When it comes to skin care, most of us focus on looking after our face - our bodies are really a secondary consideration. At Mokosh, we are acutely aware of this because we sell far more products for the face than for the body. That attitude may change in light of recent research. More evidence is accumulating that the onset of the chronic diseases of ageing may be influenced by the health of our skin - by which is meant all our skin, not just the skin of our face.
What is inflamm-aging?
Inflamm-aging is a term used to describe the gradual increase in inflammatory markers in our bodies as we age. As inflammation builds, so does our risk of developing age-related diseases including type 2 diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, cancers, cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease (1). Much work is being done to understand this process and discover how the chronic inflammation of ageing can be slowed, allowing us to age in a more healthy way.
Where does our skin come in to this?
It is well understood that as we age, our skin becomes less effective at forming a barrier. The outer layer of our skin (the stratum corneum) becomes less hydrated, the pH increases and the barrier is slower to recover from damage. Aged skin is likely to be more irritated, and may become thickened and scaly. These changes can lead to increased inflammation in the skin which can then increase the level of inflammation in our whole bodies (1).
It is now considered by some scientists that these changes in the skin could be a major trigger for the inflammation that characterises inflamm-aging and its associated diseases.
What is the evidence that caring for our skin can reduce inflamm-aging?
A recent study showed that applying moisturiser to aged skin resulted in a marked reduction of key inflammatory markers in the bloodstream, in some cases returning to the levels seen in young people (2). A more recent study using larger numbers of subjects showed a correlation between increased inflammatory markers in the blood and reduced hydration of the stratum corneum. (3)
A very intriguing 3 year study compared cognitive function in ageing subjects (65+ years) with and without application of a moisturiser. Those not receiving treatment showed a cognitive decline, while the cognitive function of those that received the moisturiser remained stable (4). This suggests that the cognitive decline associated with ageing could be slowed by applying hydrating moisturiser to body skin, presumably by reducing skin inflammation and, as a result, whole body inflammation. It is not yet known whether moisturising the skin can also slow down the other chronic diseases of ageing caused by inflamm-aging - we look forward to further work in this area.
Facial skin accounts for less than 5% of our skin surface
As you probably already know, our skin is our largest organ, and the skin of our face makes up only around 3.5% of all our skin (5). Because poorly hydrated skin is potentially a significant contributor to inflamm-aging, keeping all our skin well nourished and hydrated, no matter what our age, makes sense. Although more work needs to be done, there is strong evidence that protecting the barrier function of all our skin could reduce our risk of developing some of the chronic diseases of ageing.
Mokosh products protect and restore the skin’s barrier
We have described many times how our products are particularly beneficial for your skin's barrier function and can help slow ageing (for example this blog). The studies described above add weight to the importance of taking care of the skin's barrier - our unique formulations offer benefits that are lacking in skin care formulated with water, preservatives and emulsifiers.
What do we recommend for the body? During winter when skin tends to be drier, or for particularly dry skin, we recommend using our body creams as they have great staying power. Choose between the Everybody Cream (fragrance free) and Frankincense & Orange Body Cream.
During summer, for a lighter coverage, go for our Sesame & Frankincense Body Oil.
All our body moisturisers are packed with nutrients that restore your skin’s barrier and hydrate your skin, and deliver antioxidants and anti-inflammatory molecules that keep your skin calm, plump and healthy.
We recommend taking care of all your skin as part of your overall health strategy for your best chance of ageing gracefully.
REFERENCES
(1) https://immunityageing.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12979-023-00331-1
(2) https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jdv.15540
(3) https://immunityageing.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12979-023-00331-1
(4) https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jdv.18162
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