Ageing is a natural process of life, with the body undergoing significant changes as the years go by. And while we can’t avoid ageing, we can minimise the impact ageing has on our skin.
WHAT HAPPENS TO SKIN AS WE AGE?
To fully understand how probiotics assist in reducing the effects of ageing, it’s important to first unravel the fundamentals of skin ageing. This way, we can better understand the problems skincare specialists are trying to solve. When it comes to skin ageing, there are four major aspects to consider:
1. Changes in skin physiology
This is looking at the chemical and structural changes of the skin as you age, and how they result in the signs of ageing we all know well. We consider both:
• Intrinsic ageing: the inescapable biological processes that result in ageing; and
• Extrinsic ageing: avoidable external accelerators of the ageing process.
2. Inflammation
It’s no real surprise that inflammation has a role to play in accelerated ageing. When it comes to inflammation, there are two types:
• Acute inflammation – this is the short-term inflammation that your body needs to deal with immune threats.
• Sub-clinical chronic inflammation – this is low-grade inflammation that extends over a long period of time. This type of inflammation accelerates ageing and leads to negative health outcomes.
This is a fundamental aspect of the skin, which acts as a selective barrier. When the skin is not providing barrier function effectively, there are far-reaching consequences for our bodies. Compromised barrier function results in a higher level of long-term inflammation and an increased rate of ageing.
4. The skin’s microbiome
The 2007-2014 Human Microbiome Project changed our understanding of the role of microbes in our bodies, impacting the way we see skin at a fundamental level. New knowledge is flooding in, with current studies revealing more and more about the roles that our microbiomes perform in skin.
Commensal microbes are deeply entwined with the way our skin works. The microbiome is a driving force when it comes to maintaining healthy skin that ages appropriately. Because there are such deep and complex relationships between microbes and skin, an unbalanced microbiome has implications for skin health at every level.
At Esse, we look at the ways in which these four aspects impact each other, and we create complex products using biotechnology to target each of them. Our goal is to assist skin in achieving the natural balance that our modern lifestyles have disrupted. One of the most effective ways to improve ageing outcomes is by including Esse’s probiotic-based skincare products in your daily routine. Discover our full range of anti-ageing products: www.esseskincare.com/products/
