You may or may not have heard about telomeres, but they’ve recently been gaining buzz as a possible key to aging. In fact, the 2009 Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded to three scientists for their work in uncovering the role that telomeres play in protecting chromosomes from degradation.
What does this mean to you? Well, inside your body’s chromosomes, you’ll find DNA. Telomeres make up the end caps of each strand of DNA, and as we get older, our cells divide and the telomeres get shorter. Telomeres can also shorten due to DNA damage, caused by free radicals and toxins.
Some skincare products have recently taken this scientific knowledge and put it to work, focusing on the prevention of damage to skin cell DNA from free radicals, in the hopes of decreasing unnecessary telomere shortening. This is done with the help of antioxidants, which are known to protect against such damage, as well as compounds such as teprenone, squalene and hyaluronic acid, to help skin cells retain moisture and elasticity.