Raw Transcript
Here are the cheapest ways to reverse the signs of skin aging based on the latest human clinical research. So, let's start with the things that cost nothing. An easy area to overlook when it comes to skin aging is diet, but research has found important links. A recent review highlighted that some foods are considered skinfriendly while others we want to avoid. So, antioxidants like vitamin C, they do help to protect the skin and fruits and vegetables are a rich source. We want plenty of phytonutrients and other compounds that are found in many plant sources. So regularly eating meals rich in these substances has been associated with improved skin appearance and decreases the risk of photoaging. So what about the things to avoid? Well, higher fat diets have been associated with more rapid skin aging. So too have higher intakes of refined sugars. So in short, minimize fatty sugary foods. These often going to be highly processed ones and focus on adding fresh fruits and vegetables to your diet. And it doesn't have to be expensive or timeconuming to eat this way. You can create a ton of simple nutritious meals from basic elements like lentils, beans, chickpeas, and mixed vegetables. The second thing that is probably the last that we would consider when it comes to skin health is exercise. Several studies have found positive impacts of exercise on skin health parameters. Consider this recent study. It compares the impact of aerobic to resistance training, and it goes below the surface to see how exercise changes factors circulating in our blood that relate to skin health. So, the study involved healthy middle-aged women who weren't already exercising. So, they were placed on a 16-week exercise plan. Half of them did aerobic exercise while the other half focused on resistance training. Researchers found that skin elasticity and the structure of skin improved significantly in both groups, but there were distinctive benefits for the resistance training group. They also saw improvements in the thickness of their skin. This is significant in the context of aging since skin naturally thins as we get older. And what about how exercise changed factors in the blood related to our skin? Well, in both groups, it marketkedly boosted the activation of genes related to the creation of collagen, hyaluronic acid, and other important aspects of skin function. Here again, the effects were a bit different. Aerobic training and resistance training, they overlapped in their effects, but they also made unique contributions. So, this study shows us that combining both types of exercise is best for maximum benefit for our skin. So, let's get practical with this. Aerobic exercise is familiar and it can be free so long as you've got a pair of running shoes. Now, when most people hear resistance exercise, they think about the gym and gym memberships. But there is a bit of a well-kept secret here. So, we can get significant benefits from resistance exercise without going anywhere near a gym or carving out big blocks of time in our schedule for a workout. So, I advise my patients at the clinic to look for ways to include exercise snacks throughout their day. So these are short bursts of activity that have powerful beneficial effects on our bodies. And because these bursts of exercise are short, we can fit them in within our existing routines and we don't need to take a shower afterwards. So for example, I regularly do a set of push-ups or wall squats between patient appointments and I can do this in less than 1 minute. You can also try taking the stairs instead of the elevator and pushing yourself to climb those stairs quickly. A recent meta analysis examined the impact of exercise snacks on maximum oxygen uptake and peak power on tests like a stationary bike. So across the trials, exercise snacks, they produce large improvements and maximum oxygen uptake and moderate improvements in peak power compared to control groups. So exercise snacks they do actually work. And after eating right and exercising regularly, there's one more critical factor that helps to guard our skin's health from the inside out. And of course, I'm talking about sleep. But why is it so important? Well, for one thing, during sleep, the body focuses on repair and regeneration processes. So, for instance, the repair of skin cells with DNA damage appears to peak at night. And poor sleep quality and duration, they are linked to increased signs of skin aging. One study found that good sleepers had significantly lower scores on a measure of skin aging. And poor sleepers, they lost a lot more moisture through their skin. They also recovered more slowly from irritation from UV radiation. And another study found that just two nights of restricted sleep led to loss of moisture, reduced elasticity, and increased oxidative stress. Now, there are a few key things that can help with better sleep. We want to create the right environment for your sleep. So, make sure that your bedroom is cool and dark. Get your phone out of your bedroom and use a simple alarm clock instead. And we want to make sure that we don't have any screen time within 1 hour of trying to fall asleep. And try and avoid eating two to three hours before you go to bed so that your body is ready to rest instead of processing your last meal. And there's one more free thing to address the signs of skin aging. And this is the easiest of all. So we want to avoid the skin's biggest enemy. So the intensity of UV radiation from the sun is highest in the hours around the middle of the day. So that's precisely what we want to avoid. It's much better to prevent skin aging in the first place than try to repair it later. So scientists estimate that about 80% of facial aging is due to UV radiation from sun exposure. So again, avoiding sun exposure or covering up during these high UV radiation times is a strategic way to reduce the accumulative damage to our skin. But there is a caveat here. So while covering up and avoiding midday sun is critical, it's not possible or advisable to avoid all sun exposure. So sunscreen is a must, particularly on the face and the neck. And if you could only spend money on one thing, let it be this. It's the most effective cream when it comes to preventing the signs of skin aging. But we have to make sure that we get the type of sunscreen right. And I'll come back to that in a moment. Now, first, let's have a look at how big a difference sunscreen can actually make. So, a landmark trial in 2013 included 900 adults, and they gave us a surprise. The group who used sunscreen everyday didn't show any signs of new skin aging after 4 and 1/2 years. A follow-up study in 2016 showed that using sunscreen not only stops the signs of skin aging, but it may even reverse some of those signs. But there is a downside to sunscreen. Many of the ingredients used in chemical sunscreens, they can be absorbed through the skin. And a study in 2020 showed that the six tested active ingredients were absorbed into the blood at levels higher than the FDA's safety threshold. Now, the study doesn't show harm from these chemicals. It just shows that they are absorbed at higher quantities than pre-existing safety thresholds. The American Academy of Dermatology acknowledges this in their guidelines where they state that the FDA wants more data on 12 ingredients before deciding if they're safe and effective. So, is this something to worry about? Well, the problem is at present the evidence is unclear. Personally, I don't want to be putting chemicals in my body when we aren't exactly sure what their long-term effects might be. This is particularly true when we've got some reasons to suspect that they aren't good. Instead, an alternative to chemical sunscreens is mineral-based formulas. So, two of the most common ingredients used here is zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. These compounds are not absorbed through the skin. And the lack of absorption led authors of a 2024 study to conclude that mineral sunscreens are the safest and they have the fewest potential adverse effects. But they can leave a white sheen on the skin and they quickly wash off in water. So, if you're swimming, they aren't going to provide you much protection. And to make it even more difficult when selecting a good sunscreen, and don't worry, I'm going to share some good options shortly, Ela MD is an incredibly popular choice as a mineral-based sunscreen. But if we have a look at the ingredients list, while it does contain zinc oxide, it also contains octinoxide, which is one of the chemical sunscreen ingredients that was flagged in that 2020 study as one of the ingredients that absorbed through the skin and needs further study. plus octinoxide. It's been banned in Hawaii due to its potential toxic effects on marine ecosystems. So, you can see that it's a bit of a minefield when trying to select a sunscreen that doesn't have any of those 12 FDA flagged ingredients, but still offers broadspectctrum protection with SPF 50 and above. So, here is what I do. We can get the best from the chemical and mineral worlds. So, there are newer chemical sunscreen ingredients that are superior to the older options, and they offer great UVA and UVB protection, but here's the critical point. They are large molecules, so they aren't absorbed directly through the skin. So, one of the most recent is Tisorbatinol is another example. So, these newer chemical sunscreen ingredients, they aren't available everywhere, though. But since I'm lucky enough to live in New Zealand, I do have access to sunscreens that don't have those 12 FDA flagged ingredients. Instead, they do use these newer chemical sunscreen ingredients. A great option at a very reasonable price is the Cancer Council Sensitive Skin SPF 50. It doesn't include any of those 12 flagged filters. It's about $16 Australian or about $11 for a month supply. So, if you live in Australia or New Zealand, this is a solid choice. But personally, the one I'm using at the moment is a bit more expensive. It's called Beauty of Joseen, which has the newer chemical ingredients. But if I didn't have access to these newer filters, I'd use Caravee 100% mineral sunscreen SPF 50. It's got both titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, but none of the 12 flagged ingredients from the FDA, and it costs just $14 at Amazon, and it should last you about a month for daily use on your face and neck. Plus, there is a bonus with that product. It includes hyaluronic acid and ceramides, which together can boost moisture and help to restore the skin's barrier function. It also includes nyinomide which is a form of vitamin B3 and that helps to reduce inflammation. Now, whatever type you choose, it's important to pick a sunscreen that has broadspectctrum protection. That means it guards the skin against both UVA and UVB radiation. And when it comes to the skin protection factor or SPF, ideally we want to shoot for at least 50 or above. And if you've got a bit more budget for skinincare, there's one additional product that I would consider. So, it's a medication that's a form of an essential vitamin. So a key reason for the signs of skin aging is the breakdown of collagen and that happens both because of damage from sunlight but also as a natural result of aging. And this medication it helps to address this problem in two ways. First it blunts the impact of the skin's UV radiation on collagen. And the second it helps to stimulate the creation of new collagen. So these two effects they work together to push back powerfully against the signs of skin aging. So what is this impressive medication? Well, it's a group of compounds called retinoids, which are related to vitamin A. So, think of retinoids as personal trainers for your skin. So, just like a trainer helps you to get stronger, retinoids, they push your skin cells to work harder, making them renew and make more collagen, retinoids also help to strengthen the skin's protective barrier. They help to reduce water loss and they stop enzymes that break down the skin support structures. So, one of the oldest and most widely studied is tininoan. So, it was first used to treat acne, but patients soon noticed that it also seemed to help improve the appearance of the skin in general. It even helped with the signs of skin aging and it was approved in the US by the FDA for that purpose and plenty of research has shown its effectiveness. For instance, one massive review looked at 180 individual studies on tininoan and it reported that topical use helped to improve the signs of photoagging in terms of wrinkling, uneven coloration and age spots in as little as 1 month of use. But even though it works really well, some people are quite sensitive to tininoan. They can experience skin irritation, redness, and dryness, especially when you first start using it. So this drawback led to the development of what's called third generation retinoids like adapylene that cause less irritation. They're just a bit more targeted. But does that mean you have to sacrifice effectiveness? Well, a head-to-head trial in 2018 set out to see if these newer generation retinoids worked as well as the older proven tininoan. The study authors concluded that adapylene was just as good at tininoan in reducing the signs of skin aging. So how best should we use these retinoids? Well, first it's important to note that it's generally recommended to use them at night just before bed because they can cause irritation and increase sensitivity to the sun. Plus retinoids they degrade in sunlight and it makes them ineffective. So I always use sunscreen in the day along with retinoid treatment at night and also retinoid use is not recommended during pregnancy. And to minimize side effects, I generally recommend to my patients to start at the lowest strength and only use it every third or fourth night and then slowly build up how often they're using it and then build up the strength. So, what do these cost? Well, with tininoan, generally, you'll need a prescription. Your insurance might cover most of the cost, but you'll need to check in with the details. It also comes in different concentrations. Again, I advise my patients to start at the lower dose and then slowly work up. And right now, a tub of 0.25% 25% gel is about $15 for 1 month supply on Amazon with insurance. With adapylene, it's usually possible to get the.1% concentration without a prescription. And Amazon has it for just $7.50 for 1 month supply. And for higher concentrations, generally you need a prescription. Now, if you want to try and personalize all of this health information to your situation, what you can do is use my health road map tool. So once you type in your gender and your height, uh you can give it more and more information and it will give you more and more personalized health suggestions to discuss with your doctor. So it does have a skin health section in it where it talks about daily moisturizers, sunscreens, topical retinoids, and other advanced skincare treatments if you want to explore them. So check out the pinned comment where you can find the link. Now, all of these are the cheapest ways to protect against skin aging. Most of them are free. And if you want to see my full routine, make sure to check out this next video