Skin longevity: how to keep youthful looking skin for longer The original version of this article was reviewed by Dr. Kaeberlein, dermatologist Skin longevity is easily confused with the concept of anti-ageing skincare, but there are important distinctions: anti-ageing is about targeting the symptoms of ageing; the signs we see in the mirror. Skin longevity focuses on the root causes of ageing at the molecular level to help prevent or minimise the symptoms we will eventually see. Quick breakdown: What is skin longevity? Chronological age vs biological age How much of skin ageing is genetic? How is skin age determined? Why is skincare important for healthy skin longevity? Which skincare ingredients support skin longevity? Skincare routine to promote skin longevity How to keep youthful-looking skin beyond your skincare routine What is skin longevity? For both skin and body, the concept of longevity isn’t just about how long we live, it’s about how many years we spend in good health. This includes the health and appearance of our skin. Effective skincare and smart dietary and other lifestyle choices are the key tools to getting and maintaining your youthful skin for longer. Yes, it’s true that your skin can look younger than your actual age! Chronological age vs biological age Your skin’s chronological age and biological age are not the same thing. Longevity skincare focuses on measureably slowing your rate of biological ageing, which could be younger or older than your chronological age. What is chronological age? Chronological age is your actual age – it is simply the passage of time, the number of candles on your birthday cake. What is biological age? Biological age goes further than chronological age. More specifically, it refers to the physiological age of all the cells and tissues in the human body from the amount of accumulated damage. It is an incredibly complex process that involves more than just changes from “getting older.” Biological ageing is impacted by genetics, lifelong environmental factors (sun and pollutant exposure) that influence physical and mental health and years of lifestyle choices such as diet, exercise, socialisation and supplementation. These factors have an epigenetic influence, meaning they have the power to reversibly change how your genes work. These epigenetic changes impact how well your skin makes collagen, elastin and a host of other things that keep your skin looking young. Longevity skincare works at the molecular level to help prevent or reverse these visible changes that are associated with biological age. Although there are several biomarkers associated with ageing (like telomere length, cell senescence, oxidative stress and protein dysregulation), many researchers think that the unifying factor is DNA damage. DNA (dioxyribonuclecic acid) is a specialised molecule found in all parts of the body, including our skin. It is a literal template for all cell functions (including skin cell functions), containing specialised instructions that tell our cells how and when to divide, multiply and repair themselves. Internal and external sources of DNA damage play pivotal roles in every aspect of ageing, including how our skin ages. As such, anything we can do to limit this damage and encourage visible repair will have a positive effect on biological ageing. "The skin is not just our largest organ; it's a crucial shield against DNA damage,” says Dr. Kaeberlein, an expert in skin longevity. “Protecting our skin with broad-spectrum sunscreen and other high quality skincare products is essential in safeguarding our body's genetic blueprint." How much of skin ageing is genetic? The role of genetics in the ageing process has hereditary, lifestyle and environmental links. Epigenetics is a major factor as it causes unwanted changes to cells and the body (and skin’s) capacity to endure stress. But ultimately the exact role that genetics plays in the ageing process is complex. And despite all that we’ve learned in recent years about the relationship between genetic and environmental ageing, there’s still so much we don’t know. The environment we live in strongly affects the ageing process, leading to what’s known as extrinsic (external) signs of ageing: think wrinkles, discolourations, sagging and texture changes to skin over many years. Environments can vary from hot, humid climates close to the equator to dark, cold locations far up north, but all environments are pro-ageing. Not surprisingly, the biggest culprit in environmental ageing is exposure to UV light. Other sources, such as blue light and airborne pollutants, cause their own damage and worsen the skin breakdown triggered by cumulative sun exposure. So how does ageing affect the skin? Basically, the older we get, the greater the decline in the skin and body’s abilities to keep us looking and feeling healthy due to cumulative damage. This damage can also trigger certain unwanted genetic changes which would have otherwise remained inactive. How is skin age determined? If you couldn’t tell by now, measuring skin’s biological age isn’t as easy as counting the years that have passed since birth. There are a few ways to find out your biological age, the most common is something known as an “ageing clock”. These computerised clocks use specific biomarkers to predict the biological age of your whole body. Detailed machine learning is involved since computations are based on a broad dataset from people of all ages, creating a baseline from which biological age can be (reasonably) determined. To date, none of these ageing clocks are considered an exact science due to numerous variables that can skew results. Additionally, they’re not able to account for every conceivable biomarker of ageing. Remember, there is still so much to learn about the ageing process. Despite this limitation, ageing clocks can help by reminding you to act on factors that are in your control. It is a motivating factor to reduce your biological age when you find out that it’s scored higher than your actual age! Fascinating fact: your skin’s biological age can be different from the biological age of your other organs. Based on your genes and your history of environmental damage, the skin’s biological age may be greater or less than that of your heart or lungs. Measuring the biomechanical properties of skin is another way to predict its age. For example, you can measure changes in skin’s water content, collagen density, collagen fragmentation (both impact skin thickness) and elasticity (ability of skin to return to its original shape when stretched) to get a better idea of skin’s biological age. Factors like the amount of sun damage and lifestyle choices, including smoking, are noted for significant premature ageing of skin. Why is skincare important for healthy skin longevity? As the body’s largest organ and the first line of defense to pro-ageing external stressors (eg. UV rays), our skin plays a key role in whether the entire body’s longevity is healthy or hindered. Though our talk of environmental and genetic impacts on skin might be frightening, the truth is: a lot of how our skin looks and feels as we age is within our control. Longevity skincare can really improve signs of ageing by extending the skin’s health span, which is the amount of time skin’s normal health is maintained. But skincare also has an indirect benefit: by protecting skin’s surface from damage and visibly repairing existing damage, your skin is better able to protect your entire body and enhance its healthy longevity too. By far the most important product for skin longevity is SPF. Unprotected exposure to UV light not only causes visible changes to your skin (sunburn, uneven tone, fine lines and wrinkles) but it also suppresses the immune system. This sets off a chain reaction, leading to chronic inflammation throughout the body and causing premature cell senescence, which is a process where cells stop dividing and instead send inflammatory messages to nearby healthy cells. Carefully timed senescence is helpful but premature senescence speeds up the biological age of your skin. Which skincare ingredients support skin longevity? Along with daily use of an SPF moisturiser, there are many skincare ingredients that can promote healthy longevity and a youthful look. It’s not an exhaustive list, but here are some of the best longevity ingredients: Retinol / retinoids Vitamin C Vitamin E Peptides Niacinamide Antioxidant-rich plant extracts (like pomegranate, soothing green tea & resveratrol, as well as other non-fragrant options) Algae (all kinds, there is no single best option) Ceramides Choose these ingredients in leave-on longevity products and apply them once or twice daily. Leave-on formulas are best, like moisturisers and serums, as they allow the ingredients more time with your skin to really get to work. And of course, avoid irritating ingredients as they’re hostile toward healthy skin longevity. Skincare routine to promote skin longevity The right routine can really make a difference by visibly slowing ageing at the molecular level! The very concept of a longevity skincare routine is to help your skin better withstand and visibly recover from changes due to the passage of time and environmental exposure. Here is our skin longevity guide: AM steps: Wash your face with a gentle cleanser Apply an antioxidant-rich, soothing toner Apply a vitamin C serum or niacinamide treatment Apply a peptide treatment Finish with a broad-spectrum SPF 30+ PM steps: Wash your face with a gentle cleanser Apply an antioxidant-rich, soothing toner Apply a leave-on AHA or BHA exfoliant Apply a retinoid treatment Apply a moisturiser suitable for your skin type Apply an eye cream formulated for your concerns Following this type of routine will result in skin that shows renewed smoothness, clarity, radiance and firmness. Signs of past damage will fade from view as lines, wrinkles and uneven texture are softened. Best of all, this preventive and reparative approach will help your skin age smarter, not harder! How to keep youthful-looking skin beyond your skincare routine Along with reparative, protective, antioxidant-packed skincare for youthful skin, there are several other factors that help extend your skin’s longevity and leave you looking refreshed: Maintain a consistent sleep schedule: take steps to ensure you’re getting quality sleep (darkened room, lower room temperature, no screen time in bed) Eat a mostly plant-based diet: consistently eating healthy foods helps decelerate biological ageing Exercise regularly: based on your physical abilities and interests, get outside and get moving; being sedentary is anti-longevity Socialise: routinely connect with other people in person, doing activities you enjoy, social isolation and loneliness take a documented toll on your skin’s appearance Take supplements: talk to a medical longevity expert about supplements proven to address the hallmarks of ageing; vitamin D3 is a big one, as are NAD precursors such as nicotinomide riboside and nicotinamide mononucleotide (we also like astragalus, spermidine, curcumin and resveratrol), ask your GP for personalised advice in your next appointment. 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