What Really Works for Anti-Aging? Science-Backed Skincare Ingredients

The video delves into the science-backed skincare practices and ingredients that genuinely contribute to anti-aging. It emphasizes the importance of daily sunscreen use, regardless of skin tone, as it helps prevent and reverse signs of sun damage. The speaker highlights the efficacy of topical retinoids and alpha hydroxy acids in improving skin texture and reducing aging signs. Ingredients like niacinamide and vitamin C are praised for their antioxidant properties and ability to improve hyperpigmentation. The video advises skepticism towards trendy skincare products, such as growth factors and peptides, due to limited scientific backing, and promotes a simple, consistent skincare routine for effective results.

• The speaker expresses frustration with misinformation spread by skincare influencers, particularly regarding sunscreen and tanning.
• There is a concern about people spending money on unnecessary skincare products that don't provide benefits.

"You might think one of the things that frustrates me that gets in my crawl the most is skincare influencers spreading nonsensical misinformation about sunscreen causing skin cancer."

• The speaker is irritated by false claims about sunscreen leading to skin cancer.

"Or people claiming that tanning is healthy. Yeah, that makes me angry."

• The idea that tanning is healthy is another frustrating misconception for the speaker.

"It's very easy to buy dumb stuff in this day and age when we are constantly inundated by all sorts of visual stimulation to acquire things."

• There is a critique of consumer culture and the ease with which people purchase unnecessary products.

• Skin aging is a natural process influenced by cumulative sun exposure and lifestyle habits.
• Different skin tones experience aging differently, with paler skin showing more wrinkles and richly melanated skin showing hyperpigmentation.

"A lot of skin aging is a result of cumulative sun exposure. Depending on your skin tone, this is going to manifest in different ways."

• Sun exposure affects skin aging, with varied manifestations depending on skin tone.

"People with more richly melanated skin types, however, do not show as profound wrinkling, but they do develop age spots, hyperpigmentation, uneven skin tone, and some coarse, dry skin texture as well."

• Richly melanated skin experiences different aging signs compared to paler skin.

• Lifestyle factors such as smoking, alcohol consumption, diet, and stress impact skin aging.
• Menopause and estrogen decline contribute to increased wrinkling in women, with variations based on skin tone.

"Things like smoking, drinking alcohol in excess, having a bad diet, being overly stressed."

• Lifestyle choices significantly contribute to skin aging.

"For women with menopause, you experience a decline in estrogen, and that has some effects on skin aging."

• Menopause-related estrogen decline leads to increased wrinkling, influenced by skin tone.

"Women who have richly melanated skin tones... don't appear to show the estrogen deficient wrinkling with menopause to the same extent at least as those with paler skin types."

• Richly melanated skin may be more resistant to menopause-related wrinkling.

• The speaker emphasizes the importance of using sunscreen daily, regardless of skin tone, to combat skin aging.
• Sunscreen can help reverse signs of sun damage and prevent further aging.

"Number one, without a doubt, no matter your skin tone, is going to be sunscreen."

• Sunscreen is crucial for anti-aging and should be used daily.

"Daily use of sunscreen, not just intermittent, but daily use of sunscreen can help reverse some existing signs of sun damage, some existing signs of skin aging."

• Consistent sunscreen use can reverse and prevent signs of aging.

"If you have a paler skin type, this might look like the fading of some age spots... and a reduction in the formation over time of age-related wrinkles."

• Sunscreen benefits include fading age spots and reducing wrinkle formation, especially in paler skin.

• Topical retinoids like triferitine, tarotene, tininoan, and adapalene are effective in reversing visible signs of skin aging.
• These retinoids enhance collagen production, reducing wrinkles and improving skin discoloration.
• They help slow collagen destruction by suppressing collagen-destroying enzymes and aid in the differentiation and maturation of the epidermis, preventing dry, rough skin texture.
• While most retinoids require a prescription, cosmetic forms like retinol and retinaldehyde can also improve the appearance of skin aging, although they are less studied.

"Whether it be triferitine, tarotene, tininoan, adapalene, all of these have the ability to help reverse some of the visible signs of skin aging."

• Retinoids are highlighted as effective agents in combating signs of aging by improving collagen production and skin texture.

"Retinol and retinaldehyde are cosmetic ingredients that likewise can help improve the appearance of the signs of skin aging."

• Even non-prescription forms of vitamin A can enhance skin appearance, although they are less researched compared to prescription retinoids.

• AHAs such as glycolic acid and ammonium lactate are well-studied and beneficial for reversing visible signs of skin aging.
• They exfoliate dry, rough skin and improve the skin's water content due to their humectant properties.
• Lactic acid, in concentrations above 12%, normalizes skin turnover and enhances the thickness of deeper skin layers with consistent use.

"Whether it be glycolic acid or ammonium lactate, the salt of lactic acid, these are probably some of the more robustly studied alpha hydroxy acids that have been shown to be beneficial."

• AHAs are recognized for their thorough research and effectiveness in skin exfoliation and hydration.

"Lactic acid, interestingly enough, shrinks above 12% and not only helps normalize the turnover processes but with consistent use, it's been shown to improve the thickness of the deeper layers of the skin."

• Lactic acid is specifically noted for its dual action of exfoliating and thickening the skin with regular application.

• Niacinamide, a B vitamin, is a common antioxidant in skincare products that can be found in many drugstore and high-end brands.
• It helps the skin handle environmental damage, improves moisture content, and enhances skin barrier function.
• Niacinamide is effective in reducing dark spots, calming redness, and reversing skin sallowness related to glycation.

"It's an antioxidant. So, it may help your skin handle the damaging effects of environmental exposures that age your skin like sun and pollution."

• Niacinamide's antioxidant properties are emphasized for protecting skin from environmental stressors.

"It's good for improving dark spots because it disrupts the transfer of pigment packets from melanocytes to the surrounding keratinocytes of the epidermis."

• This quote highlights niacinamide's role in reducing hyperpigmentation by interfering with pigment transfer.

• Vitamin C is known for improving collagen production and hyperpigmentation, with ascorbic acid being the most effective form.
• The stability and pH of ascorbic acid are crucial for its effectiveness.
• A combination of ascorbic acid, vitamin E, and ferulic acid is a well-supported formulation for skin benefits.

"Vitamin C has been shown to improve collagen production, has been shown to improve some of the signs of sun damage."

• Vitamin C is acknowledged for its ability to enhance collagen synthesis and repair sun-related skin damage.

"The formulation that it has a lot of evidence behind it, I will say is ascorbic acid plus vitamin E plus ferulic acid."

• This combination is presented as a highly effective and evidence-backed formulation for achieving desired skin improvements.

• Various vitamin C derivatives like magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, sodium ascorbyl phosphate, and ascorbyl glucoside are used in skincare, but lack extensive research compared to ascorbic acid.
• These derivatives are believed to work as antioxidants, potentially reducing oxidative stress and aiding in the treatment of dark spots.
• The efficacy of these derivatives depends on their ability to penetrate the skin and convert to ascorbic acid, which remains uncertain due to insufficient studies.

"There are vitamin C esters, other ingredients that are frequently found in vitamin C products that don't have the data behind them that ascorbic acid does."

• This quote highlights the disparity in research between ascorbic acid and its derivatives, emphasizing the limited scientific backing for the latter.

"It's not clear that they do that. We don't have good studies on that."

• This quote underscores the uncertainty and lack of conclusive evidence regarding the effectiveness of vitamin C derivatives in skincare.

• Peptides are widely used in skincare, with claims of improving collagen production and reversing signs of aging, though most evidence is from pre-clinical studies.
• Clinical studies show peptides improve the appearance of wrinkles, primarily through moisturizing effects rather than biological changes.
• Peptides are beneficial for hydration and reducing transepidermal water loss, but expensive peptide serums may not be necessary for effective anti-aging skincare.

"Peptides, they claim to improve collagen production. They claim to reverse some of the signs of skin aging."

• This quote outlines the ambitious claims made by peptide-based skincare products, though it hints at the lack of substantial clinical evidence.

"It's hard to know that they are doing much above and beyond helping to moisturize the skin."

• This quote indicates that the primary benefit of peptides may be their moisturizing capability, rather than significant anti-aging effects.

• Topical estrogen is discussed for its potential to improve collagen and dermal thickness, though it is not extensively studied.
• Some dermatologists recommend topical estrogen, while others are cautious due to insufficient data on long-term effects and potential side effects.
• Possible side effects include unwanted pigmentation, localized hyperpigmentation, and the prominence of dilated blood vessels.

"Topical estrogen may actually help to improve collagen in the skin. It's not super well studied."

• This quote acknowledges the potential benefits of topical estrogen for skin health but points out the limited research available.

"There are potential side effects. So the risk-to-benefit ratio is not quite clear."

• This quote highlights the uncertainty regarding the safety and efficacy of topical estrogen, especially concerning its side effects.

• Menopause-related decline in estrogen contributes to skin wrinkling, separate from sun damage.
• Richly melanated skin appears less affected by estrogen decline-induced wrinkling compared to other skin types.
• The effectiveness and safety of topical estrogen in skincare remain uncertain, with potential risks like dark spots.

"The decline in estrogen bringing on wrinkles, it's outside of sun damage causing wrinkles. This is a separate wrinkle causer that still does not seem to affect richly melanated skin type."

• Estrogen decline is a distinct factor in skin aging, but its impact varies across different skin types.

• Sunscreen is emphasized as the most crucial skincare ingredient for preventing skin damage.
• Topical retinoids are highlighted for their effectiveness in addressing signs of aging and improving skin texture.

"The most important one is sunscreen. And that does a lot. Sunscreen and if right for you, a topical retinoid can do a lot."

• Consistent use of sunscreen and retinoids can significantly enhance skincare routines by protecting and repairing the skin.

• Growth factors are critiqued for lacking scientific support in skincare efficacy and safety.
• Concerns exist about growth factors potentially accelerating skin cancer formation, although this is not observed in practice.
• Ingredients like exosomes and PDRN are described as overhyped with little clinical evidence supporting their use.

"Growth factors are another category that gets a lot of hype, but it's like the science does not really add up for putting these things on your face."

• The effectiveness of growth factors and similar ingredients is questioned due to insufficient scientific validation.

• A basic skincare routine consisting of cleansing, moisturizing, and sunscreen application is advocated as effective.
• Consistency in skincare practices is emphasized as key to achieving visible results over time.

"At the end of the day, keep it real simple. And consistent, keep it consistent. Sunscreen and moisturizer, that alone will help a lot."

• Simplified routines are recommended for their practicality, cost-effectiveness, and proven benefits in maintaining skin health.

• Lifestyle habits significantly influence skin and overall body aging.
• Engaging in healthy lifestyle practices can complement skincare routines and contribute to long-term skin health.

"There are so many lifestyle choices that you can start making today if you're not already, or you can pat yourself on the back if you're already doing them, that make a huge difference in how our skin and our total body ages."

• Beyond skincare products, lifestyle modifications play a critical role in preserving skin vitality and appearance.