12 minute read
LNE & Spa August 2018
Dehydration
How inadequate water and essential fatty acids leads to impaired enzyme activity
by Cassandra Lanning LME, NTP, CPE, CLT
It is well known that hydration is essential for healthy, beautiful skin. Clients are encouraged to hydrate well before and after services, and in their daily lives. But what exactly are the consequences of dehydration on the skin? Without properly sustained hydration, skin cells cannot function properly, and enzyme activity is impaired.
Water is crucial to our skin cells’ basic functions. Not only is proper water intake essential to supporting the health of skin cells, but topical hydration is also a key component to healthy skin function. Let’s explore the very important reason that clients should drink more water, eat more fats, and use their hydrating serum and moisturizer:
Impaired Enzyme Activity
"Impaired Enzyme Activity is the new terminology for dehydration. When skin is dehydrated, there is no enzyme activity. Without enzyme activity, nothing happens. Enzymatic and chemical activity in the skin happen in the presence of a water-based gel or substance like NMFs or GAGs. Without NMFs or GAGs, no enzyme activity will occur. In order to retain water for enzyme activity, the skin lipid phases must be intact. The water-soluble phases of skin are absolutely necessary for most of a cell's actions and skin health. By ensuring the lipid phases are intact, you can slow down and retain the water movement through the skin." This quote is paraphrased from Florence Barrett Hill’s Advanced Skin Analysis.
Proper nutrition and hydration is essential to enzyme function, skin cell action and overall skin health. By taking their Omega 3s and eating egg yolks and chicken skin, for example, clients can build strong healthy cell membranes and lipid bilayers. The cell membrane eventually becomes the
stratum corneum, and the healthier it is when it is developing, the healthier the stratum corneum will be at the end of the keratinocytes life when it becomes a corneocyte. Consider this the domino effect of hydration. Healthy habits lead to healthy cells, which leads to beautiful skin.
Lipids, Lipids, Lipids!
Any kind of damage to lipids, or the incorrect fats/oils eaten, will have a significant impact on skin because they are so integral to skin health. Damage to intercellular lipids, or incorrect fats/ oils eaten, weakens the skin’s barrier function. A compromised barrier makes skin more easily irritated and prone to infection. Water loss is also much greater when the lipid barrier is damaged. This is where trans-epidermal water loss comes from. That water loss leads to dehydrated, flaky, itchy, hot, or burning skin.
The most effective lipids for skin are the ones that are most identical to
the epidermal lipids: ceramides (sphingolipids), cholesterol, and fatty acids.
The ideal ratio of these lipids is the ratio that they are found in skin, which is roughly:
Ceramides can be acquired from eating chicken skin, which contains sphingolipids.
Sphingolipids, also called glycosylceramides: a) are involved in intracellular signaling b) they protect against colon cancer c) they inhibit cholesterol absorption and synthesis in the intestine d) and they are antimicrobial
Butter also contains sphingolipids (as well as butyric acid which heals the colon lining).
Ceramides can be applied topically in the form of creams and serums.
Cholesterol and Fatty Acids
Cholesterol is found in egg yolks. Cholesterol is not only the most common organic molecule in the brain, but it is also distributed intimately throughout the entire body. It is an essential constituent of the membrane surrounding every cell. The presence of cholesterol in this fatty double layer of the cell wall adjusts the fluid level and rigidity of this membrane to the proper value for both cell stability and function. Applied topically, cholesterol in cosmetics can help maintain the skin’s normal function and help to prevent trans-epidermal water loss.
Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) must be obtained through food or applied topically (the body cannot synthesize it). So, it is important to eat a diet with an adequate amount of EFA’s for good skin health. A deficiency of essential fatty acids can cause skin problems, such as dry skin, dermatitis, eczema, and psoriasis, as well as numerous health disorders.
Omega 3 and Omega 6 are the Essential Fatty Acids (EFA’s) important
for skin health. Both Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids act as potent anti-inflammatory agents. Studies have shown they are helpful for people with inflammatory diseases, such as arthritis, diabetes, and asthma. But since most people get an over abundance of Omega 6s in their Standard American Diet, reducing the Omega 6s and increasing the Omega 3s is beneficial for most people.
EFA’s can be found in hemp oils, grass-fed meat, fish, egg yolks, nuts, and seeds. Topical Omega 3 oils include kiwi seed oil, flax seed oil, and hemp seed oil.
Bottom Line
Clients should be encouraged to drink plenty of water daily. Educating your clients on just how dehydration affects their skin will help drive this point home. There are many variations in recommended water intake, so choose whichever number agrees with you best. As long as your clients are mindful of their hydration levels and incorporate a healthy amount of good fats into their diet, healthy skin function shouldn’t be hard to achieve. Clients should eat plenty of healthy
fats to keep their lipid layers intact and hold in their water intake.
Hyaluronic Acid
Wear It, Inject It, Eat It !
by Tanis Rhines
“Aging skin is skin that is losing its ability to hold water.” When first hearing this statement, upon which Dr. Murad’s anti-aging philosophy is based, one might be inclined to think that the easy remedy to this parched predicament is to simply drink more water. But unfortunately, after the body has reached its natural saturation point, drinking more simply means more trips to the potty and not necessarily more supple skin. (By the way, a quick way to determine hydration levels is by the color of your urine; the more close to clear it is, the higher the hydration.)[1] So if you are determined to find ways to trick the skin into staying as positively plump as possible without having to move to the tropics, it’s time to get acquainted with the miracle molecule, hyaluronic acid.
Hyaluronic acid (HA), is a “goo” molecule; a polymer of disaccharides (two sugars) which are glucuronic acid and glucosamine. You have probably heard of the latter as a supplement for joint lubrication and health. Together along with silicon, they form the ultimate hydrating particle which can hold 1,000 times its weight in water! It is produced in the body, offering a natural way to keep skin youthful without the introduction of toxic skin products. It is highest in concentration in the skin, joints, eye sockets, and other tissues where it helps retain water and collagen, providing elasticity and flexibility. HA is a key piece of the biological scaffolds upon which new cells are constructed during skin wound repair and is also involved in the inflammatory response.
Otherwise known as sodium hyaluronate (the salt of HA that is smaller and able to penetrate the epidermis) and hyaluronan, it was first used as an eye lube and now has slipped its way into all kinds of creams to hydrate skin. It is considered a miracle moisturizer because it is able to address both intrinsic chronoaging (aging caused by father time) and extrinsic photoaging (exposure to sun and other oxidative stressors). But unfortunately, as we age, the amount of hyaluronic acid in our tissues begins to decline. Also, when skin is exposed to excessive UVB rays, it becomes inflamed - what we recognize as a sunburn. This causes the cells in the dermis to produce less hyaluronan[2], further reducing their ability to retain water and then, just like Dr. Murad said, we have “aging skin.” Just one more reason to encourage the consistent use of sunblock. Even better - a sun cream that includes HA.
• Wear It
The easiest way to incorporate hyaluronic acid into your client’s beauty regimen is to choose products containing this plumping polymer. Hyaluronic acid is a humectant, drawing water out of the environment and locking it onto the surface of the skin. These products help to naturally prevent transepidermal water loss, reducing the signs of aging such as wrinkles, flakiness and dryness. A study published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology indicated that a Swiss product that incorporates five different molecular weights of HA was “able to provide an improvement in the appearance of chronoaged skin in subjects showing mild-to-moderate clinical signs of ageing skin on the face.”[3] Some study participants reported increased cheek volume and fuller lips; two traits associated with youthfulness.
Concentrated serums and eye creams may yield improvements in as little as two to four weeks, but many immediately report dewier and smoother skin right after application.
• Inject It
The most highly researched benefit of hyaluronic acid is its ability to alleviate aching joints. In 2007, the EMA (Europe’s equivalent of the FDA) approved Hylan-GF20 as an injectable treatment for ankle and shoulder osteoarthritis pain. It is a major component of cartilage and synovial fluid that bathes the joints with a thick gelatinous liquid allowing bones to glide and cartilage to act like shock absorbers. When HA levels drop, dryness sets in and so do creaks, degenerative joint disease and pain. The re-introduction of it in the form of a “lube job” buffers bones, provides resistance to wear and tear and keeps things working smoothly.
Speaking of smooth, it is also being injected into the dermis to fill out wrinkles (thus its general name in the beauty industry, “filler”). Since it normally exists in our tissue, HA is a safe way to fill in creases such as the laugh lines between our nose and mouth (nasolabial folds) and inflate areas of hollowness on cheeks and even puff your pout. Nearly all challenges with the product come from the actual injection itself, as HA is compatible with the human body. So what kind of complications are most common? Bruising and swelling, and there is often substantial pain during injection, but these go away with time.
Yes, there are possibilities of other needle blunders and even a chance that your body will have a less than ideal response and these have been noted in the Journal of Dermatology & Dermatologic Surgery.[4] But, the biggest filler faux pas that can be avoided is by heeding to that age old adage that “less is more.” Remember, when Mae West said “Too much of a good thing can be wonderful,” fillers had not been invented! But even over-injection with too much product can be immediately corrected with the enzyme that breaks down HA, known as hyaluronidase.
So, if your clients are ready to pull’er into the station and filler’up - than the following considerations are recommended. First, stick with an FDA approved product. Second, there is a variation in the degree of cross linking and molecular weight and therefore densities of different HA products. Generally speaking, the more dense products are better for larger areas where more volume and firmness may be desired such as the cheeks. These denser varieties also tend to last longer. Medium dense products are suitable for the nasolabial folds, and less dense forms do well in the lip area and under eyes in the “tear troughs.” Third, find a highly skilled injector with lots of experience. There is an artform to injection, and identifying an individual who has mastered their craft is worth the time and effort.
• Eat It
Now here is the fun part that most of your clients do not know about. Hyaluronic acid is edible! Oral hyaluronic acid is relatively cheap and as simple as placing an order on the internet and doing an add-on to your morning smoothie. You can soothe joints, hydrate tissues and, in the least,
lube your digestive tube with one big blob of berry flavored goo in your favorite beverage. So here is how it works. When taken orally, especially in the liquid form, hyaluronic acid ramps up your own body’s natural production of this protective polymer presenting a non-invasive therapy for alleviating the symptoms of osteoarthritis.[5] It has also been shown that the molecules can actually be absorbed and are available to the human body.[6] Mix it in with a little glucosamine (the other sugar of the disaccharide pair that links together with glucuronic acid to make HA) and you’ve got a repair system that even Jiffy Lube would be proud of.
There is scientific support that oral supplementation with hyaluronic acid is useful in maintaining skin elasticity,[7] joint flexibility,[8] and sharp vision[9] among adults. Furthermore, HA also stimulates collagen production - so clients will be plump and firm. Win-win!
1. Armstrong LE, Maresh CM, Castellani JW, Bergeron MF, Kenefick RW, LaGasse KE, Riebe D. 1994. “Urinary indices of hydration status”. Int J Sport Nutr. Sep;4(3):265-79. 2. Averbeck M, Gebhardt CA, Voigt S, Beilharz S, Anderegg U, Termeer CC, Sleeman JP, Simon JC. 2007. "Differential regulation of hyaluronan metabolism in the epidermal and dermal compartments of human skin by UVB irradiation". J Invest Dermatol. 127 (3): 687–97. 3. Nobile V, Buonocore D, Michelotti A, Marzatico F. 2014. “Anti-aging and filling efficacy of six types hyaluronic acid based dermo-cosmetic treatment: double blind, randomized clinical trial of efficacy and safety”. J Cosmet Dermatol. Dec;13(4): 277-87. 4. Abduljabbara MH, Basendwh MA. 2016. “Complications of hyaluronic acid fillers and their managements”. Journal of Dermatology & Dermatologic Surgery. July;21(2): 100-106. 5. Tashiro T, Seino S, Sato T, Matsuoka R, Masuda Y, Fukui N. 2012. “Oral Administration of Polymer Hyaluronic Acid Alleviates Symptoms of Knee Osteoarthritis: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study over a 12-Month Period”. Scientific World Journal. 2012:167928. 6. William, Judy, “Clinical study shows hyaluronic acid in BioCell Collagen II® found to have significant absorption and bioavailability”. SIBR. February, 2 2004. 7. Sakai S, Yasuda R, Sayo T, Inoue S, Ishikawa O. 2000. “Hyaluronan exists in the normal stratum corneum”. J Invest Dermatol. 114(6): 1184-87. 8. Artificial Organs 18: 420-24, 1994; Current Review Pain, 4:356-61, 2000; Reg Anesthesia Pain Medicine 24: 84-88, 1999. 9. Archives Opthamology 111:963-67, 1993; Medical Hypotheses 51:483-84, 1998.
