Understanding Your Skin

By guest blogger - Dr. Ben Johnson of Osmosis Skin Care

While the skin is very complicated, there are some simple but very important concepts that should be understood before buying skincare products. Remember that the skin is an advanced organ working 24 hours a day for your entire life to maintain itself in the best state possible. While it seems to work against your (cosmetic) desires when it creates rashes, acne, age spots, broken capillaries, redness or whatever, it is, in fact, doing its best to perform at optimal levels in the conditions that you created in your body.

What may seem baffling at times is that every mole, spot, bump, and/or scale is in a very specific spot on your body based on numerous conditions. These include your mental state (stress, anger, guilt, hatred all negatively impact your skin and body health), environmental influences (bad lighting, excessive sun exposure, pollution, poor water quality, damaging skin products), and diet which we believe to be the biggest contributor next to stress.

No one part of your body acts independently with another. That is why many systemic diseases have associated skin abnormalities. The reason this concept is so important is that it is not a generally accepted view from our medical community and therefore the approach to skin conditions is flawed. Rather than addressing the causes of these problems, we are usually addressing symptoms like redness, flaking or swelling. This philosophy has permeated our society; “acne...take antibiotics”, “redness...try a steroid...or maybe a laser treatment”. The assumption is that the skin is acting out of control, that it has disassociated itself from the rest of the body and only we know how to control it. WRONG! Most skin conditions are side effects of a bigger problem elsewhere in the body.

Why is this so important? If you knew that the skin was acting appropriately, would you try to damage it more to attain a SHORT TERM cosmetically (but not physiologically) improved appearance? Let us use a few examples to illustrate the madness; 1) Acne is usually related to candida or ovarian inflammation and yet a primary treatment for acne is antibiotics (one of the colon’s biggest toxins), 2) Rosacea’s red and inflamed skin also results in thinning of the dermis and yet one of the most popular treatments for it is laser collapse of the very capillaries that are trying to heal and repair that dermis. We even burn our skin with acids and lasers to try to make them better or inject toxins into it to paralyze the activity in that area. Is our society working with the skin? We think not. Skincare should be a partnership not a military offensive.

So what do you need to know about the skin to make intelligent choices? The most beneficial ingredients do one of three things; increase circulation (the skin’s only source of food/nutrients/immune cells/building block materials), stimulate fibroblast activity non-traumatically (the only way to make collagen, elastin, GAG’s needed to rebuild/repair the skin), and rebuild the immune repair functions of the skin with growth factors, immune boosters and anti-inflammatories. The focus needs to be on addressing the source of the skin condition which is often internal and then letting the skin fix itself. Yes, this really happens....by creating an environment in the skin that mimics more youthful days, the skin is capable of operating at its highest and best. We should be moving away from traumatizing the skin to get a response. Here are numerous treatments that work against your skin; lasers that collapse numerous vessels in your skin at one time, acids that damage/immunosuppress the skin and provide no longterm benefit but likely cause long term damage, free radical makers (they worsen the free radical load in your skin) like benzoyl peroxide, artificial sunscreens and hydroquinone. Immunosupressors are also very damaging, drugs like antibiotics and steroids may look like they have a benefit because redness declines temporarily, but ultimately they thin and damage the skin.

So celebrate your skin’s imperfections because you know that it is telling you to look deeper. Consider it a warning sign. Do not punish the messenger, support it. 

SO, WHAT IS EFFECTIVE SKIN CARE?

Let’s break effective skincare into three areas: Circulation, Stimulation and Protection.

Circulation

According to Dr. Ben Johnson circulation has everything to do with your skin's health and it is substantially overlooked by the skincare community. All the skin's food, immune support, antioxidant and remodeling efforts all come from the blood supply. Every time you are stressed, you drink coffee or go outside in cold weather, your skin suffers a little because all of these things restrict bloodflow to the dermis. Vitamin K, horse chestnut and caffeine in skincare products are all designed to reduce bloodflow. There is no skin condition (Rosacea, Dark Circles, etc) that is better off with less bloodflow. That is why the utilization of Retinaldehyde, Niacinamide, Camphor, and other circulation enhancing ingredients makes such a big difference in the quality and health of the skin. Bags under the eyes are the result of vasoconstriction (reduced bloodflow and the correlation between loss of blood supply and the thinning of the dermis with age are more than a coincidence. Remember, it is a thinning dermis that is the primary cause of visible capillaries. The reason capillaries return after treatment is because the skin wants adequate blood supply in the area. The best way to reduce this is to build back the collagen/elastin (in the dermis) that covers these vessels.

Stimulation

This is an important term because it needs to be differentiated from the typical remodeling strategies employed by most skincare companies. To highlight my point, we can discuss glycolic acid. This ingredient is in most products and is touted as a rejuvenating ingredient. The skin doesn't have glycolic acid receptors so its method of action is simply to destroy whatever it can. The reason there is any effect is only because the skin, in response to the devastation, replaces itself with new layers. The epidermis swells a little from the inflammation (temporarily reducing the appearance of lines), the new skin is less pigmented (helping hyperpigmentation superficially) but the net effect the skin's resources were used to repair the recent damage rather than repairing the substantial damage that was the initial treatment goal. So how do you stimulate the skin without damaging it? There a few ingredients for this task but one stands out as a clear leader, Retinaldehyde. The key remodeling components in the skin are the Fibroblasts. They make collagen, elastin and GAG's, all of which are critical to a youthful, wrinkle-free appearance. Trauma does activate them but for little net gain. Activating their receptors is the true target and Retinaldehyde does a wonderful job at stimulating Fibroblasts without trauma. Retinaldehyde is what the skin uses to make collagen by converting it to Retinoic Acid.

Protection

Most people think protection is a sunscreen, But a sunblock is better. Sunblocks like Titanium and Zinc, protect by reflecting UV rays before they penetrate. But the best method of protection actually comes at the cellular level. Antioxidants used in the skin include catalase, L-glutathione, L-superoxide dismutase, Vitamin C and E amongst other ones. We believe that the utilization of ingredients the skin recognizes vastly improves the protection ability. Antioxidants are constantly being used, restored and used again because we are literally in a constant state of inflammation. High dose antioxidants have proven to not only significantly reduce damage in the skin, they actually allow the skin to rebuild itself by shrinking the repair requirements, thus resulting in a thicker, healthier dermis. To make the process most effective, high percentages of these healing actives should be used and adjunctive ingredients like liposomal technology, ensures that they reach their target.

So, what about stem cells?

Stem cells have had a lot of press over the last decade, some good and some bad. Most of the conversations have centered on where the stem cells come from (cord blood, fetuses, etc.) but there is no denying that the potential for stem cells to improve the health of human tissue remains high.  Stem cells are not always sourced from humans. Animals can be donors and more recently, plants have been the source of certain stem cells. Beyond on where they come from, stem cells are being utilized for the repair and rejuvenation of tissues and organs and are starting to become a major feature in cosmetic medicine.

Human stem cells and fibroblasts make over 150 different growth factors that are naturally found in your skin.  As we get older, of growth factors declines which effects new cell formation, skin nutrition and immune repair activity, all of which are critical to keeping your skin young.

Stem cells have the remarkable potential to develop into many different cell types in the body. When a stem cell divides, it can remain a stem cell or become another type of cell with a more specialized function, such as a skin cell. 

One product I recommend is Osmosis Stem Factor, it uses stem cell technology in a different way because it does not use actual stem cells in a bottle. Instead it uses a combination of stem cells (IPS and Mesenchymal) and fibroblast cells that feed and nourish to stimulate the production of growth factors. Stem Factor sets itself apart because it communicates with your skin cells in a language they understand. The process of gathering the growth factors has been perfected to maximize the stability and penetration while giving the skin the tools it needs in a balanced fashion. It's benefits include helping acne, rosacea, aging, and hyper pigmentation because it strengthen our skins immune system, which improves all skin conditions.

What is a Mesenchymal stem cell?

• Also known as a "multi-potent stem cell."
• It can differentiate into many different cells.
• It produces hundreds of growth factors.
• They are very good at multiplying.

Click the link below if you'd like to learn more about Stem Factor.

http://www.osmosisskincare.com/StemFactor.aspx

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Do You Exfoliate Too Often?

Before we start to talk about how we treat our skin we first have to analyze the process of aging.  Science now tells us that our epidermis (the upper layer of skin) will never thin. However the dermis (the layer underneath) thins at a rate of 1-1.5% a year, once we hit the middle of our twenties. We know that our skin puts a priority on maintaining our epidermis because it would ultimately lead to death (through infection, fluid loss, etc.) This priority is also evident in that the dermis receives all the nutrients of the skin (through its capillary beds) and has to decide what goes where and it still sends those scarce supplies to the epidermis even though it is thinning itself.

 The dermis will thin because it is overwhelmed with free radicals and inflammation as a result from sun, diet and stress primarily. Darker skin types tend to thin less, due to the extra protection of more melanin. Smokers and partiers dermis will thin faster because of the added toxins that restrict blood vessels, which in turn reduce the nutrient supply. So the rate of cell turnover slows down and we age.  It would be like taking a healthy person and putting them on a 300 calorie a day diet. Their metabolism would slow down and they would experience fat and muscle loss. 

            So, now we come to exfoliation. We want to speed up the cell turnover rate so we exfoliate to speed the process.  There is no question that this works, but what is the result and is it good for our skin in the long run.  The benefit is usually temporary plumping of fine lines and mild lightening of hyperpigmentation. On the flip side the skin has less melanin protection, more damage to repair from the loss of moisture, and protective lipids and a significant increase in the amount of free radical damage to our skin cells.

            The truth is that we do not fully understand how the skin works. Based on the very complex processes involved in wound repair, and normal skin/cell maintenance.  In light of this I recommend we not second-guess the skins decision to slow down, but instead work with it to restore its normal activities. The bottom line, exfoliate less and feed the skin the nutrients it needs more.

             

Retinol vs Retinaldehyde

Maybe you’ve heard of both of these Vitamin A products, maybe you thought they were the same, maybe you just don’t know. Here’s a little background on this class of skincare, recommended by top dermatologists, Retinoids are the family of Vitamin A derivatives scientifically proven to help smooth fine lines and wrinkles and reduce other signs of skin aging by improving skin cell renewal and stimulating the production of collagen, the protein fiber that keeps skin firm and supple.

Retinol

Retinol is a convertible form of Vitamin A that is mostly derived from animal sources. It should not be confused with pro-vitamin A carotenoids, which comes from different plant sources, such as carrots. Retinol is extracted from animal sources such as eggs, liver and dairy products. It is a highly regarded, results proven ingredient in cosmetics for anti aging, repairing sun damage, treating acne and increasing skin cell turnover rate.

In topical form, such as creams or serums, retinol has the ability to speed up the healing process of the skin. Retinol is applied topically to the skin and is absorbed as a retinyl-ester (the most stable form). The oxidation process is at cellular level. This ester version of Vitamin A helps to break down and inhibit the production of oil in the sebaceous glands of the skin. Thus, it allows a reduction in oil secretion, allowing the pores to shrink. This is how it can help heal acne. For some skin conditions, Retinol tends to cause irritation.

Retinaldehyde

Retinaldehyde is a form of Vitamin A that binds proteins and it also allows the conversion of light into metabolic energy.  It is a more stabilized form of Vitamin A in the skin, due to its ability to convert Vitamin A into the cellular form of retinol. This form provides a more effective dermal response. Retinaldehyde is superior in repairing connective tissue from environmental damage.

Similar to Retinol, Retinaldehyde treats the same skin conditions, but with a more stabilized result. Osmosis Pur Medical Skincare is one of the top skin care lines that uses Retinaledyde in its stabilized form. Their products are highly effective in treating skin conditions on a dermal and cellular level.

The bottom line is that both forms of Retinol are highly effective for treatments in anti aging, acne, cellular repair and as a collagen booster, but Retinaldehyde is much less irritating.