Paul Rudd and the science behind the young skin

On Saturday, actor Paul Rudd will be 50 years old. Or is it 40? Maybe 30?

Most Generation Y members first met Rudd, a 26-year-old man, when he played in a law student in the comedy "Clueless." looks. Year after year, role after role, Rudd has amazed viewers and gossip pages of celebrities by keeping his face youthful.

Here's a picture of Rudd de Clueless:

And here is a picture of Rudd from March 2018:

So, what's Rudd's secret? I have no idea.

But thanks to dermatologists and decades of research, you can probably mimic her healthy skin if you start early enough.

Scientists have a perfect command of the factors that contribute most to skin aging. Too much exposure to the sun or cigarette can cause severe skin damage, but new potential threats continue to emerge, such as the blue light of smartphones. Your genetics also controls some aspects of young skin.

Many skincare products and medical procedures are inspired by this research, but because of the attack of advertising in cosmetics, it can be difficult to find the best remedies.

PBS NewsHour therefore asked three dermatologists for advice on recreating the Paul Rudd effect. It's hard to say which of these reasons best explains Rudd's youth – but Paul, if you want to spend time arguing with him, do not hesitate to contact me.

Until then, here is an analysis of some speculations based on science.

Paul Rudd … is busy with his skin from an early age?

We generally judge skin aging from what we can see – fine lines, wrinkles and weird pigmentation – but these visible signs do not always reflect our actual age in years.

This is because these imperfections revolve around the physical integrity of the skin, which can in turn be altered by the environment.

Sun exposure is the most common and studied example. When ultraviolet light hits our body, it enters the two main layers of the skin: the epidermis and the dermis. The epidermis is the outermost layer, while the dermis lies just below.

"In a sense, the damage caused by ultraviolet light is double," said Dr. Patrick Blake, dermatologist at Ella® and clinical instructor at the University of California at San Diego. "There is a UV-A and UV-B spectrum light."

Due to its longer wavelength, UV-A is responsible for most of the ultraviolet radiation reaching the Earth's surface. UV-A rays penetrate deeper into the skin. It enters the dermis, where it can directly break down the scaffold of our skin, particularly by destroying two proteins called collagen and elastin.

Collagen keeps the skin thick, while elastin provides its rebound of youth. Thinner and less plump skin tends to sag and wrinkle.

As we age, our body also becomes less able to repair the damage caused to collagen, which comes in three varieties. As newborns, we start with an abundance of collagen-3, which responds better to wounds, but our dermis gradually shifts to collagen-1 later, which is less vivid.

Meanwhile, elastin becomes lumpy.

"When you do a skin biopsy of a person who has been badly damaged by the sun, you find a good amount of elastin, but it is grouped," said Blake.

For elastin to work effectively, it must be able to spread – like a paste – or otherwise, you will lose some degree of elasticity, he added.

UV-B rays attack closer to the surface, penetrating the exposed epidermis and damaging skin cells. These skin cells are themselves piled up in four to five layers within the epidermis, like pancakes. The innermost pile constantly multiplies and the cells of its offspring gradually rise to the surface of the skin. As you get older, these cells harden until you see what you see in the mirror.

Overexposed skin cells atrophy and lose some of their ability to heal wounds. They also collect DNA mutations that increase the risk of developing skin cancer.

"The UV exposure of the skin is cumulative. The sun exposure you had in your childhood has been preserved, "said Dr. Chris Adigun of the Dermatology & Laser Center of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. "Your basal cell layer needs to replicate – it creates duplicates. Once the DNA has been damaged in these cells, it will replicate in those cells with the same damage for the rest of their lives. "

UV-B also brings our cells to create the chemical equivalent of dynamite: free radicals, also called oxidative stress. When this happens, the body produces a set of enzymes – MMPs or matrix metalloproteinases – that also degrade collagen and elastin, Blake said. Smoking also stimulates these degrading enzymes, which is why this habit advances skin aging.

Dermatologists constantly remind everyone, especially children, that it is important to use sunscreen because our skin cells carry their wounds caused by light all their lives.

Paul Rudd … does not use his smartphone as much as everyone?

Most people spend hours a day stuck on a screen, whether it's a smartphone, a tablet or a computer, dermatologists are now asking themselves if all this exposure to blue light fades the skin.

"There is so much melasma, a pigmentation disorder, that I see now. It's everywhere, said Blake. "There is very clear data on melasma involved in blue light," especially for light to dark skin.

This is unexpected because blue light is sometimes used to treat skin conditions such as acne, but Blake explained that the shade could be the difference between acute and chronic exposure. Adigun expressed more caution and called for more research.

"It's really an interesting area of ​​research. The human population on Earth has been exposed to more blue light in the last five years than it has been in the last five million, Adigun said. "But often with the effects of external factors on the skin, there is a wait until we see what it really does to us."

Paul Rudd … knows how to apply sunscreen?

In this light, Blake said that a broad-spectrum sunscreen, with ingredients blocking UV-A and UV-B, was essential to slow the aging process of the skin. Adigun also said that you could choose one that also blocks the spectrum of blue light.

But Blake said that sunscreen only works if it is applied in the right amount.

"With the SPF 30, you have to use a large glass of sunscreen for a person of average height, and no one does," Blake said. "They rely either on the reapplication of the sunscreen or on the cover."

Sunscreen clothing can keep these dangerous rays away, but exposed skin needs a thick layer of sunscreen for at least 15 minutes for optimal protection.

Blake added that people were also overestimating the value of the Sun Protection Factor (SPF).

"There is no major difference between the SPF 30 and 50 diets, if one applies each one's behavior," Blake said. The difference between SPF 15, 30, 50 and 100 is marginal; SPF 100 offers a 6% higher protection than that of 15.

Exposure of people to harmful UV rays is more often due to poor application of these sun creams.

"It's an exponential decline. If you apply half of what you are supposed to do, you get a quarter of the protection, "said Blake. This first glass of sunscreen must remain at least 15 minutes. Although you have to reapply every two hours, a second layer will not compensate for already burned or overexposed skin.

Paul Rudd … rubs on something other than a sunscreen?

Although skin creams can not replace the protection offered by sunscreens, they can counteract structural damage or oxidative stress on the skin.

"The most common over the counter [lotions] are retinol creams, "said Blake.They increase the thickness of the dermis by promoting collagen production and promote cell renewal in the epidermis."

Blake said that while retinol is by far the biggest anti-aging and anti-wrinkle product, it is closely followed by antioxidant creams. He vouched for vitamin C (ascorbate), but said people had to remember that this antioxidant supplement came in many forms.

"There is good evidence that their usefulness depends on the form of vitamin C – if it is stable and can penetrate the skin," Blake said. His favorite is tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate mixed with vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol). The morning application will help protect against UV and oxidative stress during the day.

Medical procedures such as laser resurfacing work, ironically, damaging the dermis so that it stiffens.

"The skin then responds as if it was an injury and was producing a new collagen," Blake said. Botox injections inhibit the nerves of the face so that the muscles relax and stop pinching the flaccid and aged skin. The consequence is fewer lines on the face.

Blake and Adigun have both recommended people to start taking care of their skin early because prevention is easier than trying to reverse skin aging.

In addition, none of these therapies creates a permanent solution. Your underlying skin will always continue to age.

"Once you start one of these routines, whether it's creams, laser procedures or anything else, you have to maintain it to maintain it," Blake said.

Paul Rudd … eat well?

More and more evidence supports the idea that certain foods promote inflammation of the skin, through what is called proinflammatory dietary routes.

"Those who are rich in simple carbohydrates and high in dairy products, especially low fat dairy products, can increase inflammatory mediators and stress hormones, which can lead to premature aging of the skin," Adigun said. . When people eliminate these foods from their diet, dermatologists find that swelling and fullness around the chin and neck disappear.

Skin care is also cluttered with claims of useful dietary supplements, and Dr. Adigun said that recent research has helped determine which ones work, including a retrospective analysis of collagen supplements published in January.

"Until recently, it was difficult for us to understand if you are taking a collegial supplement for your digestive tract, how does it promote collagen?" It seemed pretty far-fetched, "said Adigun. "This review has shown that there are a number of supplements on the market that reduce wrinkles and fine lines and increase collagen production in the skin."

Other supplements, such as heliocare and nicotinamide, strengthen the skin's resistance to UV-A and UV-B rays.

Paul Rudd … has big genes and is a man?

While the sun, smoking and other environmental factors play a role, our genetic factor also plays a role in the aging of the skin.

The clearest examples are melanin, the pigment that regulates the color of our skin and comes in several varieties.

As previously reported by NewsHour, skin color is determined by the melanocortin-1 receptor, or MC1R gene, which leads to the production of a brown-black melanic pigment called eumelanin. The more this gene produces eumelanin, the darker and darker our skin and hair are. At the other end of the spectrum, light-skinned redheads have a recessive version of the MC1R gene, which stops the production of eumelanin, moving the dominant pigment to the reddish-tinged pheomelanin.

"Having melanin distributed more evenly over the skin is described as an umbrella covering the skin, which is more effectively produced in darker skin tones," Blake said.

Although the pigments affect less people exposed to the sun and the signs of skin aging, certain mutations of the MC1R gene also correspond to a younger appearance in people of European descent.

Paul Rudd is also a man. This is less of an issue, but it should be mentioned because men tend to have thicker skin through testosterone, Blake said. Its facial structure can also help keep the fat off of its face. Fat sags and subsidence signify wrinkles and other imperfections.

Other genes – those involved in DNA repair, cell replication and the production of natural antioxidants – can also give the skin a younger appearance. A study conducted in 2018 showed how a person treats his skin and can activate these genes in a beneficial way in correlation with a reduction in skin aging.

"Younger people actually have genetically younger skin," said Alexa Kimball, a professor of dermatology at Harvard Medical School, who led the study. "This confirmed once again that sun protection is the most important preventive behavior."