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Quest for Glow in This Digital Beauty Age
Many women dream of having clear, youthful, and glowing skin. Yet, the journey to achieve it can be puzzling. The internet is full of natural remedies, and the market is filled with diverse products, making women curious about the science behind these solutions and how they affect the skin. In this digital age of beauty exploration, every woman deserves to know about skincare trends.
This blog delves into different skincare trends, shedding light on what brings the best results. Get ready to explore top ingredients and various tips that can genuinely enhance the radiant glow of your skin.
The Notion of Glowing Skin and Emerging Treatment Trends
Glowing skin means different things to different people. For many, it suggests skin that looks healthy and vibrant rather than dry or uneven. However, experts define it as skin that is moist and soft, free from dullness, dryness, or flakiness, and featuring small pores, an even complexion, and clear, blemish-free skin.1
Glowing skin treatments often involve skin brightening, aiming to enhance radiance instantly. These products remove dull cells, revealing new and radiant skin.
Skin lightening treats concerns like hyperpigmentation, contributing to an overall skin glow by targeting darker areas affected by sun exposure.
Skin whitening, or bleaching, is a treatment for achieving a lighter skin tone. It involves chemicals and can be uncomfortable.
While skin brightening and lightening focus on enhancing natural radiance, skin whitening aims for a noticeable change in skin tone through chemical intervention.2 Therefore, it is clear that glow and fairness are distinct attributes.
Factors Influencing Skin Health
Before diving into the secrets of radiant skin, let’s explore the factors influencing skin health, which in turn can affect the skin glow.
- Diet: Changing your diet can be suggested as a therapeutic approach, especially for issues like acne. It can also be helpful in preventing skin conditions such as ageing or cancer. Eating more fruits and vegetables while reducing sugar and saturated fat intake can contribute to better skin health.3Â Â
- Environmental pollutants: Outdoor and indoor pollution are connected to more signs of skin ageing, like facial lentigines and wrinkles. Living in a polluted environment can also reduce skin moisture, increase sebum excretion, and worsen skin conditions in both children and adults.4
- Sleep: A study with 60 healthy Caucasian women categorised as poor-quality sleepers showed that persistent poor sleep quality is connected to increased signs of ageing, weakened skin barrier function, and lower satisfaction with appearance.5Â
- Sun: Light-skinned individuals experience more UV damage as UV rays from the sun can easily penetrate the epidermis (outermost layer of the skin), affecting the cells in deeper layers. This exposure leads to higher “realised” doses of UV radiation, causing mutations that contribute to skin cancer, including melanoma, over time.6
- Diseases: Skin conditions can arise from allergies, irritants, genetic makeup, specific diseases, and problems with the immune system. Examples include acne, pemphigus, alopecia, atopic dermatitis, rosacea, scleroderma, vitiligo, and more.7
Ingredients Backed by Research For Glowing Skin
As mentioned earlier, the market is flooded with products claiming to boost skin glow. However, it is important to focus on ingredients and their effects. In this section, we will explore research-backed ingredients proven by studies to improve skin health and enhance its radiance.
- Marine Collagen: Studies on people show that marine collagen can make skin smoother, more elastic, and improve its overall appearance. Marine collagen helps the skin heal faster and reduces wrinkles. This makes it a promising ingredient for anti-aging products in the cosmetic industry.8
- Vitamin C: Skin cells need vitamin C for collagen synthesis and maintaining skin balance. Research suggests vitamin C may help skin protect against water loss by influencing the formation of the outer layer. Applying vitamin C topically might reduce roughness, but effectiveness can depend on the cream’s formulation.9
- Vitamin E: Plants produce vitamin E, and we need to get it from our diets. Good sources of vitamin E include nuts, spinach, whole grains, olive oil, and sunflower oil. Topical vitamin E is widely used for skin issues due to its antioxidants. Many anti-aging creams contain approximately 0.5%–1% vitamin E.10
- Vitamin C and E Combination: A combination of vitamins E and C provides excellent protection from UVB damage, mainly due to vitamin E. Combining both vitamins provides only slightly more effectiveness than using vitamin C alone. When vitamin C or a combination of vitamins C and E is combined with a common UVA sunscreen (oxybenzone), the protection against phototoxic damage appears to be greater than what each provides individually.11
- Hyaluronic Acid: The main role of Hyaluronic acid (HA) in the intercellular matrix is to strengthen structures and create a fluid matrix around collagen and elastin fibres. This provides firmness and radiance to the skin. While HA’s high molecular weight limits its penetration through the skin’s outer layer, it can still be applied topically to promote skin regeneration and hydration.12
- L-Glutathione: Glutathione is an antioxidant found in nearly every cell which helps in detoxifying drugs and xenobiotics. A double-blind trial indicates its potential benefits for skin properties and suggests it could act as an anti-aging agent, especially in middle-aged females.13
- Grape seed extract: GSE can serve as a sustainable and effective natural resource to prevent UV-induced skin damage, offering prolonged protection against premature skin ageing.14
- Probiotics: Disruption to the skin barrier function can have negative effects by upsetting the moisture balance on the skin surface. An experimental study showed that a probiotic bacteria called Lactobacillus rhamnosus (LR), can successfully enhance the skin barrier, making it a valuable addition to moisturising skincare products.15
How To Have Glowing Skin?
As we reach the conclusion of this blog, let’s illuminate the path to achieving glowing skin.
- Moisturisation: Moisturisers enhance skin hydration, create a soothing protective layer, and shield the skin from friction.16 To maximise benefits, apply moisturiser while your skin is still damp after a shower or face rinse. This locks in additional moisture, ensuring a deeper effect rather than just smoothing the surface of your skin.17
- Hydrate Yourself: Research has determined a robust connection between increased water intake and promoting healthier skin.18Â Strive to consume a minimum of eight 8-ounce glasses of water daily to make your skin glow.17
- Sun Protection: Using sunscreen is a simple and effective method to safeguard your skin’s health and appearance. Experts recommend daily use of sunscreen to prevent sunburn, skin cancer, and premature ageing. For daily use, select a sunscreen with at least SPF 30, and if you are outdoors frequently, opt for SPF 60 or higher. SPF (Sun Protection Factor) indicates the sunscreen’s ability to protect against UVB light.19
- Apply Aloevera: A systematic review indicates that aloe vera is effective in maintaining skin moisture and integrity, preventing skin ulcers due to its content of mucopolysaccharides, amino acids, zinc, and water.20 Applying aloe vera to your face after daily cleansing can contribute to a healthy and radiant glow.17
- Eat Right: Certain studies propose that a diet abundant in fish oil or supplements, coupled with low consumption of unhealthy fats, processed, or refined carbohydrates, could foster a more youthful appearance for the skin.21
- Sleep Well: A recent study confirmed the detrimental impact of insufficient sleep on skin ageing. The research revealed that individuals with poor sleep quality displayed heightened signs of intrinsic skin ageing, such as fine lines, uneven pigmentation, and diminished elasticity.22
Summary
Skin is as unique as you are! Some are born with a natural glow, while others try hard to achieve radiant skin. Paying attention to your skin, trying out natural remedies, and selecting skincare products wisely can be your secret weapons for that coveted glow. But, if you have any skin issues, kindly consult a dermatologist before trying new skincare products.
