Its no secret that the look of youthful skin that is both homogenous in colour and texture, while also absent from wrinkles and sag is the preference of most people. Studies even support this fact and it is one that has fuelled a gigantic cosmetic industry. [R1] [R2] [R3]

When most people think of how to impede the seemingly inevitable maturation of the skin, they think of the botulinum toxin (botox). Though potent, the effects of botox do not so much as to stop ageing but to briefly make it seem cosmetically as if it hasn’t happened. That is, botox doesn’t solve skin ageing at its core and only last a brief 3-4 months before wearing off. [R]

Instead of going with the solely cosmetic route, therefore, I go over here the many routes via which the skin begins to age and how to stop this ageing process in its tracks.

Intrinsic Skin Ageing

Wrinkles and other symptoms of skin ageing occur due to many of the same factors that trigger ageing in all other organs of the body. [R] I’ve talked about this general mechanism of ageing extensively in other articles (1,2,3). It involves the accumulation of DNA damage, protein aggregates and senescent (dormant, inflammatory) cells over the course of one’s life leading to dysfunction. [R1][R2][R3]

For example, skin ageing occurs as a result of cellular senescence of the keratinocytes, melanocytes and fibroblasts (various skin cells) leading to reduced collagen synthesis. [R]

When it comes to intrinsic skin ageing, utilising supplements (spermidine, metformin, berberine, resveratrol) or lifestyle factors (fasting, exercise, sauna) that enhance autophagy or activate sirtuin enzymes should work just as well on the outside as they do on the inside.

Extrinsic and Photo-Ageing

Although skin ageing does occur due to intrinsic factors, it, unlike other forms of ageing, it is massively accelerated by exposure to UV light. [R] UV light enhances the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) within skin cells, which promotes inflammation and damages DNA. This is why antioxidants are very promising for counteracting skin ageing. [R]

Antioxidant Creams

I talked here about why antioxidant supplements are often bad for counteracting intrinsic ageing and can actually do more harm than good. Due to the high levels of UV-induced ROS production in the skin, however, topical antioxidant creams, which directly target the skin, could be another story. [R1] [R2]

For example, when given in the form of a cream, melatonin’s antioxidant properties help prevent UV-Ray-induced skin ageing. [R] Furthermore, in clinical trials, researchers have observed significant reductions in signs of photoaging in those using Vitamin C-containing creams with better results compared to oral Vitamin C. [R1] [R2] [R3] Skin creams containing around 8-20% Vitamin C seem to give optimal results without going to too far and beginning to cause irritation. [R]

Melanin

Further to antioxidants, melanin (the skin pigment) and melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH) are both known to be protective against extrinsic photoaging. [R1] [R2] [R3] This means that taking synthetic melanocyte-stimulating hormone derivatives such as Melanotan 2 could theoretically attenuate skin ageing though it will make vitamin d supplementation more necessary. [R1] [R2]

Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs)

The aggregation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs), such as useless glycated collagen, is another known factor to contribute to skin ageing. [R] Reducing sugar consumption, which has been shown to increase AGE synthesis, and reducing dietary intake of AGEs, found in barbecued meats, could theoretically contribute to slowed skin ageing going forward. [R] Furthermore, autophagy (cell recycling, see more here) is actually able to inhibit cell death induced by AGEs. [R]

Sulforaphane

Sulforaphane is a plant compound found (as a precursor) in cruciferous vegetable with particularly high amounts being found in broccoli sprouts. [R1] [R2] It is well known for its strong anti-cancer and detoxification effects, though it could also have benefit in attenuating skin photoageing. [R1] [R2]

Sulforaphane, via stimulating something called NRF2, has the ability to drastically upregulate antioxidant and anti-inflammatory proteins within your cells. These can counteract the reactive oxygen species increases bought about by UV light exposure and keep skin healthy, possibly in a more effective way than antioxidant creams can. [R]

Vitamin A and Derivatives

Vitamin A1 (Retinol), as well as retinoid derivatives, such as retinyl propionate, tretinoin (Retin A) and isotretinoin (Accutane) have known protective effect against photoaging. In fact, these Vitamin A based compounds (often given as creams but also orally) have a positive effect upon both intrinsic ageing, extrinsic ageing and collagen synthesis. Saying this, one should be aware that tretinoin and isotretinoin are noted to increase sunburn risk. [R1] [R2] [R3] [R4]

While tretinoin cream is the go-to for skin ageing, it is prescription-only therefore non-prescription retinol derivatives and metabolites, such as retinyl propionate and retinaldehyde, may be your best bet though Vitamin C and retinol combinations have been proven to have benefits also. [R1] [R2]

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