Q: How do I keep my skin healthy? Are skin supplements and creams worth the money, and do they work?
– Karry Oni, Los Angeles
A: About 6 pounds of our body weight is skin. It is not only the largest organ on our body but also one of the busiest, protecting us from germs and infections as well as being a barrier to the environment.
General guidelines for skin care are: Drink plenty of water; cleanse daily, once in the morning and once in the evening; moisturize; and eat good food, including fresh fruits, vegetables and fish.
Manufacturers know that wrinkles and age spots are concerns. They spend billions of dollars trying to convince us their potion will give aging skin the dewy youthfulness of a 16- year-old. Most claim to “reduce wrinkles,” “reverse damage caused by aging and sun exposure,” or both. To see if this is true, the Mayo Clinic took a look at the various ingredients in many of the over-the-counter skin creams.
Alpha-Lipoic acid penetrates skin-cell membranes and boosts the effectiveness of vitamins C and E. It can act to exfoliate dead skin cells and reduce the appearance of wrinkles. Products containing this, said the clinic’s report, do appear to reduce fine wrinkles and brown spots. A side effect can be inflammation.
Coenzyme Q-10, copper peptides, growth factors (kinetin) soy isoflavones and tea extracts all seem to improve fine wrinkling, diminish age spots, and even protect against sun damage. Long-term effects are not known, and the Mayo Clinic says more studies are needed.
The four most popular additives – vitamin A (retinol), vitamin C, vitamin E and collagen – seem to be the least effective. Vitamin A is an antioxidant, which neutralizes free radicals (unstable oxygen molecules) that cause wrinkles. In spite of claims that retinol “works deep below the skin’s surface to smooth wrinkles,” the FDA warns that many over-the-counter preparations contain no retinol.
Vitamin C is hard to keep stable and degrades rapidly unless stored in an airtight, light-resistant container. Vitamin E can cause swollen, red, itchy skin, and the most common forms of the vitamin found in cosmetics (tocopherols and tocopherols acetate) are poorly absorbed. Collagen is not absorbed through the skin and does not increase the body’s production of collagen.
When it comes to questions on the best solution for your particular skin situation, see a dermatologist.
As for supplements specifically marketed for wrinkle-reduction, assume a buyer-beware mentality. The skin is a complex organism, and no artificially assembled product is a cure-all. Eat wholesome foods in a wide variety to get all of your nutrients and take a good (inexpensive) multivitamin as a backup. Use the money you save to purchase sunscreen and a wide-brimmed hat.
Linda Buch will respond to fitness questions only in her weekly column. Write Body Language, The Denver Post, 1560 Broadway, Denver, CO 80202, or visit LJBalance@aol.com.
