Can Moisturising All Over Make You Younger – Inside?

We’re used to the idea that what we put into our bodies by way of food, or supplements, can affect the health of our skin – especially how it looks feels and functions. But can this process work the other way round, too? Can applying something as simple as moisturiser all over our skin affect the inner health of our bodies? It appears that the answer is: yes it can!

Where does this idea come from?  

I first heard about this topsy-turvy-sounding idea from Dr Gaby Prinsloo, Medical Director at the International Institute for Active Ageing. I gawped at her, trying to get my head around the idea, thinking ‘Amazing, but what on earth… and how…’ and she referred me to two studies.  

What the studies showed  

One of these (1, linked below) showed that using moisturiser not only led to improved function and increased hydration of the skin (you’d hope a moisturiser would do that, wouldn’t you?) but that it also decreased pro-inflammatory cytokines – small proteins that have crucial roles for managing inflammation and the immune system –  in the body. So, improving hydration of the skin decreases inflammation of skin and of the body.  

The second study (2, below) suggested that improving the function of the skin by applying a moisturiser (so that the skin was better hydrated and lost less moisture to the environment) could take the edge off the progression of cognitive impairment. That sounds quite major.  

Why are these studies so interesting?  

‘Both of these studies are small,’ says Dr Prinsloo. ‘So larger studies are needed to confirm the results. But, they are so interesting as we know that systemic health and inflammation affect the skin. Now we are also seeing that skin health and inflammation can affect health and ageing of the whole body.’ 

Why is this such encouraging news? 

‘Something as simple as keeping skin healthy and hydrated can reduce systemic inflammation,’ adds Dr Prinsloo, ‘slowing the ageing process and decreasing certain diseases. Looking after our skin leads to benefits that are way more than skin deep.’ 

So all-over moisturising is vital! 

‘I’d say it goes a bit beyond just moisturising,’ says Dr Sophie Shotter, medical director of Illuminate Skin Clinics. ‘The skin is the body’s biggest organ, and many of us have noticed over time that how healthy we are on the inside shows on the outside; it shows in the way our skin looks. What these studies showed is that if your skin is aged, it releases inflammatory mediators that directly affect, for example, your heart and your brain. This isn’t just saying that if you’re unhealthy on the inside, your skin won’t look as good. It’s saying that if your skin is unhealthy because it hasn’t been protected from the ageing process, then you’re going to age less well internally.’

Will any old moisturiser do?  

‘Any old moisturiser is better than nothing,’ says Dr Shotter, ‘because you are certainly helping to maintain hydration of the skin, which is an issue. What’s important for your skin’s health – as well as the way it looks, is hydrating your body from head to toe with a decent moisturiser.  

Product recommendations!

‘Body products are not yet as sophisticated as face products,’ says Dr Shotter, ‘but we’ve seen a shift in recent years. There are also clever skincare body products now like Alastin’s TRANSform Body Complex (which scavenges up fragments of old collagen and elastin, and produces new, stronger skin – available through clinics),  and Revision’s Bodifirm (which firms and tones the skin, and reinforces the skin’s microbiome, www.revisionskincare.co.uk).  Those are my high-end go-to body products.’ 

I’d put in a recommendation for the Curel Deep Moisture Spray (£19.99) too, which is lovely and light so it’s great for anyone with an aversion to heavy creams or body butters. And Dr Prinsloo flags up the Environ Body EssentiA Vitamin A, C & E Body Oil – a light, vitamin-rich oil that’s great for cossetting the kind of dry and sun-damaged skin that we tend to bring back from holiday.  

Study 1 – https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jdv.15540  – Topical applications of emollient reduce circulating pro-inflammatory cytokines in chronically aged humans  

Study 2 – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35442543/