The DNA of Looking Young

New research into gene expression has yielded an unexpected result: New ways to make skin look and act young. Here’s the anti aging news you’ve been waiting to hear! By Colette Bouchez

Decoding the human genome was a heady project by any standards –and certainly not intended for the front page of a beauty magazine.

But if researchers at Proctor and Gamble (P&G) are right, gene sequencing – the act of decoding how our genetic framework functions - may in fact be the ticket to finding the skin care ingredients that make old skin look and act like young again.

“Such a genomics approach is one of the unexpected benefits from the human genome project”, P & G scientist Rosemarie Osborne recently told Cosmetics Design.

More specifically, P&G scientists say that by better understanding how skin ages on a molecular level, the easier it will be to uncover what it will take, on an ingredient level , to intervene with the process, and either stop or reverse it.

The Genetic Search for Younger Skin

The process of applying sophisticated genetic research to skin care began at P&G roughly ten years ago. At the time they used the technology to test various skin care ingredients to see how they reacted, on a molecular level, and ultimately how that reaction impacts the way skin looks and feels.

More specifically, they focused on the way skin metabolizes lipids –compounds like essential fatty acids which play a major role in keeping skin healthy and young. Of greatest interest: How that metabolic process changes with both age, and environmental factors such as sun exposure.

What they found: Specific lipids, including ceramides, cholesterol and fatty acids - all essential to skin health - decrease as skin ages, both naturally and via sun exposure. This in turn appears to reduce the ability of aging skin to repair itself, the way skin does naturally when we are young.

The next step in the process was finding ingredients that could intervene in that declining process. In short, find the compounds that, on a genetic level, tell “old skin” to act young again, stepping up lipid production and the repair process that follows.

Anti Aging Skin: The New Science

Fast forward a decade and the research comes full circle with the introduction of Hexamidine, the ingredient that P & G claims was identified as the compound that, along with niacin amide
( vitamin B 3) yielded an increase in the gene expression linked to lipid production and use in skin. Both ingredients are found in P&G’s Olay line of Pro X-L skin care products.

“The tissue engineered models act as a sort of pre screen to a clinical trial when the effect of the compound can be seen in vivo,” said Osborne.

While P&G might have been the first to harness the power of gene sequencing in skin care, they are hardly alone in the lab. L’Oreal SA claims to use genetic analysis to test the impact of proteins on the skin, while Estee Lauder boasts they use gene-expression technology as well.

At the same time, when it comes to the everyday application of human genome research, Alan Guttmacher, acting of the National Genome Research Institute recently told the Wall Street Journal “Marketing tends to be ahead of science”.

That said, P&G is backing up their claims with peer reviewed science. In the past decade their scientists have published over 40 medical papers in prestigious scientific journals concerning not only aging skin, but also the genetic underpinnings linked to dandruff and gingivitis.

To learn more about the new anti aging ingredients, click here.

You might also be interested in reading:

Hope or Hype? Can You Really Look Younger?

Beauty Buyer Beware: Avoid Anti Aging Skin Care Scams

For all the latest health and beauty news for women over 40 visit: RedDressDiary.com

Copyright by Colette Bouchez 2009 - All Rights Reserved.
In addition to US Copyright, the text of this RedDressDiary article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License. All formatting and style elements of this page are not available under this license, and Colette Bouchez retains all rights in those elements.

New Anti Wrinkle Ingredient Fights Acne Too!

New anti aging ingredients promises to not only fight wrinkles but also soothe mid-life acne. But do they work? Here’s what you need to know - by Colette Bouchez

So here you are, looking in the mirror and thinking, “This just isn’t fair …wrinkles and acne?”

But truth is as we enter our middle years, and particularly as our reproductive hormones take on a life of their own, it’s entirely possible that in between those fine lines and wrinkles you may also see a brand new bumper crop of acne breaking out as well - even if you didn't have acne as a teen.

“Almost all acne is hormonal. …and adult acne occurs for the same basic reasons as adolescent acne…. cells respond abnormally to androgens,” says dermatologist Dr. Richard G. Fried, author of Healing Adult Acne.

In fact, experts say that middle-aged acne is usually driven by the same type of hormonal activity we see in puberty – except in reverse. And much like those bouncing hormones of your teen years, today’s middle-aged hormonal surges can cause your skin to react in myriad ways, including causing acne breakouts.

For many women problems are compounded by another common mid life skin condition known as acne-rosacea.

“Hormones play a strong role in the development of rosacea and many women notice flares around the time of the menses, and particularly around menopause,” says Palm Beach dermatologist Dr. Ken Beer, author of Palm Beach Perfect Skin.

As Beer explains, this dermatologic condition causes an acne-like appearance (red bumps and lumps, sometimes filled with fluids) plus it has the added component of causing facial flushing –as if we need more of that this time of life!

Acne rosacea can occur on it’s own, or in conjunction with traditional acne and both can easily flare in the middle years.

While there are certainly enough acne treatments on the market, finding one that works in midlife can be a real challenge, particularly if you’re also concerned with reducing the appearance of lines and wrinkles.

The reason: Since most over-the-counter acne formulations are drying to the skin, they pull moisture from cells – and that make lines and wrinkles look much worse.

At the same time, most over-the-counter anti-wrinkle treatments, particularly rich creams and serums, can irritate sensitive acne prone skin and may increase breakouts, or worsen one that’s already started.

So what’s a middle-aged girl with a pimple and a wrinkle to do?

I’m happy to tell you that new hope – and new help – has finally arrived! There are in fact, several brand new products designed to fight wrinkles and acne in a single swoop!

The New Anti-Wrinkle Ingredients
The anti aging skin care ingredient creating a lot of new buzz these days are plant based growth factors known as cytokininsins -and for good reason. First, they are fast proving to be a powerful anti-wrinkle treatment, working to not only protect skin cells that manufacture collagen and elastin, but also increase their activity. Since it is collagen and elastin that helps give skin that plump, youthful lifted look, keeping them working at full tilt is one way to thwart the natural aging process.

Moreover, cytokinins also have the potential to slow down the breakdown of collagen and elastin cells that results from environmental factors such as the sun and pollution – now considered the two leading causes of premature skin aging.

But what makes cytokinins such an especially enticing skin care ingredient is that they possess all these powerful anti-aging effects and yet don't aggrevate acne or rosacea. In some studies cytokinins even had a beneficial effect on these conditions.

Indeed, in one 12 week study conducted by Dr. Jerry McCullough from the University of California on the patented cytokinins growth factor known as Pyratine 6, research revealed an increase in skin moisture by some 41%, and a decrease in fine lines by almost 30%, with early results appearing as little as 2 weeks.

But perhaps more importantly, Pyratine 6 was also clinically shown to be an effective treatment for redness associated with rosacea, eczema, contact dermatitis, and general menopause-related skin redness and irritation. Skin roughness was decreased by 84%, redness by 67% and discoloration by 41%. The findings were published in the journal Drugs and Dermatology.

But Pyratine 6 isn't going to be alone the shelf. Another plant growth factor known as TFG Beta-1 is also generating quite a stir.

In research conducted at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Cornell Medical College, and Jefferson Medical College doctors found TGF Beta-1 also stimulates significant collagen and elastin production - and it is also proving helpful in healing wounds more quickly and easily. Many believe its potent anti-inflammatory effects may prove to be exceedingly beneficial for those suffering with acne or rosacea.

Anti-Wrinkle - Anti-Acne Care Combined!
Perhaps the best part of this new anti- aging/anti-acne treatment approach is that you don't have to wait years or even months to harness the power - some of these ingredients are available right now!

Indeed, earlier this year Jan Marini Skin Research began offering their Transitions line of products containing TGF Beta-1. It's combined with various peptides also involved in skin regeneration and healing , for a one-two punch that can make skin look younger and clearer.

Pyratine-6 by Lumeris is the new player in the game. Available in a lotion or cream formulation it captures the anti-aging and anti-acne power of Pyratine 6 in another new combination product that is perfect for mid-life skin. Although not a prescription treatment it is sold primarily through doctor’s offices.

That’s said, I have found it- as well as the Jan Marini products - for sale online, but both purchases come with a word of caution. It’s a good idea to have any skin condition checked at least once by a board certified dermatologist before buying any self- care treatment products.

Not only is it possible that your skin condition might be caused by something else entirely, sometimes dry, irritated and even acne-prone mid life skin can be a symptom of a systemic disease such as thyroid disorder - and may require entirely different medication to bring relief.

You might also be interested in reading:
Return of the Face Lift- And Other New Ways To Avoid Growing Old!

Anti-Aging Cosmetics: What You Need To Know!

New book by Colette Bouchez: The Hot Flash Solution!

Visit http://www.reddressdiary.com/ to learn more!

Study: You Can "Teach" Skin To Look Young!

If you feel as if the hands of time have a stranglehold on your wrinkling, aging skin, here’s some news you’ll want to hear: New research shows we may be able to “instruct” the body to make more of at least one biological substance skin needs to look young – and in doing so turn back the hands of time in a major way!

That substance, says experts is collagen. Long believed to play a major role in skin wrinkling, collagen production declines as we age - and for a long time, doctors believed there wasn’t much we could do about that.

But a new report in the current issue of the Archives of Dermatology, says otherwise. Here, researchers from the University of Michigan write that specific advances in skin care made over the past decade have opened the door to the idea that we can "teach" the body to begin producing this vital substance in much the same way it did when we were young.

" Collagen fragmentation is responsible for loss of structural integrity and impairment of fibroblast function in aged human skin - treatments that stimulate production of new, non fragmented collagen should provide substantial improvement to the appearance and health of aged skin," write the researchers.

In essence this means that not only can we stop the hands of time –we have the opportunity to effect a permanent physiological change in skin that can reverse some of the signs of aging - something that has never before been possible.

The best news of all: You don't have to wait a decade or even a year. The study found this was all possible with some dermatologic treatments already in use today.

Old Skin Vs. Young Skin
One of the major differences between “old” skin and “young” skin is the amount and quality of collagen found below the surface. A type of connective tissue, collagen, along with elastin, form a kind of invisible criss-cross netting underneath skin to help support and keep everything in place.

It is, in fact, collagen that gives skin it’s buoyant, dense youthful look and feel, keeping those cheekbones from sliding into your chin and your chin from sliding into your neck - forming a boatload of wrinkles along the way.

But collagen doesn’t last forever. Environmental factors like the sun and pollution – especially chemicals found in cigarette smoke – combine with the natural aging process to damage cells that produce collagen, causing them to become fragmented, or "broken", and no longer able to give skin the support it needs to look young.

"This imbalance advances the aging process in a self-perpetuating, never-ending deleterious cycle," say the researchers.

And what that means is that slowly, over time, “holes’ pop up in that support netting and eventually, get so large that our skins entire support structure begins to collapse. (Think of it like popping a hole in your pantyhose and suddenly the support from that area is gone!).

When the collagen "matrix" or netting becomes broken in enough places, skin support is lost almost entirely. And that means it begins to sag, and eventually, wrinkle.

The Science of Keeping Skin Young
For a while everyone thought the answer to collagen loss was to simply apply more collagen – as in the explosion of collagen creams hitting the market in the 1980’s. But it wasn’t long before science also realized that collagen applied from the outside wasn’t doing much good on the inside. While skin looked temporarily better, the effects weren’t lasting.

And this is where the new Michigan University research sheds some important new light on some current treatment options.

Their report asserts that certain types of topical treatments, as well as some specific wrinkle filling injections, not only provide the immediate skin fix we’re all after, but also work from a long-term standpoint to actually alter the amount of collagen in our skin.

More specifically the researchers say that when certain treatments make their way to skin cells, they are able to create an environment in which damaged fibroblasts (collagen producing cells) can recover – and begin producing collagen in much the way they did when skin was young! In a sense, these treatments are teaching skin to "act" and eventually look the way it did when we were young.

What This Means To You:
You can slow down the hands of time – and with the right treatments and products, maybe even reverse some of the nasty effects of aging that have already occurred.

But at the same time, it doesn’t mean you can throw caution to the wind and ignore the things that cause premature skin aging – including sun exposure, smoking, and other lifestyle factors such as a lack of sleep or a nutrient -poor diet.

Experts say all these things still matter, since the longer you can keep your collagen producing cells healthy and functioning, the less repair work you’ll need.

That said, it’s also comforting to know that with the right treatments and ingredients not only can we compensate for some of the damage that has already occurred to skin cells, there is now good evidence to show that at least some of that damaged may be reversible.

To learn more about which specific treatment types the study found to help initiate the production of new collagen, as well as the skin care ingredients shown to effect change visit
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