Why Skin Health is the Ultimate Test of Longevity

When you think about longevity tests, you might picture lipid panels and fasting blood glucose assessments. However, there’s one aspect of longevity you might not immediately consider: the health of your skin. From eczema and rosacea to premature lines and wrinkles, what’s happening on the surface is often indicative of underlying issues, including those that contribute to cardiovascular disease, dysbiosis, and mitochondrial dysfunction.

Read on to learn about the key factor involved in these conditions and the solution that can improve skin health — and could theoretically prevent the onset of age-related diseases.

 

The Impact of Cellular Dysfunction on Skin

Of the body’s 10 trillion cells, about 1.6 trillion belong to your skin, making it your largest organ. This vital organ has a lot of responsibilities including regulating body temperature, preventing moisture loss, and providing a protective barrier against environmental stressors. And as previously mentioned, it can be a window to your internal health.

What happens when some of those trillion or so cells start to become dysfunctional, or senescent? A cascade of long-term consequences can occur, including:

• Increased inflammation
• Slower cell turnover
• Impaired barrier function
• Lower collagen production
• Accumulation of cellular damage
• Premature aging
• Increased susceptibility to infection and disease

 

Why Do Cells Become Senescent?

Once believed to be primarily caused by telomere shortening, cellular senescence is now recognized as a central hallmark of aging, triggering a range of responses from changes in gene activity to the depletion of stem cells. In fact, recent research shows that DNA damage, stemming from factors like oxidative stress, environmental exposure, and genetic vulnerabilities, play a pivotal role in senescence.  That being said, senescence is a natural process — one that initially serves a beneficial purpose by preventing the body from accumulating too many damaged cells. Although, with age, the body becomes less efficient at clearing them out and these senescent cells start to work against you, speeding up the aging process and paving the way for disease. Here’s how:

• Senescent cells have a higher level of reactive oxygen species (ROS), harmful free radicals that contribute to skin aging
• Senescence creates inflammation that hinders immune function, leading to tissue degeneration, and increasing the risk of certain conditions, including the somewhat paradoxical effects of cancer cell production
• Senescence can also trigger what’s known as senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), where senescent fibroblasts fuel tumor growth

 

Senotherapeutics Are One Way to Reverse Course

As researchers delve deeper into the mechanisms of aging, promising therapies aimed at extending our collective healthspan are gaining momentum. Most notably, senotherapeutics. These cutting-edge treatments target the senescent cells that accumulate in the body over time and contribute to age-related decline.

Senotherapeutics can be divided into two main categories:

1. Senolytics: These molecules selectively eliminate senescent cells, acting as cellular cleansers by clearing out the cells that no longer function properly. Clinical trials are showing promising results using senolytics in addressing diseases such as osteoarthritis and lung cancer.
   
2. Senomorphics: Rather than kill off these cells, senomorphics modify their behavior, reducing their inflammatory impact on neighboring cells and the body by inhibiting the release of SASP.

 

OS-01 is the First Senotherapeutic of its Kind

In the quest for longevity — and proactive solutions proven to turn back the clock, OneSkin is a researcher-led biotech company harnessing the power of senotherapeutics, specifically, a senomorphic peptide, to help people live longer, healthier lives. Their proprietary OS-01 peptide is the first molecule scientifically validated to reverse skin’s biological age by reducing the accumulation of senescent cells.

OneSkin’s topical supplements for the face and body, which are powered by OS-01, showed impressive results as well. In a 12-week clinical study comparing OS-01 BODY to a control moisturizer, researchers observed improved skin barrier function, increased hydration, and a significant reduction in IL-8 circulating cytokines, which are indicators of systemic inflammation — a leading cause of age-related disease.* Not only that, lab studies showed that OneSkin’s broad-spectrum zinc oxide sunscreen, OS-01 SHIELD was scientifically proven to neutralize free radicals up to 4x better than leading SPFs** and reduce a key biomarker associated with senescence (P16) compared to regular sunscreen.***

Cellular senescence is natural, but age-related decline due to compromised skin health doesn’t have to be. Try OneSkin for yourself with coupon code DRKARA15 to receive 15% off your first purchase at oneskin.co.

For questions about OneSkin’s products, research, or data, contact the OneSkin customer support team at support@oneskin.co.

Zonari, A., et al. npj Aging, 2023
*Shown in a 12-week clinical study with 27 participants performed by a third party research organization and peer-reviewed.
**Shown in lab studies utilizing a chemical probe with a stable radical that changes color when that radical is scavenged, our scientists were able to track the antioxidant capabilities of different sunscreens
***Shown in n- house lab studies on ex vivo human skin samples (31y and 41y) treated with nothing (No Sunscreen), regular sunscreen (average drugstore sunscreen), or OS-01 SHIELD (tinted & non-tinted), then exposed to UVB radiation.