Science Vs Latest Episode: Is There A Fountain Of Youth?

 There are a lot of fads, blogs, and strong opinions, and then there’s the Science Vs podcast from Gimlet, a Spotify Studio, to break down what’s fact, what’s not, and what’s somewhere in between. In today's society, a "wake-up call" is needed since so many political extremists seem to pronounce their expertise in a scientific myth that they've garnered from Facebook or some right-wing podcaster. To them, everything is either a hoax, the deep state or a conspiracy.

That's why Science Vs continues to act as the light that prevents the darkness from taking over. Research, analysis, and factual accuracy dominate on this podcast. How refreshing.

The simple question of what actually works when it comes to keeping our skin looking young and fresh has become confused by the billion-dollar skincare industry, which floods us with scientific-sounding claims that we need to put expensive chemicals on our face, but - are these fancy creams actually doing anything?

 In this new episode, host Wendy Zukerman pits facts against fine lines to seek out the real science behind trying to engineer a fountain of youth. Wendy speaks with dermatologist Dr. Natalia Spierings, pharmacist Dr. Szu Wong, and journalist Kirsten Drysdale, examining why we get wrinkles and the promises of the skincare industry to ask whether we can actually put something on our skin to prevent wrinkles or make them go away. Some key takeaways from the episode include:

●      As we get older, there are fewer proteins like elastin and collagen, which give our skin structure. In addition to the process of aging, UV rays from the sun can also penetrate into the skin, damaging that elastin and collagen. This is why baby skin is always so smooth, and older people’s skin is a little more rough.

●      It’s incredibly difficult for an ingredient to go from skin application to get deep into the skin. It has to start by passing through the top layer of skin barrier, the stratum corneum. To get through, it needs to be fat soluble, which takes a bunch of skincare products out of the game like one popular ingredient, Vitamin C, which is water-soluble so can’t really penetrate the skin. Secondly, the space between the cells that they’re trying to squeeze past is tiny, which eliminates a whole other load of skincare products including Collagen and Hyaluronic Acid.

●      One of the most common chemicals that people put on their skin to prevent wrinkles is Vitamin A creams. The one you’ve probably heard of is Retinol, and then there's a prescription version called Tretinoin or Tret, which is mostly used for acne. Studies going back decades show that for some people, when putting tretinoin on their skin for months, it can help stop the degradation of collagen and elastin. However, over the counter Vitamin A creams might not work that well for wrinkles…

●      Before wrinkles set in, or to prevent bigger ones from forming, the only thing that comes in a bottle that you really need is SUNSCREEN.

So check out this latest episode to learn more about the science of aging. 

It was author Dan Wakefield who waxed philosophically on the challenge of aging.

 "That's why it's so hard to look in a mirror. You are looking at yourself, but you don't recognize yourself. It's a shock. The person you see is older, and heavier, and has wrinkles. But you don't feel that way inside, and it's hard to believe that's how you really look now, how other people see you."