I am so excited to share some easy-to-implement tools to reverse cosmetic aging after reading the fascinating work by Harvard scientist Dr. David Sinclair on cutting-edge scientific advancement on how to keep skin young and reverse your biological age!
Skin is the largest organ of the body, ⅙ of the body weight. Your skin is your protector and the accumulation of joy, stress, anger, sadness, and excitement are written all over your face. Your skin is your biological age.
For a long time, we believed aging was a natural thing - we grow old, we look old and we behave old. However, now scientists believe aging may be a disease. Epigenetic mechanisms have now emerged as key contributors to the alterations of genome structure and function that accompany aging. Epigenetic changes are modifications to DNA that regulate whether genes are turned on or off. Environmental influences, such as a person's diet and exposure to pollutants, can impact the epigenome. The good news is that those environmental influences are within our control, or at least to a certain degree.
We will all die one day, but we don’t have to live until that day with an aged look or body. We can look young and live with vitality.
I highly recommend Dr. Sinclair’s book “LifeSpan”. But for this episode, I am just going to focus on 7 simple action steps everyone can do to look younger and start reversing aging.
Sunscreen. Among all the epigenetic influencers, UV is the biggest killer. I’ve talked about this in a previous episode. Put on sunscreen every day, rain or shine.
Vitamin C: consuming plenty of Vitamin C is not only vital for our health, but for our skin. Oral and dermal applications have both been proved to be effective. Vitamin C is metabolized within 2 hours, so eat Vitamin C-rich food, such as orange, tomato, and green vegetables throughout the day.
Resveratrol: same as Vitamin C, oral and dermal application have both been proved to be effective. Resveratrol is rich in grape skins, wine (alcohol is bad for our skin, but if you want to drink, better to drink wine), peanuts, cocoa, pomegranates, and some berries: blueberries, mulberries, and cranberries.
NAD+ Booster: NAD+ is a coenzyme involved in numerous cell processes. As we age, the NAD+ levels in our bodies decline. Boosting NAD+ has shown a reduction in aging. You can buy NAD+ booster supplements or eat more natural foods that are high in NAD+, such as dairy milk, mushrooms, and fish.
Dermal retinoid has been proven to promote collagen production, prevent pigmentation, and reduce epidermal thinning in a short term. However, the long-term effects are not well studied. If you are still young, it is better not to use it consecutively.
New research also found low-level laser therapy (red light) promotes collagen in the skin. The exact mechanism is not very clear, but it’s safe and believed to rejuvenate stem cells. Using it on the scalp can also promote hair growth.
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections: PRP has been shown to smooth skin. Again, the exact mechanism is not very clean, but it is safe and believed to rejuvenate stem cells.