Can Moisturising From Head-To-Toe 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? The answer is: yes!

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, and she referred me to two studies (linked below).  More recently, I heard more detail on this concept from Dr Nichola Conlon (founder of the supplement brand Nuchido Time +, which TTG loves, which I’ve used to update this article). 

What the studies showed  

One of these studies, Dr Prinsloo told me, 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.  

Why this really matters, Dr Conlon points out, is that our skin is not just a barrier between us and the outside world – it’s a living organ and an average-sized adult has about 1.7 square metres of skin. That’s an area roughly the size of a single mattress, so even if part of it is dysfunctional, it matters.

Avoiding the ‘Zombie Cells’

When skin cells – or any cells – become dysfunctional and too damaged to repair themselves safely, the body shuts them down and they become ‘senescent’ – aka old, dormant and, we used to think, harmless. But now, as Dr Conlon points out, these senescent cells are often described as ‘zombie cells’; far from being harmless, they release a toxic cocktail of inflammatory substances (known as the senescence-associated secretory phenotype, or SASP) into the cells around them. Think of a rotten apple in a barrel, infecting the ones around it. It’s a bit like that.

What can we do? Moisturise!

‘The encouraging news,’ says Dr Conlon, ‘is that this knowledge reframes skincare as something far more meaningful than vanity. Sun protection is non-negotiable, to help reduce DNA damage, senescent cell accumulation and systemic inflammation. Also, barrier repair matters. Using moisturisers improves the skin barrier function and can measurably reduce inflammatory markers in the bloodstream.’ 

More studies are needed in this area. ‘But,’ says Dr Prinsloo, ‘something as simple as keeping skin healthy and hydrated can reduce systemic inflammation, and slow the ageing process. Looking after our skin leads to benefits that are way more than skin deep.’ 

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 the new studies [linked at the end of the article] 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. What’s important for your skin’s health – as well as the way it looks, is hydrating your body from head to toe.’

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 I’ve still got a soft spot for the Vaseline Intensive Care range. 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.  

What Next?

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 too. That sounds quite major.  We’ll come back to that another time. 

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/