real anti-aging solutions or scam?

There is nothing more natural and more fiercely fought than aging, especially when it begins to show… To relegate wrinkles, crow’s feet, and thinning hair to the closet, cosmetic laboratories are at the forefront of research and are constantly developing new “natural origin” products full of promise, capable of re-plumping the skin, or even preventing its decline. Here’s what scientists say about these flagship substances.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C (also known as ascorbic acid) is often presented as the number one ally against skin aging. It is essential for good health. Besides, “the specific pathology linked to vitamin C deficiency is scurvy”, can we read on the website of the National Food Safety Agency. “It manifests itself by bleeding gums, loose teeth or even joint pain. » Vitamin C “performs important and well-known functions, stimulating collagen synthesis and contributing to antioxidant protection against UV-induced photodamage”explain the scientists in a study published in 2017 in the journal Nutrients. A statement correlated by several other studies and heralding good news for beauty products that contain it.

Yes, but here it is, “this knowledge is often used to justify the addition of vitamin C in topical applications, (while) the effectiveness of such treatment, as opposed to optimizing dietary vitamin C intake, is poorly understood “. In conclusion: it is possible that a vitamin C-based product applied to the skin has plumping and protective effects against UV rays, but studies on the subject are few in number, and the results are not yet conclusive. . It is therefore better to focus on a diet rich in vitamin C, favoring citrus fruits, parsley and even peppers.

Collagen

The famous collagen, whose production is stimulated by vitamin C, is the most abundant protein in the human body. It gives the skin its elasticity, but also improves the quality of the hair, and can have beneficial effects against joint pain. In short, collagen is your best friend. However, from the age of 25, it becomes rarer, and its production decreases by approximately 1.5% per year.

To compensate for this decline and maintain baby-like skin, many sites and laboratories offer food supplements to be taken in the form of powder or tablets during treatments lasting three months. Often expensive treatments. The good news is that, this time, the effect of collagen food supplements is well proven! At a “Double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 69 women aged 35 to 55 years received 2.5 g or 5.0 g of collagen hydrolyzate or placebo once daily for 8 weeks, with 23 subjects divided into each treatment group »detail the authors of a study published in 2007 in the journal Skin Pharmacology and Physiology.

Result : “After 4 weeks of follow-up treatment, a statistically higher level of skin elasticity was determined in older women”. The bad news is that it is very easy to be seduced by brands that will not offer you products that your body can assimilate. On the market, we can find two types of collagen: marine collagen, from fish skin, and animal collagen, from pork or beef. It can take two forms: capsules or powder.

Studies that have looked at the absorption of collagen by the body have shown that marine collagen is on average 1.5 to 1.7 times better absorbed than bovine collagen. Furthermore, the question of size arises: collagen is a very large protein, around 30,000 daltons when the pores of your stomach are only 5,000. It is therefore recommended to prefer collagen in the form of powdered peptides not exceeding 5,000 daltons in order to optimize its absorption. Finally, in order to reach the recommended daily dose (1 to 20 grams depending on the metabolism, diet and sporting activity of each person) it is better to rely on the powder: a pill containing 1 gram of product maximum, we let you imagine the quantity that should be swallowed…

Hyaluronic acid

Hyaluronic acid is one of the darlings of cosmetic laboratories. In 1994, researchers stated in The International journal of dermatology that “Changes in hyaluronic acid levels in the dermis during aging (may) explain some of the most striking alterations in aged skin, including decreased turgor, reduced microvessel support, wrinkles, and alteration of elasticity”. And for good reason: it is the molecule responsible for binding and retaining water molecules in the skin. The reduction in the production of this molecule is therefore responsible for less hydrated, less plump and duller skin.

It now remains to be seen how to compensate for this variation. Nothing’s easier. After a clinical trial of hyaluronic acid injections conducted in 2014 on 40 healthy women with mild to moderate clinical signs of skin aging, scientists concluded in their article published in the journal Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology that “three hours after a single application and after 7, 14 and 30 days of treatment, lip volume increased by 8.5%, 11.3%, 12.8% and 14.2%. After 7, 14 and 30 days, the skin sagging of the facial contours and cheekbones decreased », as well as the depth of wrinkles. Those who want to spare themselves the ordeal of the injection can rest assured: the creams also work by stimulating the production of the molecule by the skin, but they still remain much less effective.

Retinol

Finally, retinol — one of the three available forms of vitamin A — is generally perceived as the number one anti-wrinkle. So, “retinoic acid has been shown to improve the appearance of aged skin”researchers said in 2017 in International Journal of Cosmetic Science. In the conclusion of a clinical trial carried out on the skin of the buttocks (yes, yes) of a cohort of people aged 70 to 80 years, they concluded that retinol in the form of cream or serum concentrated at 0.4% “has remarkable anti-aging effects thanks to the improvement of the homeostasis of the epidermis and dermis. (…) These data prove that topical (retinol) 0.4% is a promising and safe treatment to improve naturally aged human skin.”

You now know everything about the miracle substances of the cosmetic industry, and you will now be able to let your wrinkles bloom or work hard to smooth them out without fear of being scammed. The best tip to fight against aging remains to adopt a balanced routine: a good night’s sleep, a varied diet, and regular physical activity!