skin.
More than 1 million cases of basal cell or squamous cell skin
cancers will be diagnosed in the US this year. Many basal and
squamous cell carcinomas develop on the face. The most serious
form of skin cancer—malignant melanoma—will be diagnosed in
about 55,000 Americans in 2004.
When skin cancer develops, the face can be scarred with
long-lasting, unsightly surgical lesions. Exposure to everyday
solar rays is the major causative factor for face cancers and
skin aging. Taking steps to protect your face every day from
destructive UVB rays is mainstream medicine’s most highly
recommended anti-aging technique.
The antiaging cosmetics that are now available contain extracts
from green, white, and red teas, along with potent sun-blocking
agents that have high sun-protection-factor (SPF) ratings to
protect the lips and facial skin. Preliminary studies of white
and red teas indicate that they may possess anti-aging
properties even greater than those of green tea.12
How Vitamin C May Reverse Skin Aging
It is well established that oral consumption of vitamin C is
required for healthy collagen synthesis. A growing body of
evidence, however, reveals that the topical application of
vitamin C produces much faster and more profound effects in
facial skin.
In a double-blind human study, topical vitamin C was applied to
one-half of the face and a placebo gel was applied to the other
side. Clinical evaluation of wrinkling, pigmentation,
inflammation, and hydration was performed prior to the study and
at weeks 4, 8, and 12. The results showed a statistically
significant improvement of the side treated with vitamin C, with
decreased photoaging scores of the cheeks and the periorbital
area. The periorbital area improved in both the vitamin C and
placebo-gel group, likely indicating improved hydration. The
overall facial improvement of the vitamin C side was
statistically significant. Biopsies showed increased collagen
formation in the vitamin C group. This study showed that
topically applied vitamin C results in clinically visible and
statistically significant improvement in wrinkling when used for
12 weeks. This clinical improvement correlated with biopsy
evidence of new collagen formation.13
Human studies have demonstrated pronounced protective effects of
antioxidants when applied topically before ultraviolet radiation
exposure. With respect to UVB-induced skin damage, the
photoprotective effects of antioxidants are significant. Topical
application of antioxidant combinations may result in a
sustained capacity of the skin to resist damaging free radicals,
possibly due to antioxidant synergisms.
Free radicals are a culprit behind UVA-induced skin alterations,
thus providing a scientific basis for topical antioxidant
administration. In a human study, topical application of
antioxidants resulted in diminished severity of UVA-induced sun
damage. Thus, regular application of skin care products
containing antioxidants such as vitamins C and E may be of the
utmost benefit in protecting skin against the exogenous
oxidative stressors encountered in daily life. Sunscreen agents
may also benefit from being combined with antioxidants, as both
the safety and efficacy of the sun-blocking products are
enhanced.14
Collagen is the chief constituent of the connective tissue that
supports the skin’s structure. The skin requires constant
synthesis of new collagen to remain firm and youthful.
Epidemiological studies strongly indicate an association between
tobacco smoking and skin aging. One study showed that collagen
biosynthesis was reduced by 40% following treatment with tobacco
smoke extract. When an antioxidant mixture that included
vitamins C and E was applied, the destructive alteration of
collagen induced by both tobacco and UVA radiation was
prevented.15
A randomized, double-blind controlled study was conducted on
human volunteers to determine the efficacy of topical vitamin C
application in treating mild to moderate photodamage of facial
skin. Methods of evaluating efficacy included an objective
computer-assisted image analysis of skin surface topography, as
well as subjective clinical, photographic, and patient
self-appraisal questionnaires. Topical vitamin C was applied to
one side of each patient’s face and a placebo was applied to the
other side for three months.
The results using the optical image analysis demonstrated that
compared to placebo, the side treated with vitamin C showed a
statistically significant 71% combined score improvement.
Clinical assessment parameters demonstrated significant
improvement with vitamin C treatment compared to placebo for
fine wrinkling, tactile roughness, coarse rhytids, skin
laxity/tone, sallowness/yellowing, and overall features. Patient
questionnaire results demonstrated statistically significant
improvement overall, with the vitamin C treatment scoring 84%
greater than placebo. Photographic assessment demonstrated
significant improvement as well, with the vitamin C treatment
scoring 58% greater than placebo. This three-month study using
topical vitamin C provided objective and subjective improvement
in photodamaged facial skin.16
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