"A whole complex of antioxidants and other substances": Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences - on ways to maintain healthy skin

- Chinese scientists have proven that chlorogenic acid, contained in coffee, chicory and other plant products, can partially compensate for the harmful effects of UV radiation and fight photoaging.

As part of the experiments,

— Indeed, Chinese researchers have shown for the first time that the use of a natural antioxidant - chlorogenic acid - after exposure to the skin of UVA radiation stimulated the synthesis of type 1 collagen, suppressing oxidative reactions in cells and reducing DNA damage.

These results further support the scientific evidence that antioxidants derived from natural foods can be effective in protecting skin from photoaging.

The most studied natural antioxidants, in addition to chlorogenic acid, are polyphenols and carotenoids, antioxidant properties were found in vitamins C, E, B3.

Sources of polyphenols are found in tea, cocoa, grapes, wine, soy, pomegranate, Polypodium leucotomos fern extract.

Carotenoids - lutein, zeaxanthin and lycopene - are found in fruits and vegetables - for example, in tomatoes, red and green sweet peppers, watermelon, cabbage, zucchini, spinach, parsley, green peas, rose hips, corn, tangerines.

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In addition, the important role of vitamin D in the operation of the DNA repair system (damage repair.

) after insolation should be noted.

The use of natural antioxidants is not limited to an appropriate diet.

There is evidence that sunscreens and lotions containing antioxidants and DNA repair enzymes may be more effective.

However, this approach still needs further study, since it is not yet completely clear what is the photostability of antioxidants in the composition of such creams under the influence of the sun.

The evidence base is also limited, as most studies have been done in mice or in cell culture.

- That is, for the time being, we can say for sure that the right diet containing a lot of vegetables and fruits is very important for the condition of the skin?

Yes, you should try to eat more foods rich in antioxidants.

At the same time, everything needs a balance - you should not abuse, for example, green tea, which also contains them, or some other “superfood”, nutrition should be balanced and varied.

Because it is still difficult to say which substance plays a decisive role in maintaining the condition of the skin - most likely, it is a whole complex of antioxidants and other substances.

-

- You need to understand that for really effective protection, the cream must be applied correctly to the skin.

For example, the recommended concentration of sunscreen is 2 mg per square centimeter, for the face, this amount will be from a third to one teaspoon of the product.

In everyday life, such requirements are rarely met, so a small dose of ultraviolet radiation still reaches the skin and promotes the production of vitamin D. In addition, a significant part of the population lives in latitudes with low solar activity, where the risk of vitamin D deficiency can occur without the use of sunscreen.

At the same time, sunlight is vital for a person, it regulates biorhythms, affects the production of hormones, mood, and the work of various organs and systems.

The main factor for the synthesis of vitamin D in the skin is UVB radiation.

But it also plays a role in the development of non-melanoma skin cancer - basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma.

So the line between the benefits and harms of solar radiation is very thin.

According to WHO recommendations, exposure to the sun on the skin of the face and hands for 15 minutes can ensure the production of the required daily dose of vitamin D.

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- According to the statistics of the same WHO, in 2020 alone, excessive exposure to UV radiation caused about 1.2 million new cases of non-melanoma skin cancer and 325 thousand cases of melanomas.

According to the Russian official statistics for 2020, in the Russian Federation, malignant neoplasms of the skin, excluding melanomas, take the second place in the structure of the total oncological incidence, with a share of 10.9%.

It is still difficult to assess the relationship between these statistics and the massive use of sunscreens in Russia.

Many people, after a long autumn-winter period, begin to actively sunbathe in the summer, often without controlling the time spent in direct sunlight.

The most dangerous uncontrolled exposure to ultraviolet radiation in childhood, when the risk of sunburn is higher.

However, many people mistakenly believe that applying SPF50+ sunscreen to the skin provides high skin protection from all sun rays.

However, most of these products reflect 90-99% of UVB rays and only a small part of UVA rays.

The cream protects the skin from direct burns by scattering UVB rays, as a result, people stay in the sun longer, continuing to be exposed to the negative effects of the UVA spectrum.

Therefore, it is important to limit exposure to direct sunlight.

However, there are also positive developments: indeed, more and more people are behaving more carefully.

At least, it is much less common to see vacationers with sunburn.

As for moles, cancerous neoplasms can occur both as a result of malignant degeneration of nevi, and without them, on even skin.

And the most serious risk of degeneration of moles occurs if they are injured.

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- How else can you slow down the aging of the skin, in addition to protection from ultraviolet radiation?

What other negative factors are there?

- The main factor in skin aging, and indeed of the whole organism, is a decrease in the synthesis of sex hormones.

In addition, the appearance and health are negatively affected by impaired function of thyroid and pancreatic hormones.

Normal indicators of hormonal status determine the internal and external health of a person.

It has been proven that sex hormone replacement therapy in menopausal women significantly improves the quality of life, including due to the aesthetic component.

The so-called metabolic symptom complex can greatly affect the condition of the skin.

This syndrome simultaneously combines abdominal obesity, insulin resistance, high blood glucose, arterial hypertension and dyslipidemia - a violation of cholesterol metabolism.

The fact is that an increased content of glucose in the blood and tissues leads to protein glycation - the irreversible attachment of sugar molecules to protein molecules.

In the skin, this is expressed by glycation of collagen and elastin molecules, due to which its elasticity is lost.

Does healthy skin need any extra care besides sun protection

?

- In this case, the skin will age naturally.

The use of cosmetics helps to slow down this process.

Properly selected by a cosmetologist, the means can level many problems, such as dryness and a decrease in skin turgor, which appear after the first signs of aging appear.

— In Russia, invasive, hardware cosmetology is gaining more and more popularity.

Is there sufficient scientific evidence to support the safety and efficacy of such interventions?

- I will give as an example laser hardware methods.

They appeared back in the 1960s.

Since then, a large number of studies have been carried out and published, and significant experience has been accumulated.

And today there is already a consensus in the medical community, according to which laser technologies are really capable of slowing down the aging process of the skin, stimulating its regeneration, as well as solving other aesthetic problems.

A similar situation is observed in other areas of cosmetology.

The methods recognized by the medical community have already passed the test of time, they have accumulated a lot of observational experience and a scientific research base.

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- And what kind of research was carried out, is the molecular, cellular mechanism of the impact of such procedures known?

- Devices for hardware cosmetology, in order to obtain registration, pass two types of tests - technical and medical.

As part of technical tests, the compliance of the device with the declared characteristics is proved.

Medical tests must prove that the device operates safely and effectively.

It is impossible to substantiate the conclusions of such tests without knowledge of the nature of the physical effect of the device on cellular metabolism.

However, in cosmetology, indeed, sometimes there is a risk of getting a useless, ineffective procedure.

The fact is that sometimes ineffective devices appear on the market, which manufacturers still try to sell to clinics, conduct active advertising campaigns.

The effectiveness of such procedures may be zero.

— What should the patient pay attention to in order not to waste time and money in vain?

Ask for certificates from clinics and doctors?

- The situation with certificates is not easy, because even in some office at a hairdresser, where it is obviously unlikely that there can be high-quality equipment, the entire wall will still be hung with some certificates, the significance of which is difficult for the patient to understand.

Often behind these papers there is no fundamental knowledge and experience.

True, for the sake of justice, I note that even a very respected clinic can believe advertising and get into a mess, purchase a device that is not very effective.

In general, it is desirable to choose medical institutions with a history, where specialists with higher medical education work - dermatologists and cosmetologists.

—

— I would call the emergence of a new class of drugs — targeted immunosuppressive drugs — an important breakthrough.

Or, as they are often called, genetically engineered biological products.

They allow you to inhibit certain links in the pathogenesis (the mechanism for the development of the disease.

) of dermatological diseases, which interrupts the chain of immune failures of the body.

So, for example, selective immunosuppression of some interleukins (a type of cytokines - elements of the immune system.

allows you to achieve amazing clinical results in the treatment of psoriasis.

And this direction is being developed for the treatment of other skin diseases: atopic dermatitis, pemphigus, vitiligo.

Of course, we are involved in the development of schemes, methods for the use of these drugs, studying them for safety.

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In addition, together with colleagues from the Institute of Developmental Biology.

N. K. Koltsov of the Russian Academy of Sciences, we study and successfully use fibroblast cultures - in fact, the equivalent of living skin - in the treatment of skin defects in patients with congenital epidermolysis bullosa (a group of hereditary diseases manifested in the fragility of the skin and mucous membranes.

).

In the medium term, we hope, together with RNIMU them.

Pirogov to take the first steps towards genomic editing of defective genes in this dermatosis.

I also note that together with the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry.

Academicians M. M. Shemyakin and Yu.A.

Ovchinnikov RAS, we have developed a sorption device that reduces the amount of autoantibodies in the blood of patients with pemphigus, an aggressive immune dermatosis.

As part of in vitro experiments, it was possible to bring the blood of patients to almost healthy levels.

It is hoped that in the future these developments will help achieve clinical results.