Uncomplicating Skincare in One Article
Don’t fall for expensive skincare trends. Instead, stick with these three recommendations.
Our skin is the biggest organ in our body, so it makes sense that taking care of it is critical for maintaining our health as we age. The good news is that we have the tools to do this effectively without spending too much money. Making sense of all the trending products in skincare can be daunting, but I aim to cut through the BS with this article and get to the meat of what is important with just a few key recommendations.
Skin Biology & Why it Matters
First thing’s first, it is important to understand some basic skin biology. Our skin has three main layers, each with slightly different structures and functions.
Epidermis: the outer layer of skin contains keratinocytes (some of which are part of a protective barrier called the stratum corneum), melanocytes (pigment), and immune cells.
Dermis: the middle layer of skin contains fat cells, hair follicles, nerve endings, blood vessels, immune cells, collagen & elastin fibers.
Hypodermis: the deep layer of skin contains a subcutaneous fat layer with immune cells, fibroblasts (collagen & elastin), adipocytes, and blood vessels.
As skincare professionals and consumers, why do we care about these layers?
The key takeaway is that most skincare only penetrates the stratum corneum. This is the outer protective barrier of the epidermis which is mostly composed of dead keratinocytes (a type of skin cell). Some smaller molecules (molecules = the individual particles of an ingredient) in some products can penetrate through the stratum corneum and into the living epidermis, but many bigger molecules cannot. Penetrating even further down into the dermis or hypodermis is rare.
Why does it matter? Let’s look at collagen as an example ingredient…
Topical products that contain collagen molecules often are only serving as moisturizers at best. This is because the collagen particles in the products are too big to penetrate through the outer skin barrier. These products will not replenish collagen or stimulate new collagen production in the deeper epidermis, dermis or hypodermis layers, which are the living layers of skin that need collagen support most critically as we age. In this way, many topical collagen products can be misleading in their promises.
If you want to boost your collagen in deeper skin layers… you need to increase it by optimizing your body’s own collagen production.
How do we do this?
I am going to walk you through three ways you can effectively improve your skincare routine and also boost collagen production in your skin cells.
Eat Your Skincare
The first (and best) way to take care of your skin is by eating your skincare. I don’t mean literally eating skincare products of course, but rather eating nutritious foods that are known to protect your skin and increase your body’s natural collagen production pathways. Nutrients that are eaten can easily reach the deeper layers of your skin, having a significant effect on skin health.
Simply put, we should:
Drink enough water, and also eat foods high in water-content. In doing so, we improve our gut health which correlates with our skin health.
Eat foods high in antioxidants (think colorful veggies). Antioxidants help to mitigate damage from harmful external factors like UV rays.
Eat a variety of vitamin C sources (citrus fruits, leafy greens). Vitamin C acts as a cofactor (helper molecule) for proteins involved in collagen production.
Eat foods that increase the building blocks for collagen in your body (healthy protein sources & healthy sources for zinc and copper).
Overall, eating a diet that favors plant-based and whole ingredients over ultra-processed foods will create a solid foundation for healthy skin.
Wear your Skincare (Topical Products)
Once you have a solid foundation, you can begin to optimize further using topical products. It is commonly recommended to use a vitamin C product, a skin renewal product, and (of course!) a mineral based sunscreen. Most of these products will be formulated with some form of moisturizer as well.
Vitamin C
The good news is that topical vitamin C products (like serums) usually can penetrate through the stratum corneum and reach the living epidermis (and sometimes even the dermis!). Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant, and acts as a cofactor (helper) to other proteins that are involved in producing collagen. Not all vitamin C serums are the same, however. You want to look for serums that contain stabilized versions of vitamin C for optimal effect. If you want to learn more about these types of stabilized vitamin C and be able to choose which products are best for you, read one of our vitamin C blog posts.
Skin Renewal
Another topical approach is to use retinol or retinoid containing products. These molecules also penetrate into the skin well and are shown to increase cell turnover (you can imagine this as skin cells renewing faster which in turn helps prevent wrinkles and fine lines), stimulate collagen, reduce pigment, and unclog pores. Please be aware that over the counter products are not the same as prescription strength and that not everyone can safely use retinol products. You should consult your doctor on what may work best for you.
Because not everyone can use retinol / retinoid products (they can be irritating to the skin, should be avoided during pregnancy, and can worsen skin conditions occasionally, etc.), there are other natural alternatives that can work similarly, though they have been less well-studied. These ingredients include bakuchiol (but make sure you are buying “bakuchiol” and not “bakuchi oil” as some trendy products don’t use the correct ingredient), rosehip oil, and carrot seed oil (which is rich in vitamin A precursors).
Sunscreen
You hear it all the time, but yes, sun protection is important! The key takeaway here is that mineral sunscreens (that include zinc oxide for example) are preferential to chemical sunscreens for a number of reasons.
Zinc Oxide is ideal for UBV and UVA protection.
Chemical sunscreens don’t always protect against both.
Zinc oxide is generally well-tolerated by sensitive skin, including skin prone to allergies, redness, and irritation.
Chemical sunscreens contain various synthetic chemicals that can sometimes cause irritation, allergic reactions, or stinging.
Zinc oxide is a mineral sunscreen that creates a physical barrier on the surface of the skin.
Chemical sunscreens absorb UV rays and convert them into heat, which is then released from the skin. This absorption process can sometimes lead to skin irritation or the absorption of chemicals into the bloodstream.
Sunscreen is something that we wear daily on our skin, so it is important to choose a brand that works for your skin type, is moisturizing, and contains healthy ingredients.
Meditate on your Skincare
I’m not entirely joking here. Getting enough sleep, sleeping consistently, and reducing stress has been shown to improve skin health throughout life. While you are sleeping, your skin cells repair from environmental damage. Collagen production is elevated while sleeping, and cortisol levels decrease. In many ways, rest is critical for optimal skin.
Skincare doesn’t need to be complicated or super expensive, but it does take some commitment to healthy lifestyle habits and a few good products. As you find the things that work best for you, we would love to hear about them in the comments section below!
