Although inflammaging has still not yet entered the mainstream, this concept is driving many of the upcoming trends in skincare. The term links inflammation with ageing. It suggests that inflammation underpins a lot of the changes in the function and appearance of skin over time. More importantly, this theory offers a target for preventing and treating signs of skin ageing by tackling underlying inflammation. Expect to hear a lot more about inflammaging in the coming years as brands develop and market longevity skincare products. However, although inflammaging is a real biological concept, can it really successfully prevent and reverse skin ageing? In this article we explore the science behind skin longevity and review its benefits and limits in skincare.
What Exactly is Inflammaging?
Inflammaging is a term used by scientists to describe a process seen in ageing all over the body. It refers to a state of chronic, low-grade inflammatory signalling that develops over time. Crucially, this occurs even in the absence of an infection or injury. The main cause is likely due to old “senescent” cells which over time stop dividing but do not die. Instead these “zombie cells” accumulate and cause low-grade background inflammation. Overtime, this persistent low-level inflammatory signalling causes tissue ageing. Skin is particularly vulnerable to this process because it has constant exposure to environmental stressors like ultraviolet radiation and pollution. These can cause repeated irritation and skin barrier disruption. This results in low grade inflammation which can build up and influence how skin behaves. Inflammaging can make slower to recover, more reactive and less resilient. In fact the disruption in the skin barrier can also make it less able to protect itself from UV damage. This sun damage is the key environmental cause of skin ageing.
Without doubt, this is an emerging and exciting area of science. Unfortunately, the term inflammaging, just like skin longevity or skinspan, is often used incorrectly or too broadly. In fact, too often it has become a way to explain almost any age-related skin change, from dryness and redness to hyperpigmentation and texture changes. Worse still, sometimes it is used to suggest that inflammation is the primary driver of all visible ageing. This confusion has consequences. One of which is that it can lead people to avoiding active skin treatments like retinoids altogether on the assumption that anything potentially irritating can cause or worsen inflammaging. Furthermore, inflammaging is a scientific concept and not a medical condition. It is important not to confuse it with inflammatory conditions like rosacea, eczema or acne. These can occur alongside inflammaging but require specific management.
How Does Inflammaging Differ from “Normal” Ageing?
Normal skin ageing is due to a mixture of genetics, hormonal changes and external factors like sun damage. All of these can lead to structural changes and reduced levels of collagen, irregularities in the skin barrier and abnormal pigment deposits all contribute to skin ageing. These changes can cause the cardinal signs of skin ageing like thin skin, wrinkles, laxity, dryness, large pores and age spots. The ability of the skin to repair and protect it self may also reduce. Inflammaging describes one layer of this process but not the entire mechanism. Although it is an emerging concept, the idea is that overtime low grade inflammation accumulates due to ageing skin cells. This leads to changes in the skin’s behaviour. It becomes less able to repair and protect itself. The end results is it becomes less capable of regenerating ageing tissues and more sensitive to environmental damage which results in skin ageing.
One important thing to note is that a lot of the studies regarding inflammaging are basic laboratory studies and not large-scale controlled clinical trials. As such, they do not model the complex signalling pathways in the human body which is why there is still a gap in our understanding with regards to the link between inflammation and skin ageing as well as it’s significance. What we can however extrapolate is that, inflammaging is not something that can be switched off with a single ingredient or routine. As such, there is unlikely to be a topical product that eliminates background inflammatory signalling entirely.
What are the Signs of Inflammaging?
In general, inflammaging tends to manifest as patterns rather than isolated symptoms. These changes often appear gradually which is why they are easy to miss or attribute to something else. There’s of course also a huge overlap between inflamamgeing and normal signs of skin ageing. As such it is hard to accurately “diagnose it” but potential signs you might have inflammaging may include:
- Skin may tolerate products it once handled easily far less well.
- Redness may linger longer after minor triggers.
- More prone to hyperpigmentation.
- Recovery from in-clinic treatments or injuries may take longer than expected.
- Skin is consistently dry and may look duller.
- Loss of plumpness and elasticity of skin.
- Recurrence of existing reactive conditions like acne or rosacea.
- Increase in fine lines and wrinkles.
Best Skincare & Treatments for Inflammaging
Before we go any further, it is important to realise that inflammaging is due to persistent background inflammatory activity over a long time. Which means it is not something that can be switched off with a single product or treatment. There is no single think that eliminates background inflammatory signalling entirely. However, there are a number of lifestyle measures, skincare ingredients and professional treatment that can help:
- Lifestyle: Ongoing stress, processed and sugary foods and exposure to irritants can cause inflammaging. Try to sleep better, eat a healthy diet, drink lots of water and protect your skin from environmental damage. There is also evidence that intermittent fasting approaches can help reduce inflammation and repair damaged cells.
- Skincare: Use sun protection and avoid irritating your skin in order to help limit background inflammatory activity. Anti-inflammatory ingredients such as azelaic acid, niacinamide and barrier supporting compounds like peptides and ceramides can help support the skin barrier and lower inflammation. Antioxidants like Vitamin C can also reduce oxidative stress and inflamamtion. Do not be tempted to get rid of all actives in the name of preventing inflamamging as you’ll cheat yourself from properly treating your skin concerns. You can still use retinoids like tretinoin or retinol as well pigment fading ingredients like hydroquinone but in doses and frequencies that do not irritate your skin.
- Professional Treatments: The concept of inflammaging is sometimes used to argue against the value of aesthetic procedures, particularly in mature skin. This is another oversimplification. Although aggressive or poorly chosen treatments can certainly worsen inflammation, there’s no need to avoid treatments that help improve form and function. For example, Botox can help prevent dynamic muscles from becoming ingrained whilst skin boosters and microneedling can help increase collagen production to firm up and hydrate the skin.
Inflammaging is a real biological process that helps explain why skin behaviour changes with age and why inflammatory control becomes increasingly important over time. However, it is an emerging area of research and there are still a lot of questions regarding how much the data we have from laboratory studies translates to human skin and skincare. Nonetheless, the term can still be helpful if you consider that just like everywhere else in the body inflammation is an important (but not the only or even main) factor that can contribute to skin ageing. This should help you find lifestyle and skincare strategies to reduce inflammaging as part of a wider beauty, healthy and wellness routine.
At City Skin Clinic, we are beyond passionate about personalised skincare. Our virtual skin clinic offers safe and effective custom skin treatments. Where appropriate our doctors use ingredients such as Tretinoin, Hydroquinone, Azelaic acid and Spironolactone to treat skin conditions like acne, hyperpigmentation, melasma and skin ageing. Start your online consultation today. The journey towards great skin starts here.
This article is intended for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always consult a qualified medical provider for any medical concerns or questions you might have.
