As we enter into the holiday season, it is important to remember that the excessive stress occurring at this time of year and winter weather can impact overall skin health. During the holiday season our skin is vulnerable to numerous factors including stress, lack of sleep, eating a less-than-optimal diet, cold weather in many parts of the country and the damaging effects of heaters.
Lack of sleep commonly becomes apparent with dark circles under the eyes. Dark circles under the eyes are due to the appearance of blood vessels through the very thin skin under the eye. Aging, and the related thinning of the skin and loss of the protein collagen, results in even more apparent dark circles. Lack of sleep can also cause a decrease in the skin’s ability to heal and an increase in pro-inflammatory cellular chemicals that affect the skin.1
In addition, low humidity during the winter months can also adversely affect the skin. In fact, researchers have shown that during the winter months, the skin is more prone to irritation and trans-epidermal water loss.2 Other studies have shown that winter weather induces a mild inflammatory response in exposed skin, such as on the face.3 Additionally, irritated skin that is dry or otherwise sensitive has been shown to worsen during low temperatures and low humidity as seen during the winter months.4
The holiday season is notorious for inducing chronic stress, often resulting in disrupted cortisol levels. Cortisol, which is the primary hormone secreted during the stress response, has been shown to alter the physiology of the skin resulting in thinning of the skin and impaired wound healing.5
In addition to all of these factors, eating holiday favorites including foods high in sugar can also adversely impact skin health. Research indicates that young human skin cells age rapidly when exposed to glucose (blood sugar).6 Increased levels of blood glucose induce a process known as glycosylation. Sugars can irreversibly attach to biological proteins resulting in the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs). AGEs accumulate and can react with molecules creating cross-linkages, causing them to become less elastic and less digestible by enzymes for degradation. Eating foods high in sugar has been shown to increase AGE formation as well as increase pro-inflammatory markers.7 In the skin, the structural protein collagen is highly susceptible to glycosylation due to a slow turnover rate.8 Glycosylated collagen is less elastic resulting in wrinkles, dryness and sagging skin. Fibroblasts, the connective tissue cells that synthesize collagen, are also susceptible to reactions with AGEs as research indicates that AGEs can distort fibroblast structure and function.9 Furthermore, studies have shown that AGEs can decrease the synthesis of hyaluronic acid, a natural moisturizing agent in the skin.10
Hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring substance within the body that belongs to the class of compounds known as glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). Hyaluronic acid is found in several places in the body such as the eyes, joint fluid and cartilage, and is a major component of skin. In the skin, hyaluronic acid has several important physiological functions.
Hyaluronic acid in the skin is important for wound healing. External stress, such as ultraviolet (UV) light exposure, can decrease the production and increase the breakdown of hyaluronic acid in the deeper layer and metabolically active layer of skin, the dermis.11 Hyaluronic acid also attracts water into the dermis layer of the skin, which hydrates collagen and promotes water retention. Hyaluronic acid has the amazing ability to hold up to 1,000 times its own weight in water. This function allows for skin elasticity, which prevents wrinkle formation. Young skin contains abundant levels of hyaluronic acid, allowing for the smooth and elastic appearance. As we age, hyaluronic become more tissue-associated and levels decrease in the upper layer of skin, the epidermis, and accumulate in deeper layers of skin. This results in the apparent dryness associated with aged skin.12 Also, hyaluronic acid levels decline with aging, causing a decrease in the ability of the skin to retain water.12 This results in drier, thinner and looser skin that is less able to heal and restore itself.
Hyaluronic acid can be applied topically to the skin by using such products as Hyaluronic Acid Serum and Facelift Serum to increase levels of hyaluronic acid in the dermis and to attract a water layer on top of the skin surface protecting the skin against water loss. This provides elasticity to help prevent wrinkles, as well as hydration to reduce dryness and thinning of the skin. Additionally, hyaluronic acid can be used under the eye area to reduce the appearance of under eye circles and fine lines by improving microcirculation and collagen integrity. For additional skin support, hyaluronic acid can be applied topically to tighten loose skin and decrease oxidative damage from sources such as UV light, smoke exposure or pollution.
References
1. Altemus M, Rao B, Dhabhar FS, et al. Stress-induced changes in skin barrier function in healthy women. J Invest Dermatol. 2001 Aug;117(2):309-17.
2. Loffler H, Happle R. Influence of climatic conditions on the irritant patch test with sodium lauryl sulphate. Acta Derm Venereol. 2003;83(5):338-41.
3. Kikuchi K, Kobayashi H, Hirao T, et al. Improvement of mild inflammatory changes of the facial skin induced by winter environment with daily applications of a moisturizing cream. A half-side test of biophysical skin parameters, cytokine expression pattern and the formation of cornified envelope. Dermatology. 2003;207(3):269-75.
4. Uter W, Gefeller O, Schwanitz HJ. An epidemiological study of the influence of season (cold and dry air) on the occurrence of irritant skin changes of the hands. Br J Dermatol. 1998 Feb;138(2):266-72.
5. Zervolea I, Pratsinis H, Tsagarakis S, et al. The impact of chronic in vivo glucocorticoid excess on the functional characteristics of human skin fibroblasts obtained from patients with endogenous Cushing’s syndrome. Eur J Endocrinol. 2005 Jun;152(6):895-902.
6. Berge U, Behrens J, Rattan SI. Sugar-induced premature aging and altered differentiation in human epidermal keratinocytes. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2007 Apr;1100:524-9.
7. Ahmed N, Babaei-Jadidi R, Howell SK, et al. Glycated and oxidized protein degradation products are indicators of fasting and postprandial hyperglycemia in diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2005 Oct;28(10):2465-71.
8. Thirunavukkarasu V, Nandhini AT, Anuradha CV. Fructose diet-induced skin collagen abnormalities are prevented by lipoic acid. Exp Diabesity Res. 2004 Oct-Dec;5(4):237-244.
9. Lohwasser C, Neureiter D, Weigle B, et al. The receptor for advanced glycation end products is highly expressed in the skin and upregulated by advanced glycation end products and tumor necrosis factor-alpha. J Invest Dermatol. 2006 Feb;126(2):291-299.
10. Okano Y, Masaki H, Sakurai H. Dysfunction of dermal fibroblasts induced by advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) and the contribution of a nonspecific interaction with cell membrane and AGEs. J Dermatol Sci. 2002 Sep;29(3):171-180.
11. Averbeck M, Gebhardt CA, Voigt S, et al. Differential regulation of hyaluronan metabolism in the epidermal and dermal compartments of human skin by UVB irradiation. J Invest Dermatol. 2007 Mar;127(3):687-97.
12. Meyer LJ, Stern R. Age-dependent changes of hyaluronan in human skin. J Invest Dermatol. 1994;102:385-389.