So says Harvard's Dr. Anna Mandinova.
She's a highly respected skin care scientist who's been studying healthy skincare for over two decades.
Yes, moisturizers add moisture to your skin cells. Yes, unless you're still quite young, your skin is getting drier.
The problem is, you apply a moisturizer and - wow - your skin looks better. Great, in fact.
What's wrong?
You haven't made any fundamental, long-term or sustainable change.
Moisturizers Do Plump Dry Skin
You apply moisturizers to your skin from the outside, so it's the top layer of dead cells that are infused with water, and that expands.
They improve your skin's texture. More water held in the skin cells means fine lines and other imperfections are harder to see.
So, they're forgotten, but they're not gone.
Skin moisturizers are truly cosmetic - in the sense they make you look better without a true, permanent solution.
Aging and Skin
Healthy skin should have seven to eight layers - renewed every four weeks. As we age, your epidermis thins, so we have fewer layers.
Therefore, aged skin is thinner and weaker. It sags, droops and dries out.
Therefore, a permanent skincare solution can't be a moisturizer. Instead, it must increase nutrition to the stem cells that form the bottom layer of our skin.
Aged stem cells are, simply, tired. The basal layer of your skin needs more nutrients and more energy.
According to Dr. Mandinova, do not judge the quality of a skincare product by how your skin looks in one week, but by how well it looks after you've been treating it for six to eight weeks.
Sunlight is Still Your Skin's Worst Enemy
But which part of sunlight?
We're constantly told to be careful of the ultraviolet - UVB - part of the sun's natural spectrum.
UVB is the range of radiation that can penetrate our skin's epidermis and cause sunburn.
(Plus, it can also cause cataracts.)
UVB is the spectrum of sunlight the SP factor system was designed to protect us from. (SP factor 30 and above is recommended).
However, UVB is not the only dangerous part of sunlight.
Introducing the Less-Known Risk of Direct Sunlight: UVA Radiation
While sunscreen and skincare companies focus on blocking UVB, they've been ignoring UVA.
But 95% of the ultraviolet rays of sunlight landing on the Earth are UVA.
Whereas UVB light penetrates your epidermis down to your dermis, UVA radiation goes even deeper - far down into your dermis, to the subcutaneous layer.
UVA light damages your skin's collagen and elastin - the proteins needed to keep it firm and tight.
UVA light causes a wide range of skin aging, from inflammation to wrinkles, and damages skin and skin DNA by generating free radicals.
Because UVA is not as high energy as UVB, it tans skin without burning it. And glass windows don't block it. You can get tan sitting in a car with the windows up or sitting in front of a window.
But that's NOT the benefit it sounds like.
Tanning Bed Risks
Tanning beds use UVA radiation because the risk of sunburn is so much lower. They turn off the UVB light, so customers' skin doesn't burn, but that's NOT safe.
Tanning = skin cell DNA damage.
DNA damage = cancer risk.
One session of indoor tanning raises risk of skin cancer:
a. Melanoma - 20%
b. Squamous cell carcinoma - 67%
c. Basal cell carcinoma - 29%
Experts estimate indoor tanning beds and salons cause 419,000 cases of skin cancer in the United States every year.
American Sunscreens May Not Be Best
The Food and Drug Administration has not approved a new ingredient for filtering out UV light in decades.
But other parts of the world, including Europe, Australia and Asia, are moving forward quickly.
American sunscreen products are pretty good at blocking UVB, but the FDA has approved only one ingredient to block UVA. That's Avobenzone.
However, Avobenzone isn't stable, and needs other ingredients to help it function.
Because UVA penetrates so much more deeply than UVB, you can wear an American sunscreen product of up to SPF 70 and still have tanned skin.
Yes, it's good your skin isn't burned, but a deep tan may be even more dangerous because it's damaged DNA deep within your skin's dermis.
In other countries, the process for approving skincare ingredients for a sunscreen product is not so long and expensive as in the United States. As a result, the sunscreen products sold in some other advanced nations may suit your needs better. Many of them contain ingredients to block UVA rays as well as UVB.
Some experts say Korean sunscreens are the best. You may prefer others.
You'll have to look around online and order directly from the companies. If you order from a source within the US, the products must comply with FDA regulations.
Diet for Your Skin's Health and Beauty
Carotenoids are plant-based biochemicals that are extremely powerful, and important for our health for many reasons.
Some of the best known include beta carotene, lutein, lycopene and astaxanthin. However, they're probably hundreds to thousands or even more.
They're strong antioxidants. As such, carotenoids protect your skin against harmful UVB and UVA radiation, as well as environmental stressors such as dirt, smoke and pollution.
They're also fat soluble, so they continue to work on your behalf after they get into the fat storage below your skin's surface.
Foods high in carotenoids include mangoes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, all leafy greens, pumpkins, carrots and other colorful fruits and vegetables.
Conclusion
1. Avoid sunlight on your skin as much as possible.
2. Consume plenty of carotenoid-rich fruits and vegetables.
3. Consider using a non-US sunscreen that protects against UVA as well as UVB rays of sunlight.
4. Moisturizers are for the short-term.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThaFiKyHKRQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuEq8JVZNj8&t=53s
https://aramoreskincare.com/products/nad-cell-energizing-lotion
https://www.mdanderson.org/publications/focused-on-health/what-s-the-difference-between-uva-and-uvb-rays-.h15-1592991.html
https://www.businessinsider.com/american-vs-european-asian-sunscreen-2023-6
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6719967/