Popularity and usage of various beauty supplements around the world is growing year by year, and scientists do not cease searching for the key to turn back the clock of youth. With the emergence of the very first fine lines, many of us start looking for products that would help us maintain healthy and youthfully radiant skin. Phytoceramides – the ingredients used in beauty formulas – have made it to the top of the product list when it comes to maintaining beautiful skin. What are they useful for and how do they help prevent skin ageing?
It is important to moisture the skin from inside
Skin is the largest human organ with many important functions, including body protection, thermoregulation, prevention of dehydration and removal of toxins from the system. More than 20% of body water lies in the skin, performing an important function of moisturising. The skin losing certain substances causes moisture imbalance.
“Moisture imbalance results in dehydrated dry skin and wrinkles and it affects the protective function of the skin. With age, the skin loses the ability to preserve moisture. Pollution, exposure to sun, dry air indoors, heat and wind all increase skin dryness”, says Jurgita Stoškienė, Dermatovenerologist/Trichologist at Era Esthetic Avenue.
“Moisture imbalance results in dehydrated dry skin and wrinkles and it affects the protective function of the skin. With age, the skin loses the ability to preserve moisture. Pollution, exposure to sun, dry air indoors, heat and wind all increase skin dryness”, says Jurgita Stoškienė, Dermatovenerologist/Trichologist at Era Esthetic Avenue.
To maintain youthful and healthy skin, one should maintain its moisture balance. Scientists note that this is not always achievable with external products only.
“Before choosing skincare products, it is better to consult a specialist who will assess the general condition of your skin. People may feel the lack of certain substances themselves. For instance, we feel when we lack energy, when we are not active during the day or when there are frequent mood swings”, says Dr. Stoškienė.
Why does the skin lose moisture and why is it important to restore it?
When we talk about skincare, various products and food supplements, we are used to hearing about the benefits of collagen and hyaluronic acid but a major skin component – ceramides – is undeservedly forgotten.
The skin is comprised of several main layers: epidermis, derma (actual skin) and hypodermis (subcutaneous layer). Ceramides, the lipids contained in epidermis, are vital for ensuring the barrier function of the skin. Commonly, there are 35-40% of cell binding ceramides in the matrix. Based on the lipid level in the superficial layer, the skin is categorised as dry, normal or oily. However, all skin types may suffer from dehydration.
Numerous studies have been conducted to determine the functions of ceramides. With ageing, the skin loses the ability to preserve moisture due to decreased resources of ceramides in the epidermis. Moreover, collagen synthesis is reduced and the skin loses volume, elasticity, wrinkles become deeper.
“It has been scientifically proven that biological ageing of the skin is influenced by a reduced amount of collagen and ceramides in the skin. The ability of the body to produce collagen starts declining as early as 25 years of age and at 20 for ceramides. Every year, the amount of collagen and ceramides which ensure the barrier function of the skin diminishes by 1%. In time, the skin also rapidly loses natural hyaluronic acid. A balanced diet helps restore the amount of ceramides and other vital skin substances but what one intakes with food is not always enough”, notes Dr. Stoškienė.
What are phytoceramides and their benefits?
Phytoceramides (vegetal ceramides) are found in vegetal food products such as spinach, soy beans, rice and, particularly, wheat. However, the diet should include a lot of these products in order to get a required amount of ceramides.
To replenish collagen, ceramides, hyaluronic acid other substances that restore skin elasticity and moisture balance, specialists recommend using food supplements that contain these bioactive substances.
What is most important when choosing food supplements for skin?
When choosing food supplements, you should consult a doctor or a pharmacist. However, specialists agree that consumers themselves should also read up on food supplements, checking their origin and ingredients.
Pharmacist Laisvūnas Ražanskas, Manager of Laifarma UAB which distributes Beauty by Science food supplements in the Baltic countries, says that the main criteria when choosing quality food supplements is the reliability of a manufacturer and research proving the efficacy of the ingredients of food supplements.
For example, Robertet Group which produces Beauty by Science supplements pays special attention to scientific studies. This French company has been researching and manufacturing natural products used in pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries for 170 years already, from as early as 1850. The 100% natural active substance Lipowheat™ has been extracted from ecological non-modified wheat grains and patented by the scientists of Robertet Group. This botanic lipid extract, rich in ceramides, glucosylceramides, phospholipids, triglycerides and sterols, is the main ingredient of Beauty by Science food supplements.
6 clinical studies have shown that Lipowheat™, as a concentrate source of ceramides, effectively restores skin barrier functions, moisturises skin layers and ensures skin integrity, which results in fewer wrinkles.
“Today, there is a great variety of food supplements for beauty in the market, so it is not easy to pick the right ones for you. When buying a food supplement, you should first pay attention to the manufacturer. If the package states that the food supplement is manufactured in the European Union, it is the same as to say that the food supplement is manufactured in your grandfather’s village”, claims Ražanskas.
According to Ražanskas, the efficacy of food supplements may also be validated by clinical studies – this is one of the most solid arguments worth following when choosing a food supplement.
“Unlike in the pharmaceutical market, clinical studies are not mandatory for food supplements. Only strong and reliable manufacturers, who are well known worldwide and who would never risk their reputation or public health by offering non-quality products, invest in research and clinical studies,” says Ražanskas.