JAN 12
_LEARN
/
REFERENCE LAB
Exploring the skin’s purpose in whole-body health
_LEARN
/
REFERENCE LAB
JAN 12
Exploring the skin’s purpose in whole-body health
All it takes is a strained muscle or a bad case of the flu to remind us just how grateful we should be to live in healthy bodies. But most of us tend to take our health for granted. Rarely do we take a second to marvel at our rapid brain function or say a little thank-you to our constantly beating hearts. In fact, we may not think about our organs at all until we begin to notice changes in how they’re functioning.
But one organ in particular has perhaps the most thankless job: our skin. The largest organ in our bodies–and arguably one of the most important–skin has long been disregarded as simply aesthetic window dressing. For decades, skin health has almost exclusively been a matter of appearances, with interventions focused on the look of skin rather than its essential functions.The fact remains that skin is absolutely essential to whole-body health. From protecting our vulnerable interior against external pathogens to maintaining core body temperature, skin health is so much more than skin deep. So is it time for us to change the way we think about our skin?
Here at OneSkin, we believe that it is. Join us as we take a closer look at the way our skin health impacts our whole-body wellness – and what we can all do to honor, protect, and care for this vital organ.
What are the skin’s core functions?
Protection
The skin’s protective features don’t end there. Oils created in the dermis prevent your skin from absorbing too much water when you take a bath or go for a swim–protecting against external environmental factors that might otherwise throw off the body’s delicate balance. Plus, fat in the deeper layers of the skin protects our muscles and bones from injury–especially important when we fall or get cuts and lacerations.1
Regulation
One of the most important functions of skin is regulating our internal body temperature. Blood vessels in the dermis help keep our body temperature steady by dilating or constricting during times of intense heat or cold. This allows more or less blood to pass through the vessels near the skin surface, either releasing or retaining the body’s heat in the process. Another important way that skin helps regulate body temperature is by hosting our hair follicles and sweat glands. Both hair and sweat help regulate our body temperature in response to heat, cold, and stress. 3
In addition to temperature regulation, our skin also helps us maintain optimal internal hydration levels. Our bodies are about 55-60% water and water is essential to everything from brain function to new cell formation.4 The outermost layer of the skin–the stratum corneum–is a relatively waterproof barrier that not only keeps excess water out but also helps keep moisture inside our bodies–ensuring we have enough water to support essential organ function. 3
Finally, the skin plays a critical role in whole-body health by participating in vitamin D synthesis. While we can get vitamin D from some food sources, most of the vitamin D we need is created in the skin as a result of sun exposure. Because vitamin D impacts a number of the body’s essential processes, the skin’s role in vitamin D synthesis helps regulate whole-body health. Insufficient vitamin D levels are linked to bone weakness, hormonal imbalances, and muscle spasms.5
Sensation
As our primary sensory organ, skin helps us interact with the outside world: sensing both painful and pleasant stimuli to help us avoid injury and gather vital information about the things we touch. Some areas of our skin–including the fingertips and toes–contain more nerve endings so they can send the brain more information about the things we touch or step on.4
How does skin health affect our whole-body wellness?
Because the skin is our most exposed organ, it is especially susceptible to extrinsic aging factors. As our skin starts to age, it begins to accumulate senescent cells–aged cells at the end of their lifecycle that are normally cleared away by our bodies when we’re young and healthy. As we age, our skin becomes less efficient at clearing these dead skin cells away. When they’re left to accumulate, senescent cells release pro-aging factors and inflammatory signals that drive neighboring healthy cells into senescence. For more on cellular senescence and aging, be sure to check out our blog.
This process significantly accelerates aging throughout the body. In fact, cellular senescence is one of nine hallmarks of aging that contribute to all aspects of human aging–from fine lines on our face to age-related diseases like Alzheimer’s and arthritis.
In addition to what we already know about how skin keeps us healthy, this link to aging puts the importance of skin health into stark relief–showing how maintaining skin health is critical to whole-body wellness throughout our lives.
Where does most skincare fall short?
To see whether retinol really improves skin health, the scientists here at OneSkin conducted an expression analysis to observe how retinol impacts markers associated with skin aging, inflammation, collagen production, and hyaluronic acid production. The results were fascinating. Although retinol significantly increased the expression of markers associated with collagen and hyaluronic acid production, it also created a tenfold activity increase in markers linked to aging and cellular senescence. Additionally, retinol significantly increased the presence of inflammatory markers, IL-6 and IL-8. So while retinol does effectively boost collagen and hyaluronic acid production, it comes at a cost: increased inflammation and molecular aging.
How does OneSkin approach skin health differently?
When compared to retinol at the molecular level, the OS-01 peptide provided similar benefits with none of the drawbacks. Like retinol, the OS-01 peptide significantly increased expression of markers associated with hyaluronic acid and collagen production. However, the OS-01 peptide actually reduced expression of the same inflammation and aging markers that retinol increased. This comparison shows that OS-01 works to hydrate and boost collagen without any of the aging and inflammatory downsides associated with retinol.
Plus, our Topical Supplements–OS-01 FACE and OS-01 BODY–were both formulated to support the skin’s natural barrier function, an essential factor in its protection and regulation functions. In a 12-week clinical study, OS-01 FACE improved skin’s barrier function by 15% on average**.
* Shown in in vitro fibroblast cultures from patient derived samples
** Shown in a 12-week clinical study performed by a third party CRO to evaluate the effects of OS-01 FACE
Reframing skin health as whole-body health
References:
- https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/10978-skin
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5712534/
- https://www.merckmanuals.com/home/skin-disorders/biology-of-the-skin/structure-and-function-of-the-skin
- https://www.usgs.gov/special-topics/water-science-school/science/water-you-water-and-human-body
- https://www.merckmanuals.com/home/disorders-of-nutrition/vitamins/vitamin-d-deficiency
All it takes is a strained muscle or a bad case of the flu to remind us just how grateful we should be to live in healthy bodies. But most of us tend to take our health for granted. Rarely do we take a second to marvel at our rapid brain function or say a little thank-you to our constantly beating hearts. In fact, we may not think about our organs at all until we begin to notice changes in how they’re functioning.
But one organ in particular has perhaps the most thankless job: our skin. The largest organ in our bodies–and arguably one of the most important–skin has long been disregarded as simply aesthetic window dressing. For decades, skin health has almost exclusively been a matter of appearances, with interventions focused on the look of skin rather than its essential functions.The fact remains that skin is absolutely essential to whole-body health. From protecting our vulnerable interior against external pathogens to maintaining core body temperature, skin health is so much more than skin deep. So is it time for us to change the way we think about our skin?
Here at OneSkin, we believe that it is. Join us as we take a closer look at the way our skin health impacts our whole-body wellness – and what we can all do to honor, protect, and care for this vital organ.
What are the skin’s core functions?
Protection
The skin’s protective features don’t end there. Oils created in the dermis prevent your skin from absorbing too much water when you take a bath or go for a swim–protecting against external environmental factors that might otherwise throw off the body’s delicate balance. Plus, fat in the deeper layers of the skin protects our muscles and bones from injury–especially important when we fall or get cuts and lacerations.1
Regulation
One of the most important functions of skin is regulating our internal body temperature. Blood vessels in the dermis help keep our body temperature steady by dilating or constricting during times of intense heat or cold. This allows more or less blood to pass through the vessels near the skin surface, either releasing or retaining the body’s heat in the process. Another important way that skin helps regulate body temperature is by hosting our hair follicles and sweat glands. Both hair and sweat help regulate our body temperature in response to heat, cold, and stress. 3
In addition to temperature regulation, our skin also helps us maintain optimal internal hydration levels. Our bodies are about 55-60% water and water is essential to everything from brain function to new cell formation.4 The outermost layer of the skin–the stratum corneum–is a relatively waterproof barrier that not only keeps excess water out but also helps keep moisture inside our bodies–ensuring we have enough water to support essential organ function. 3
Finally, the skin plays a critical role in whole-body health by participating in vitamin D synthesis. While we can get vitamin D from some food sources, most of the vitamin D we need is created in the skin as a result of sun exposure. Because vitamin D impacts a number of the body’s essential processes, the skin’s role in vitamin D synthesis helps regulate whole-body health. Insufficient vitamin D levels are linked to bone weakness, hormonal imbalances, and muscle spasms.5
Sensation
As our primary sensory organ, skin helps us interact with the outside world: sensing both painful and pleasant stimuli to help us avoid injury and gather vital information about the things we touch. Some areas of our skin–including the fingertips and toes–contain more nerve endings so they can send the brain more information about the things we touch or step on.4
How does skin health affect our whole-body wellness?
Because the skin is our most exposed organ, it is especially susceptible to extrinsic aging factors. As our skin starts to age, it begins to accumulate senescent cells–aged cells at the end of their lifecycle that are normally cleared away by our bodies when we’re young and healthy. As we age, our skin becomes less efficient at clearing these dead skin cells away. When they’re left to accumulate, senescent cells release pro-aging factors and inflammatory signals that drive neighboring healthy cells into senescence. For more on cellular senescence and aging, be sure to check out our blog.
This process significantly accelerates aging throughout the body. In fact, cellular senescence is one of nine hallmarks of aging that contribute to all aspects of human aging–from fine lines on our face to age-related diseases like Alzheimer’s and arthritis.
In addition to what we already know about how skin keeps us healthy, this link to aging puts the importance of skin health into stark relief–showing how maintaining skin health is critical to whole-body wellness throughout our lives.
Where does most skincare fall short?
To see whether retinol really improves skin health, the scientists here at OneSkin conducted an expression analysis to observe how retinol impacts markers associated with skin aging, inflammation, collagen production, and hyaluronic acid production. The results were fascinating. Although retinol significantly increased the expression of markers associated with collagen and hyaluronic acid production, it also created a tenfold activity increase in markers linked to aging and cellular senescence. Additionally, retinol significantly increased the presence of inflammatory markers, IL-6 and IL-8. So while retinol does effectively boost collagen and hyaluronic acid production, it comes at a cost: increased inflammation and molecular aging.
How does OneSkin approach skin health differently?
When compared to retinol at the molecular level, the OS-01 peptide provided similar benefits with none of the drawbacks. Like retinol, the OS-01 peptide significantly increased expression of markers associated with hyaluronic acid and collagen production. However, the OS-01 peptide actually reduced expression of the same inflammation and aging markers that retinol increased. This comparison shows that OS-01 works to hydrate and boost collagen without any of the aging and inflammatory downsides associated with retinol.
Plus, our Topical Supplements–OS-01 FACE and OS-01 BODY–were both formulated to support the skin’s natural barrier function, an essential factor in its protection and regulation functions. In a 12-week clinical study, OS-01 FACE improved skin’s barrier function by 15% on average**.
* Shown in in vitro fibroblast cultures from patient derived samples
** Shown in a 12-week clinical study performed by a third party CRO to evaluate the effects of OS-01 FACE
Reframing skin health as whole-body health
References:
- https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/10978-skin
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5712534/
- https://www.merckmanuals.com/home/skin-disorders/biology-of-the-skin/structure-and-function-of-the-skin
- https://www.usgs.gov/special-topics/water-science-school/science/water-you-water-and-human-body
- https://www.merckmanuals.com/home/disorders-of-nutrition/vitamins/vitamin-d-deficiency
Reviewed by Alessandra Zonari, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) and Co-Founder of OneSkin
Alessandra earned her Master’s degree in stem cell biology, and her PhD in skin regeneration and tissue engineering at the Federal University of Minas Gerais in Brazil in collaboration with the 3B’s Research Group in Portugal. Alessandra did a second post-doctoral at the University of Coimbra in Portugal. She is a co-inventor of three patents and has published 20 peer-reviewed papers in scientific journals.
Reviewed by Alessandra Zonari, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) and Co-Founder of OneSkin
Alessandra earned her Master’s degree in stem cell biology, and her PhD in skin regeneration and tissue engineering at the Federal University of Minas Gerais in Brazil in collaboration with the 3B’s Research Group in Portugal. Alessandra did a second post-doctoral at the University of Coimbra in Portugal. She is a co-inventor of three patents and has published 20 peer-reviewed papers in scientific journals.
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