SCIENCE OR SCI-FI: We Revisit DNA Repair
Oct 19, 2011 Posted by Corrie Shenigo
Strap on those safety goggles and light the Bunsen burners! It’s time to play science! And also Sci-Fi. And also semantics. Ahh, the delicious letter ‘s’.
It seems that when we asked the DNA question way back in our April 2011 article “Genetics: Can DNA Really Be Repaired?” we were on to something. And that something has spread, as there are already a host of new products and potions claiming to “repair” the DNA and make our skin bright, shiny and new. (P.S. You can safely assume that those quotes around the word “repair” are giant double finger quotes.) But can they really “repair the DNA?”
The recent issue of Prevention Magazine tackles the topic in an article entitled, “Younger Looking Skin From the inside Out,” in which writer Virginia Sole-Smith looks into skin-cares crystal ball and sees a future where your skin stays young FOREVER. (*gasp) Well not really, but let’s open the magical box of semantics and take a peek.
According to Sandra Lee, MD, “Ten years ago, lasers were big; now ‘DNA repair’ and ‘stem cells’ are the buzzwords. It’s exciting, but there’s a lot we don’t know yet.”
And while I’m not entirely comfortable with the term buzzwords in collaboration with my skin, here’s what we do know. There is a connection between DNA and wrinkles. (Stop. That’s enough for me. Send for my double helixes!) It seems every time you expose your precious dermis to UV rays you injure the DNA codes in your skin. Yes, your amazingly bionic body typically sends out a repair team, but as you get older so does your repair team… older and lazier. Your body’s ability to repair itself becomes less effective the more you expose it to the sun. So, essentially it sort of craps out. The result is irreversible damage and… yep… wrinkles. (*gasp!)
If you’re nervously twiddling your thumbs muttering “What to do? What to do?” you’re not alone… and some skin-care cosmetic’s companies are counting on that. ENTER: SEMANTICS. Okay… can they really, really repair your DNA? No. Do the products claiming to do so sometimes offer tangible anti-aging benefits? Yes.
“A product may be ‘formulated with ingredients proven to repair the DNA,’ but that’s not the same as saying ‘this repairs your DNA,” notes cosmetic chemist Perry Romanowski. Romanowski is obviously TEAM-BUYER BEWARE.
So that’s the sad news (*tissue please.) The good news is this: that skin-care crystal ball does in fact see some awfully promising new advances on the horizon. Like Epidermal Growth Factors that have the ability to promote cell growth and heal wounds. As of now it’s hard to keep stable and still uber-expensive, but an advance none-the-less. There are also many advances being made with Repair Enzymes, a protein that, inside the body helps facilitate skin renewal. Peptides that improve the skin’s appearance and “fix damaged DNA” are still chugging along too. There is no real proof that it’s happened, yet… but according to experts, in theory, it seems feasible. So all is not lost. Those sciency types are still waging the anti-aging battle.
One little request, por favor? Snap it up. We’re not getting any younger.
It seems that when we asked the DNA question way back in our April 2011 article “Genetics: Can DNA Really Be Repaired?” we were on to something. And that something has spread, as there are already a host of new products and potions claiming to “repair” the DNA and make our skin bright, shiny and new. (P.S. You can safely assume that those quotes around the word “repair” are giant double finger quotes.) But can they really “repair the DNA?”
The recent issue of Prevention Magazine tackles the topic in an article entitled, “Younger Looking Skin From the inside Out,” in which writer Virginia Sole-Smith looks into skin-cares crystal ball and sees a future where your skin stays young FOREVER. (*gasp) Well not really, but let’s open the magical box of semantics and take a peek.
According to Sandra Lee, MD, “Ten years ago, lasers were big; now ‘DNA repair’ and ‘stem cells’ are the buzzwords. It’s exciting, but there’s a lot we don’t know yet.”
And while I’m not entirely comfortable with the term buzzwords in collaboration with my skin, here’s what we do know. There is a connection between DNA and wrinkles. (Stop. That’s enough for me. Send for my double helixes!) It seems every time you expose your precious dermis to UV rays you injure the DNA codes in your skin. Yes, your amazingly bionic body typically sends out a repair team, but as you get older so does your repair team… older and lazier. Your body’s ability to repair itself becomes less effective the more you expose it to the sun. So, essentially it sort of craps out. The result is irreversible damage and… yep… wrinkles. (*gasp!)
If you’re nervously twiddling your thumbs muttering “What to do? What to do?” you’re not alone… and some skin-care cosmetic’s companies are counting on that. ENTER: SEMANTICS. Okay… can they really, really repair your DNA? No. Do the products claiming to do so sometimes offer tangible anti-aging benefits? Yes.
“A product may be ‘formulated with ingredients proven to repair the DNA,’ but that’s not the same as saying ‘this repairs your DNA,” notes cosmetic chemist Perry Romanowski. Romanowski is obviously TEAM-BUYER BEWARE.
So that’s the sad news (*tissue please.) The good news is this: that skin-care crystal ball does in fact see some awfully promising new advances on the horizon. Like Epidermal Growth Factors that have the ability to promote cell growth and heal wounds. As of now it’s hard to keep stable and still uber-expensive, but an advance none-the-less. There are also many advances being made with Repair Enzymes, a protein that, inside the body helps facilitate skin renewal. Peptides that improve the skin’s appearance and “fix damaged DNA” are still chugging along too. There is no real proof that it’s happened, yet… but according to experts, in theory, it seems feasible. So all is not lost. Those sciency types are still waging the anti-aging battle.
One little request, por favor? Snap it up. We’re not getting any younger.