Health Ingredients Generation Homeostasis
Health
The skin is the most seen and public organ but yet, the least understood organ. The skin never lies; as sensory, nerves, temperature measurement, blood flow, perspiration and pore dilation activities are assessed during lie detection tests. Additionally, infrared cameras are used by security at airports to detect a fever amongst a crowd. We have to understand who we are and what our cells are made of as we recognise ourselves by our skin. A magnificent array of chemical reactions takes place on a molecular and cellular level within the skin. Human skin is a complex living material but in biomechanical tests it reveals its homogeneous nature. Our environment can directly influence who we are. The skin reacts immediately and directly to the outside environment. Human skin can be stretched to several times its original size and still maintain its original phenotypic properties. Such impressive expansion is possible because the skin is a highly specialised mechanical structure, responding through a network of interconnected cascades of chemical reactions, with the participation of extracellular, cytoplasmic and nuclear membranes.
Healthy skin is the level of functional and metabolic efficiency of a living organism. In human skin it is the ability to adapt and self-manage when facing physical, mental, psychological and social changes.
Our skin’s health is a complex biological process influenced by a combination of intrinsic (genetics, cellular metabolism, hormone and metabolic processes) and extrinsic (chronic light exposure, pollution, ionising radiation, chemicals, toxins) factors.
Ingredients
Particular compounds and molecules need to be applied to the demanding skin in order to assist and supplement a homeostatic balance at all times even when the skin is exposed to social and environmental stressors. A product with measurable quality, safety and efficacy standards should be considered. Stereo chemical properties of the active and inactive ingredients applied to the skin is explicitly important, i.e. the chemical characteristics of a compound should be understood in order to ensure that a therapeutic and biological benefit is obtained on a cellular level. There are two main groups of agents that can be used as skin health topical components, the antioxidants and the cell regulators. The antioxidants, such as vitamins, polyphenols and flavonoids, reduce collagen degradation by reducing the concentration of free radicals in the tissues. The cell regulators, such as retinols, peptides and growth factors (GF), have direct effects on collagen metabolism and influence collagen production.
Vitamins C, B3, and E are the most important antioxidants because of their ability to penetrate the skin through their small molecular weight. The water-soluble, heat-labile local L-ascorbic acid (vitamin C) in concentrations between 5 and 15% was proven to have a skin anti-aging effect by inducing the production of Collagen-I, and Collagen-III, as well as enzymes important for the production of collagen, and inhibitors of matrixmetalloproteinase (MMP) I (collagenase I). Vitamin E (α-tocopherol) used as a component of skin products has antiinflammatory and antiproliferative effects in concentrations between 2 and 20%. It acts by smoothing the skin and increasing the ability of the stratum corneum to maintain its humidity, to accelerate the epithelialisation, and contribute to photoprotection of the skin.
Vitamin A (retinol) are also a group of agents with antioxidant effects. Retinol is, at the moment, the substance that is most often used as an anti-aging compound. It has been shown that retinol has positive effects not only on extrinsic but also on intrinsic skin health and has a strong positive effect on collagen metabolism. It has been shown to be able to reduce the signs of UV-induced early skin health, such as wrinkles, loss of skin elasticity and pigmentation.
Polypeptides or oligopeptides are composed of amino acids and can imitate a peptide sequence of molecules such as collagen or elastin. Through topical application, polypeptides have the ability to stimulate collagen synthesis and activate dermal metabolism.
Chemical peels are methods to cause a chemical exfoliation of defined skin layers to induce an even and tight skin as a result of the regeneration and repair mechanisms after the inflammation of the epidermis and dermis. Chemical peels are classified into three categories. Superficial peels [α-β-, lipo-hydroxy acids (HA), trichloroacetic acid (TCA) 10–30%] exfoliate epidermal layers without going beyond the basal layer; medium-depth peels (TCA above 30 to 50%) reach the upper reticular dermis; deep peels (TCA > 50%, phenol) penetrate the lower reticular dermis. The depth of peeling depends not on the substance used only, but on its concentration, pH of the solution and time of application. A number of skin modifications have been reported after several weeks: epidermal architecture returns to normal, melanocytes are present and distributed uniformly, basal cells contain small melanin grains distributed homogeneously, the thickness of the basal membrane is homogeneous, in the dermis, a new sub epidermal band of collagen appears, elastic fibers form a new network, often parallel to those of collagen. If superficial peelings target the corneosomes, cause desquamation, increase epidermal activity of enzymes, lead to epidermolysis and exfoliation, medium-depth peels cause coagulation of membrane proteins, destroy living cells of the epidermis and, depending on the concentration, the dermis. Deep peels coagulate proteins and produce complete epidermolysis, restructure of the basal layer and restoration of the dermal architecture.
Generation
Healthy and functioning skin barrier is important protector against dehydration, penetration of various microorganisms, allergens, irritants, reactive oxygen species and radiation. The skin barrier may be specifically adjusted to allow penetration. For this reason, daily skin care may increase skin regeneration, elasticity, smoothness, and thus temporarily change the skin condition. Mechanical activation of the skin initiates the signalling pathways, which in turn activate the transcription of factors stimulating gene expression, that causes a cascade of events which results in an increased mitotic activity and collagen synthesis. Changes in the skin tissue occurring during dermatological treatments initiate these paths that also increase the mitotic activity and the synthesis of collagen. However, if external stimuli such as mechanical stress reach sufficiently large values, they may cause irreversible deformation and damage to the skin, resulting in a loss of its mechanical properties.
In order to achieve cellular longevity and amplified cellular energy, the cell metabolic activity should function at an optimal state. The main source of cellular energy is the mitochondrion. A skin cell, such as a fibroblast or a keratinocyte can typically contain anything between 100 – 2000 mitochondria that produce a molecule Adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which provides energy for a cell during mitotic activity and enhances cell turnover time, which is the amount of time for the whole cell population to replace itself.
Homeostasis
The body’s temperature is tuned to approximately 37 degrees Celsius, which allows the body’s biological enzymes to function at optimum level. I
Skin functions in homeostasis include protection, regulation of body temperature, sensory reception, water balance, synthesis of vitamins and hormones, and absorption of materials. The skin’s primary functions are to serve as a barrier to the entry of microbes and viruses, and to prevent water and extracellular fluid loss. Acidic secretions from skin glands also retard the growth of fungi. Melanocytes form a second barrier: protection from the damaging effects of ultraviolet radiation. When a microbe penetrates the skin (or when the skin is breached by a cut) the inflammatory response occurs.
Heat and cold receptors are located in the skin. When the body temperature rises, the hypothalamus sends a nerve signal to the sweat-producing skin glands, causing them to release about 1-2 liters of water per hour, cooling the body. The hypothalamus also causes dilation of the blood vessels of the skin, allowing more blood to flow into those areas, causing heat to be convected away from the skin surface. When body temperature falls, the sweat glands constrict and sweat production decreases. If the body temperature continues to fall, the body will engage in thermiogenesis, or heat generation, by raising the body’s metabolic rate and by shivering.
Water loss occurs in the skin by means of evaporation and seating. In hot weather up to 4 liters per hour can be lost by these mechanisms. Skin damaged by burns is less effective at preventing fluid loss, often resulting in a possibly life threatening problem if not treated.
Collagen fibres should make up to 90% of the dermis, of which the composition of Collagen – I is 85-90% and Collagen-III is 8-11%. The overall collagen content per unit area of the skin surface is known to decline approximately 1% year. Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are among the primary dermal skin matrix constituents assisting in binding water. In photo-aged skin, GAGs may be associated with abnormal elastotic material and thus be unable to function Dr Judey Pretorius 4 effectively. The total hyaluronic acid (HA) level in the dermis of skin that age intrinsically remains stable; however, epidermal HA diminishes markedly.