Anti-Aging: Can a Pill Actually Reverse Sun Damage?

Anti-Aging Drug Prevents & Reverses Sun Damage

Most people know that beautiful skin starts with good nutrition and avoiding sun exposure. And individuals who are concerned with healthy skin are advised to eat right (plenty of fruits and veggies), and wear sunscreen every day! But what if a pill could help prevent skin from ageing?

While this may sound “futuristic” a new drug could be on the horizon that could prevent skin aging caused by sun exposure!

Researchers have recently identified two new molecules that generate minute amounts of the gas hydrogen sulfide – which have been found to prevent skin from aging after exposure to UV sunlight.

This could be lifechanging news for many – since sun exposure is not only the main cause of premature aging in skin, but is also a primary risk factor for skin cancer. The online journal Science Daily , has reported that an international research team has made inroads in delaying and reversing sun damage to the skin with a ‘drug’ for the first time.

Research on Reversing Sun Damage

This groundbreaking anti-aging research – published in Antioxidant and Redox Signaling  – was helmed by Professor Matt Whiteman at the University of Exeter Medical School, and Professor Uraiwan Panich at the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, in Thailand.

During the study, adult human skin cells and mouse skin was exposed to ultraviolet radiation (UVA). Ultraviolet radiation is the part of natural sunlight that penetrates through windows, and even through some clothes, and damages unprotected skin. UVA causes skin to age prematurely by turning on skin digesting enzymes called collagenases that eat away at the skin’s natural collagen. As collagen is degraded, the skin to loses elasticity, sags, and develops wrinkles.

UVA rays also penetrates deeply into skin, damaging the skin’s cellular DNA, which can cause mutations that can contribute to some skin cancers. Sun screen sits on top of the skin and absorbs the sun’s UV radiation, but it does not penetrate the skin deeply where the long-lasting damage really occurs.

The researchers in this study actually two new compounds that not only protect the external skin like sunscreen, but also penetrated the skin to prevent the activation of skin-degrading collagenase enzymes and subsequent skin damage.

The compounds used in this trailblazing were previously known to reduce skin inflammation and skin damage after burn injury and atopic dermatitis (eczema). But the new application revealed that they also prevented human skin cells in test tube experiments – and live animal skin cells in mice – from aging.

Most exciting is that the authors of the study say that this approach might not only limit damage from UV radiation, but also potentially reverse sun damage to the skin.

Treatments to Reverse Sun Damage | Birmingham, MI

Unfortunately, research on these two amazing molecules is still in the early stages. So, this revolutionary anti-aging pill has not been FDA cleared or brought to market yet. More research is needed, but the long-term implications of this study could be medical as well as cosmetic. Not only could this drug potentially reverse signs of aging but could also protect against skin cancers.

In the meantime, wearing sunscreen daily – along with antioxidant skin protection from Vitamin A & C skin care products – is your best defense from the sun’s damaging rays. And, for patients who have already experienced signs of aging, AMAE offers the widest array of the most effect anti-aging cosmetic treatments including: Morpheus8, CO2Re and Profound.

Schedule a consultation today and we will help you choose the right skin care products and anti-aging treatments for you to protect your skin and revers signs of aging.

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Resources:

Jinapath Lohakul, Saowanee Jeayeng, Anyamanee Chaiprasongsuk, Roberta Torregrossa, Mark Wood, Malinee Saelim, Weerawon Thangboonjit, Matthew Whiteman, Uraiwan. Panichmitochondria-Targeted Hydrogen Sulfide Delivery Molecules Protect Against UVA-Induced Photoaging in Dermal Fibroblasts, and in Mouse Skin in Vivo. Antioxidants & Redox Signaling, 2021; DOI: 10.1089/ars.2020.8255

University of Exeter. “New drug molecules could prevent skin aging caused by sun exposure.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 5 August 2021.