Telomeres are a region of DNA that acts as a biological marker for ageing than their sedentary peers. That’s not all, Telomeres are the protective caps at the ends of chromosomes. In recent years, the tiny telomere has emerged as a powerful biomarker of ageing. They get shorter as you get older, and shorter telomeres at any age predict the early onset of disease and mortality.
Repair your damaged DNA. Skin cells are equipped with natural repair enzymes to help fix sun-damaged DNA, but with age these repair mechanisms weaken. Replace them with products containing DNA repair enzymes. These can help heal recent sun damage before it becomes permanent, and eliminate precancerous cells that could ultimately lead to cancers. Consider a retinoid. Topical retinoids, which are vitamin A derivatives such as prescription tretinoin, can help your skin shed damaged skin layers and rebuild damaged collagen in the dermis. Your dermatologist can prescribe the right product for your skin. Note, however, that topical tretinoin may increase photosensitivity, so when using it, practice sun protection scrupulously.
Try a laser. Laser treatments can remove sun-damaged cells and stimulate collagen production to improve the appearance of mottled or rough, leathery skin. Some lasers can treat precancerous lesions, reducing your risk of developing skin cancer. Your dermatologist can advise you on which, if any, laser treatment might be best for you.
So far the scientists from the University of NSW and Harvard Medical School in the US city of Boston have only tested the compound known as NMN in mice. They plan to start clinical trials to test its safety in 25 people later this year in Boston.
The latest study focused on NMN’s ability to repair DNA, which gets damaged every time we go out into the sun or are exposed to radiation. The ability of our cells to repair the damage decreases as we age. The scientists found that giving mice a dose of NMN in their drinking water improved the ability of their cells to repair DNA damaged by radiation or old age.
“The cells of the old mice were indistinguishable from the young mice after just one week of treatment,” the study’s lead author professor David Sinclair, who works at the UNSW and Harvard and shot to fame after identifying anti-ageing qualities in red wine more than a decade ago.
“This is the closest we are to a safe and effective anti-ageing drug that’s perhaps only three to five years away from being on the market if trials go well.”
Which — listen up — has everything to do with your skin: “If one is able to repair DNA at the cellular level, it’s possible to reverse cellular abnormalities and stop not only the progression of skin cancer but also sun damage and collagen and elastic damage that causes wrinkles and lines,” says Dr. Gary Goldenberg, an assistant clinical professor of dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. In essence, if we (well, the author of the study and his colleagues) can figure out how to make NAD work to our advantage, it would be a recipe for clear, smooth, lineless skin — without the gallons of skin-care products and injectables and fillers we’re currently using to get the same effects🌷🍃
