Beauty has always been in the eye of the beholder. And youth, throughout the centuries, has been considered the epitome of beauty. Younger looking skin continues to be a huge market worth millions of pounds in the UK every year, as men and women seek new ways to combat the signs of aging skin. As a result, a plethora of anti-wrinkle, anti-aging, and skin care products flood the market on a regular basis. But is this obsession with youthful skin a new phenomenon?
The simple answer is no. The ancient Egyptians and Chinese were the first to document their attempts to stop the relentless passage of time, noting the effects of certain types of herbs, mineral treatments, diet, and exercise on skin condition, all aimed at stopping the inevitable first. . wrinkles and stay young and beautiful. But the study of antiaging techniques is not just vanity: it has developed over thousands of years in a complex study of molecular biology, botany, and even philosophical and psychological research.
During the ancient Egyptian dynasties, olive leaves were promoted as an anti-aging remedy. Vedic culture focused on diet and exercise as a means of halting the aging process, and in the Indian subcontinent, Ayurvedic medicine focused on the youthful effects of yoga, meditation, and once again, herbal remedies. herbs and anti-aging potions and poultices. . That research continues today, with the “next big thing” proudly announced by major manufacturers. These ‘magical’ ingredients include everything from ginger to caffeine, but is there any basis in these claims that a product will reverse skin damage that is an inevitable part of life itself?
Alchemists spent centuries searching for the ‘Elixir of Life’, a mythical ingredient that would grant them access to the ‘Fountain of Youth’ and eternal life. At this point we did not understand about molecular biology and that the aging process is genetically encoded in our DNA. Yet even today, modern genetics is still seeking to unlock the key to longer life, concentrating its studies on people over the age of 100 to try to discover what makes their bodies more resistant to cell breakdown. associated with aging. This includes a study of the skin and how its structure changes over time. This research was not available to our ancestors, who instead searched the natural world to find an ingredient that would work every time to keep skin looking young and beautiful.
But time and time again, modern skincare products look to these ancient civilizations for inspiration, and olive oil has made a comeback as an anti-aging ingredient in many modern products. Looks like the Egyptians were on to something. But instead of basing our trust in these new wrinkle creams on mythology and esoteric reasons, science now plays a major role in a multi-billion dollar industry to find a modern ‘Elixir of Life’. Much of it is pseudoscience, designed to separate a society desperate to maintain its youthful appearance from its cash. But among all the pepto tidbits and ‘here comes the science’ hype that has little to no meaning to the average person on the street, there may be an ancient remedy that actually conditions the skin, reduces the signs of aging, and improves rid of Those annoying wrinkles. While no one can beat the clock, perhaps by looking back at ancient civilizations we can slow it down a bit.
