Mayo Clinic Dermatologist: 5 Daily Habits That Are Aging Your Skin Faster & What to Do Instead

Your skin is your check engine light. This is not vanity. This is actually a reflection of your health. Today on the Mel Robbins podcast, trailblazing Mayo Clinic dermatologist and physician scientist Dr. Serena Wilds is here. Skin care is healthcare. I want you to be concerned about changes in your skin. You have the power to influence your health. Autoimmune dysfunction, kidney disease, diabetes, how you look, also known as your perceived age can influence a lot of downstream health risk factors. Are you ready? >> Oh god. >>

For the true skin age, >> okay. >> Oh. Oh my god. I'm not ready to be that old. >> The good news is that your skin can reset. I want to invite you to stick around later in the episode to hear all about something called the clean slate brought to you by our new sponsor, Mrs. Meyers. It's something that will help you clear up both physical and mental space. And you're going to absolutely love this. Please help me welcome Dr. Serena Wilds to the Mel Robbins

podcast. >> Great to be here, Mel. >> I mean, it's incredible to have you here. So, thank you for taking the time out to teach us about our skin and what our skin is trying to tell us about our health. Could you start by speaking to me and the person who's here with us about what could change about our life or our health or how we feel if we take to heart everything that you're about to teach us about our skin? >> Your skin is more

than a beauty scorecard. It is actually information. It's a two-way conduit between the outside world and the internal systemic health that you experience. Your skin is your check engine light. It reflects your overall health. If something is starting to go wrong in your body, it can often times show up on the skin as different signs. So, pay attention to the clues that it's giving you. It's a great way to influence your overall health and those distant organs, too. That's the part that's key to take away

is that you have the power to influence your health. That starts at the level of your skin. That's fascinating that we can look at our skin not as a beauty scorecard because I think so many of us, particularly when you're upper in age like me, like 57, I start to look at all the things that I don't like what it looks like. But I don't even know how to look at my skin and see it as an engine check light that might be indicating something else

that's a deeper issue. >> Exactly. And it could be really small signs. It's the all of a sudden moment that a lot of people describe to me. They say all of a sudden I see this change in my skin. All of a sudden this brown spots popped up. All of a sudden this fine line is over here. This redness is now I'm fl my skin is flushing. Right? It's these all of a sudden moments have actually been brewing for months on end. So the conversation's actually

been started a long time ago. And when you see that all of a sudden spot, what's happening on the skin is really a dashboard and reflection of what's happening at your overall health. So this is not vanity. This is actually a reflection of your health. Okay, that's really cool because I probably am like most people that walk into your office or walk into a dermatologist and you're like, I have this thing under my nose or I have this thing on my face or my skin is

suddenly this way or this is happening and it's now a problem. And the first thing that you said is, hold on. The thing that suddenly appears can reveal hidden issues underneath that started a while ago. A lot of times patients walk into my office and within the first 5 minutes they're saying something like, "I'm really sorry to be talking about this. I know this is vanity. I have this concern." But that's not true. I immediately shift the conversation and say, "Skinare is healthcare. I want you

to be concerned about changes in your skin because the structure that it's showing and changing actually is a reflection of function that's happening underneath." And that's a very important conversation because it affects patients quality of life. >> I would love to hear Dr. for a while. What your skin reveals about what's happening in your body and what changes may be early warning signs that something deeper is going on. It can tell you about autoimmune dysfunction. It can tell you about inflammation happening underneath. It can give

you clues to disease processes like kidney disease, diabetes, chronic liver function dysfunction. All of that can present on your skin. Psoriasis is a really good example. So when patients have moderate to severe psoriasis, oftent times they're at a higher risk for heart failure. There was one study that showed that if you have severe psoriasis, you're at about sixfold increased risk to your 10-year heart disease and heart event risk, this includes heart failure, heart attacks, and stroke. Got it. Okay. Why is skin health and the optimized

function of your skin so important for your overall health? Dr. Wilds. So your skin is your largest living organ and it's your largest regenerative organ. So it really every 30 days you're getting a new layer of skin and it has this incredible power of influencing health because if you think about it, it's our way to the outside world. Wow. All right. Well, show us what skin function means. What does your skin do? >> Okay, so the skin does over seven to eight different types of functions.

We love to study this in our lab. So, we study skin repair and wound healing. So, every a little kid who gets a cut or a scrape needs a band-aid, they have a boo boo. I have two little kids of my own. And so, the repair idea is that your skin naturally heals and it it allows you to regenerate that skin every 30 days like we talked about. But this repair slows with age. So you heal much faster when you're younger than with older age. The

other function is secretion and absorption. The skin is an active secrettor. You your skin is either oily or dry. It creates oils. It creates sweat. It absorbs topical things. So this is how we apply medications to your skin through your skin. Sensation is key. This is how we sense and perceive the world. This is how we connect, love, touch. It's all through the skin. It is also how you know when you have a paper cut, right? So when you have a paper cut, you don't know

how much your skin's a good sensor till you do. Barrier defense. This is really what the skin is known for. Keeps the outside out, right? The outside world exposes us to UV, pollution, particulate matter, hard chemicals. So the skin really keeps a lot of that out. And that's important when you think about barrier function. And then vitamin D synthesis. People don't talk about this enough, but vitamin D is this incredible hormone that supports our bone health, that supports our brain health, and that starts at the

level of the skin. It's a conversation that your skin has with UV, and we allow that to make healthy vitamin D to support our bone and overall health. Immune surveillance. So, the skin has its own microbiome, lots of friendly microbes that live on the skin, but we also monitor the skin to make sure that no one bacteria or microbe overexaggerates or proliferates. So it really helps to keep that down. Your skin actually has its own immune system. So the localized immune system that's outside the blood

immune system. And then finally, like we didn't have enough different functions to do, it's a great thermmore regulator. So what does that mean? This allows us to regulate temperature mel. So this is how we can cool the body and be perceptive to the outside world. Evolution has really prioritized how the skin and the fat underneath it play a big role in thermmorreulation. Okay. So, if our skin is doing all this cool stuff and it's part of the overall function and health and there's this two-way relationship

between what's happening on the surface and what gets communicated to your deeper health inside your body and what your inside body is connecting to the surface of your skin. And you've already taught us that if something's suddenly appearing, we got to go back at least 3 months and try to understand what's been happening because this might be a signal. What is happening under the surface of the skin, Dr. Wilds, as we age? >> Because the skin is this beautiful living organ, I want you to think

about its influence from the outside in and the inside out. So, the aging process within the skin is a two-way influence. So, the outside in, we're having stressors from the environment, which we collectively call the exposome. So this is UV light, the pollution, particulate matter, the ozone, smoking, all of that influences the the skin from the outside, an aging process. The inside out signaling is just as important. So these signals look like meta metabolism. So your metabolic changes, this also looks like your hormonal changes, your

genetics. So it's that two-way conversation that really drives the surface and that that colliding of the worlds that drives the surface changes. You have two studies that you're excited about when it comes to the aging of your skin. >> Yes. In research studies, we're finding that how you look, also known as your perceived age, can influence a lot of downstream health risk factors. There was a recent study that showed that when you look at cancer patients, they had a study looking at over 6,000 patients and

did an AI facial image analysis and found that the patients cancer survival and prognosis correlated with how they look, their perceived age and those changes that they're seeing at the level of the skin actually has a biological influence and it's showing cues that could be affecting their cancer prognosis and how they're surviving through this stage. >> This fascinating. So there's a great Danish twin twin study where they looked at twins and saw how their perceived age impacted their overall health. And the older of the twins

actually had more changes that are declining um poor cognitive health, poor physical function um and just that perceived age look of how someone shows up actually correlates with poor survival, shorter tie length and shorter tieumir function, higher risk of heart disease as well. So these are cues that are telling us the skin is more than vanity. It's not necessarily that structural change, but it's the underlying function that could also be reflecting through that structure. So if your skin is aging quicker >> and you're losing the

structural function that your skin is supposed to be performing, all those different things you just said, it puts you at greater risk for other things. >> Exactly. How do I actually know how my skin is aging? If it's doing a good job, if it's like really not aging well. >> So, when patients come to see me, we do a full facial exam and a body skin exam, and we start to look for these key signs on the skin. Now, we have this technology that can actually

use an AI integrated system to look at your facial image, and it can do a facial scan to give you a predictive analysis of the different parts that age over time. Are you interested in getting one of these facial scans, Mel? >> Well, I'm actually nervous. I saw the team setting up some piece of equipment out there and so I kind of knew this was coming and I'm dreading it because I'm afraid that all those decades in the 70s and 80s when I was slathering on

oil and trying to burn myself are going to come back to haunt me. And yes, I'm going to do this even though I'm nervous. And I will narrate this. So if you're listening, we are going to take you out of the studio. We're going to walk into our offices here in Boston. If you're watching this on video on YouTube right now, you're about to see the behind the scenes because they've got this thing set up in the middle of a busy production day. And so, we're

just going to take you right along with us. I love it when we get out of the studio. So, let's go. >> Let's do it. >> I'm a little nervous. Okay, this machine actually looks like one of those foil things that my uh elementary school best friend Jodie Bricken and I would hold up, oil ourselves up, and then try to get sunburnt in the Michigan sun. >> This is actually a very advanced technology that does look very similar to that, but it's going to allow us

to capture all different angles and mirrors. And there's flashing lights in here to look at your skin. >> Do I leave my glasses on? So, you can take your glasses off. This is a curved camera. And I would like you to look right here in this middle. >> Oh, just like they do at the airport. Here we go. >> Like that. You're going to see some flashing lights. >> Okay. And it's processing. So, we did good. Let's give that a few moments here >> and you

can come back here with me, Mel. Okay. Let's go through this report. So, here the higher the number is really looking at a percentile, right? So 100% is what you want to get on the report card. >> So let me just show tell the person listening. They're measuring spots, wrinkles, the texture, the pores, the UV spots, the brown spots, the red areas. Let's go through it. >> Let's start with spots. >> So you say that when you have this, you want to see a high number

like 100% or 90% or 80%. >> Exactly. >> So I've got a nine, which feels like a D minus on spots. So the spots, it's actually a combination of multiple different so wrinkles, textures, pores. So it kind of takes multiple different textural surfaces and combines it into one. So it's measuring brown spots, it's measuring red spots, it's measuring other types of pigment changes. It's also measuring some surface level changes that you can see with pore sizes, too. All right, so let's go through the next step.

This is wrinkles. So here, >> oh my god, they're all on my forehead. >> It's showing static wrinkles. These are normal lines. These are supposed to be there. You want to see texture on your skin. You want to see movement. Remember the skin muscle. It's a 9%. I mean certainly this could be a hydration factor too. So a lot of times just getting enough water and putting moisturizers this is going to bump up your score easily. >> Great. Okay. >> Texture changes. So do >> 999.

This is like D minus D. What does this tell you? >> These 9 percentiles. They're still, you know, giving you some clues and it's telling you that you need some changes that are more. We could talk about what activives you're putting on your skin. Maybe do you need more antioxidants here? Do we need to be thinking about active on my skin? That's probably why this is a nine. >> Yeah. >> Okay. Let's talk about my pores. >> Your pore size is doing really well. So 77

percentile right here. It is. That's right. So, and pores we actually think about as they're really static. Everybody has different pore sizes that change with time, but we want to look at pores as ways that the skin allows particles to be absorbed inside. So pore size is actually can be a good thing. Um and then UV spots. This is the most important change. >> Okay. What is that? That the screen for you listening went from like a high definition. You know the Time magazine covers where

it's like a way too close portrait and you see everybody's pores. That's what this looked like. Now it looked like you hit a filter and it's a pencil illustrated graphic novel version of me. >> Exactly. And actually this mask Mel, it actually goes around and highlights the area that it's analyzing. So, it doesn't do the entire face, just the key components that are sun exposed. So, the nose, the forehead, the cheeks area. And you have a really good uh score for for the UV spots. And

this is telling me this is subcellular damage, Mel. So, I can tell from this that you're doing a great job putting sunscreen on. >> That shocks me given my childhood. My number is 83. I thought this would be a zero cuz I spent my childhood trying to get burned so it would turn to tan. But I do wear just a basic moisturizer that has sunscreen in it every >> day. >> Highest number is brown spots. >> Highest number >> 94%. What What What does that tell

you? >> So brown spots, it's pigment that's presenting on the skin. So what brown spots and UV spots, two of your highest scores, Mel and 94% brown spots, 83% UV spots. That's telling me that you're excelling at having skin resilience from a pigmentation standpoint. Red areas, it's 46%. So what is red showing you? I think about red primarily as low-level inflammation on the skin. And what this is showing is um it can be broken blood vessels. It can be how the circulation is popping up on

the skin. Some in the mornings or at night time this can change during flushing. So if patients have rosacea, they can see more prominence in red. So you're >> and I see a lot of like breakage around here. I do tend to get very red especially in menopause. Like I've noticed that I go and flush faster. I stay redder faster. It looks like things are breaking in my face faster. I don't know. >> This is one of the most common things that we see in permenopause

and menopause. So, red low-level inflammation and damaged blood vessels. And if you want to know, Mel, are you ready? >> Oh god. >> For the true skin age. >> Okay. >> This is the calculated age of >> Oh. >> Oh my god. I'm not ready to be that old. Mel, this I want you to know that this is a reversible. >> No. >> No. >> No. I'm 61. >> I'm not ready to be 61. >> It is. >> I thought I'd be better. I had some

above the line. >> This is an average. >> So, I don't want this to be a means to an end. This is not a structural report card, right? This is a conversation. This is information that we can influence and these are cues that we can actually take back and see what are the different things that can reset our skin barrier. >> Wow. Okay. Well, I now want to find out what to do. And I would assume almost everything that we're going to recommend >> applies to

all of us. >> That's right. >> Okay, great. Let's go talk about the pillars for how I bring that number down. >> That's right. >> We're going to take you back into the studio. Come on. You got to see behind the scenes as we are doing this. That's really cool. >> It's a It's information. It's impressive. >> Okay, here we go. After you. >> Those are common. >> Oh my god. I did not expect 61. I am I'm still like feeling like oh god. So for

the person who's kind of like me that feels as though you really kind of screwed it up. You have slathered a bazillion products on yourself. You uh spent way too much time in the sun. What is the good news? >> Mhm. >> About the state of your skin now and what is possible if we um apply the pillars that you're about to talk about that really support the skin span and the function of your skin. >> The good news is that your skin can reset. Your

skin can listen to cues that's coming from your internal health and different ways that we're activating your stress cues and managing resilience, your sleep cues and getting better hours of sleep, your diet and hydration. How do we optimize those things that you can control? Um, and if not trying to be better, 1% better every day. Um, different types of environmental stressors and topicals. So if we think about the skin span pillars, it's interconnected system. How many pillars are there for >> span? Five pillars. >> Okay.

Yes. >> What are the five pillars for skinpan?an. >> The five pillars of skin span are sleep, diet and hydration, movement, stress reduction or recovery from stress, and then topicals and treatments. >> Great. Okay. And we're going to go through one by one. So you said the first one is sleep. How does sleep affect skin repair, inflammation, and the way your skin ages? The first important thing to think about with sleep is that your skin is on a circadian clock. So if you were to think

about your skin health and what it's doing during the daytime and nighttime hours, at daytime it goes into defense mode. So it goes into protection from the outside world. So everything about your skin of how it's producing oils, how water secretion, um its barrier function, we talked about its immune surveillance capacity, barrier protection. So it's in defense mode. It's fighting against the outside world, the outside damage, UV, pollution, visible light, all of these things that are creating damage. It's protecting against that. So, it's in a

very active mode. And then at night time, it switches into offense, more like a repair regeneration. So, your skin doesn't sleep at night. It actually shifts into repair mode. And this is why sleep is critical for skin health because when you are sleeping is when your skin is actually regenerating and repairing the damage that could have occurred during the daytime. So if we look at some studies, there's actually been a study that's looked at good sleepers. So good sleepers had 30% better epidermal barrier recovery compared

to poor sleepers. So what that means is that if you're getting about 7 to n hours of sleep and you're considered good sleeper, you actually have better barrier resilience. you your skin can stay hydrated for longer. Your skin can protect you from the outside environment and really allow you to function at its best. This is really interesting. So, in another study with 24 middle-aged women, they look at consecutive nights of sleep lost. So, for women that had two consecutive nights, that's how long it took. So,

two consecutive nights of 3 to four hours of sleep disrupts your skin barrier. So overall, we saw that their hydration went down, their water loss went down, meaning that you're losing more water through your barrier. So that was a statistical significant change. So with just two consecutive nights, you can really shift your skin's hydration and barrier capacity. Dr. Wells, this is so fascinating and it also explains why so many of the creams you see market it as repair, but I've never heard anybody say that your

skin has two modes. protection mode during the day and repair mode at night. >> So, there are signals that are during the morning that your genes are sending out that's like turn on defense mode and then the signals that send on at night that's like turn on protection. >> Okay, hold on. Let me just see if I just got something. I love it when we're having a conversation and you start to feel smart. Don't you love that as you're listening and watching that by just being

with Dr. Wilds, you feel smarter. So, can I give something back to you? And I want to see if you're listening or watching if you're starting to get this too. So, Dr. Wilds, what I am learning is that sleep impacts how your skin ages and functions and what it looks like because your skin has two modes and it's driven by the circadian rhythm. And if you're up during the day and you're on like we're on the the offense mode, right? That's during the day. >> During

the day, you're defense. >> Okay. So, if I'm up during the day and I'm on defense, I my skin has got to be protecting me from the world and the UV and all these people running around and oh my god, pollutants and you know, oh my god. And now, of course, it's dehydrated. It's working very hard. Then I go to lay my head down on the pillow with the circadian rhythm >> and my scan is like, >> oh my god, we can rest. I can go

on offense mode, meaning I can take a proactive step forward. why this, you know, you know what is sleeping. >> Isn't that beautiful? >> And and I can repair and I can shed and I can take care of myself so that when she wakes up again, we can go back into it. And if you are not getting good sleep, your skin cannot go into that mode. And if you're like now I'm thinking about why I looked terrible when I had babies, why I started to look

like I had been sleeping under like a dumpster or like out camping when I got pmenopause because my sleep was interrupted every 2 to three hours. So if your sleep is interrupted every few hours and you're not getting a good night's sleep, >> your sleep pattern is confusing your skin. And so it's probably jumping. Wait, are we in offense? Are we in defense? Is she awake? Is she up? Are we What is happening here? And then you start to look red and puffy and saggy and

crepey. Describing myself here, but it makes perfect sense. >> You haven't built the time for recovery for your skin to bounce back. >> And if you then, and this is why I've probably done everything wrong, I run to the drugstore cuz I think I look like an old hag and I'm exhausted. And then I reach for a cream that says repair and then I slather it all over my face and then I wake up five times at night. that cream is not going to be as

effective because my own sleep pattern is confusing my skin's job. >> That's exactly right, Mel. >> Oh my god, this makes so much sense. >> It's the interconnected. Don't put on the topicals and not perform from the inside out, too. >> It's a two-way street. >> Wow. >> I want to say one more thing about sleep. So, if you're listening and you're thinking, you know, sleep is free, but I have trouble getting to sleep and staying asleep. Magnesium is a supplement that you can take. Magnesium

3 and8 is one. It actually influences at the level of the skin an expression of certain types of genes and enzymes that can influence your skin to make better hyaluronic acid, better types of matrix proteins and help that sleep function better in addition to support matrix function and production. I want to ask you a question about the magnesium because we have had worldrenowned researchers come on and talk about magnesium but as a normal person >> there's all these different types of magnesium >> and you said

theonate there's the G1 there's the other ones is there a particular thing that a normal person should look for >> magnesium 38 is the one that helps with sleep especially the T1 >> the T1 3 and8 L3 and8 and then the time to take it is really depend an hour before sleep, 1 to two hours before sleep is a time to take it. Okay? And so you want to activate these cues to help your body calm down. But there's actually the way that I look at

magnesium is both from the lens of sleep, but also from the lens of the skin. And this is where that it's becomes really powerful because not only are you activating one mechanism to help you sleep better, you're activating the other mechanism to help skin cells produce better matrix and it is a supporting co-actor to produce vitamin D. Wow. Okay. Great. So, Dr. Wilds, does the position you sleep in affect your skin? >> So, for me, the goal is that you're getting enough sleep. So, that 7

to n hours of sleep, it's sleeping on your face and on your stomach is is probably not ideal. And and part of the reason is because at night time, you also lose water from your skin. So, you and that's intentional when you're repairing and rebuilding your skin barrier is a little bit open. So, you lose water. It's another reason why I tell people to have a humidifier in your room. So at night when you're sleeping, especially for that repair regeneration, a humidifier will help optimize and

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ondevice smartphone usage. Domestic data roaming at 2G speeds. So, the second pillar that you mentioned was diet and hydration. And I'm realizing right now that I've been hydrating this entire conversation with an iced coffee and I should switch it for water. But let's start with diet while I switch the coffee off the table and put water on. What does your research Dr. Wilds say about nutrition slowing or improving the way your skin ages? >> So the data around skin and diet is quite good. So it's

a this skin gut axis of how your skin and your gut health are interconnected and related. And a lot of this is known if we look at acne patients too. So there's a randomized 12-week trial for acne patients and they put them on a low glycemic index diet. This means low sugar, low carbohydrate diet. And they found that these patients had a 23% improvement in their acne flares just by switching their diet. So it's >> Wait, hold on. >> Say that again. So because because the

person who is having an acne flare up and does this count for all kinds of acne, stress acne, what's it called? Systemic acne like all of it. >> All of it. >> So if you're having an acne flare up, what was that research? >> When you have a low glycemic, so low sugar, low carb diet, >> and what are some of the low sugar, low carb diets that would be out in the world of people like oh that kind of diet? So, vegetables, more fiber richch

uh products like beans and um dark green leafy vegetables, more whole foods. >> More whole foods, plant-based, >> more protein, plant-based, that kind of stuff. >> Exactly. Versus a high sugar index. Even fruit can sometimes be in that category. >> Okay. Wow. >> Mhm. So, that really shifts that and reduces the acne flares. >> Remind me what glycation is. >> So, glycation is how sugars stick together. So it's sticky sugars that happen in your skin and the sugar sticks to something called collagen and elastin that's

present in your skin. >> So then it stays there for a long time and influence and breaks down your skin matrix. So when you have these glycation end products, this is why sugar is bad. And the goal is like try to limit sugar. I know it's super hard when you're cruising around your Target aisle and you're trying to figure out what do I get my kids like which is a best back to school snack. You know, the goal is to try to see if you can

try to have those low sugar, more healthier choices, more plant-based and whole food, whole grainbased. Those are going to help shift the conversation in reducing glycation for long term. And it really starts when you're younger because the glycation is a buildup of the story over time. What's interesting is, you know, I'm thinking about how much time I've spent in the makeup aisle trying to buy things to cover things up. And what I'm starting to realize is that it's the other aisles like the grocery section, the

foods you're you're choosing to eat and prepare, the magnesium that you might take to help you get a better night's sleep. That is the first line of thinking and defense when you want to take better care of your skin. and and to have your skin function, age, and look better. >> Exactly. And there are other cues that you can do and supplements like fiber. So, say that you are about to have a sugary piece of dessert, right? The goal is to try to bring in fiber

as close to it as you can. >> So, what do I put on my Sunday? >> Maybe some flax seeds. Or try to eat, you know, beans or something around the time that you're that >> Does vanilla bean and the ice cream count? Probably not. Okay. >> Nice try. Um, fiber. Fiber. It can come in lots of different ways. You can even add it to your water. >> Skin fiber. >> I think pooping fiber. >> Yes. >> I think gut health fiber. I don't think if

I want better skin, I better have a little more fiber and I better have a little more protein and a little bit more veggies and like the inside out of that creates glowing skin. >> That's exactly right. So, it's that inside out connection. And again, it's coming back to how interconnected everything is. your gut health is reflected on your skin. A leaky gut oftent times for patients with eczema presents as leaky skin. They have broken leaky barrier and a lot of times they're seeing some GI

distress too that goes along with it. >> So a first-line treatment when you see eczema in addition to other factors that you have as a dermatologist at the Mayo Clinic is let's change your diet. A lot of patients find benefit from reducing gluten out of their diet with just having autoimmune and um diseases and celiac disease for sure. But you can also see that for patients that are eczema prone. >> Tell me Dr. Wilds about fiber and skin. >> So there was a study in 2025

from the UK bioank which is a large biodata. Okay. Over 200,000 people were scanned in this bioank data and they found that those individuals that had a high fiber diet actually had lower psoriasis flares. So psoriasis that inflammatory skin condition just by keeping your diet high and rich in fiber and this probably works because it kind of defays the sugar spikes. So patients that take good high-fiber diets, they don't have their glucose that are spiking so much. And when you control your glucose, you're controlling your

skin glycation. And when you control the skin glycation, you have better healthy skin. >> And you know what, Dr. WS, you're glowing as you say all that. So you must eat a lot of fiber. But you're all I'm also very excited about. I didn't think I'd get that excited about skin. This is really cool to learn about. >> Um I've heard you have a secret skin smoothie. I want you to talk to me about this smoothie and the benefits of putting specific ingredients, Dr. Wilds, in

your smoothie. I see beets, I see apples, I see carrots. I don't know what the heck is in that thing. >> Turmeric. >> Oh, it's orange turmeric and some seedy looking things. >> Okay. And you're going to explain all of this. >> So, this is something really special that I shared with my grandmother. I think there's a lot of wisdom that we can learn from our mothers and grandmothers. And every morning my grandmother would say don't forget your ABCs. Now I grew up in South India

in Chennai and um we called her Thothi. So Thothi would say okay don't forget your ABCs. And what she meant was your apples, beets and carrots. >> Oh ABC apple beet carrot. >> When I had kids this is what I turned to. I said I don't know what to feed them. So let me take these and stick them in an Insta Pot. So what ended up being my grandmother's recipe ended up being a convenience factor for me. This is what my kids ate almost every day.

>> Okay, so hold on. By Instapot, do you mean like a crock pot? >> A crock pot. >> Okay, so like any slow cooker. So we're talking you got a busy life. We don't have time to do a cooking show. And neither do you in your life. So you're going to take Insta Pot, Crockot, whatever you want. You're going to chuck in carrots, apples, and beets. >> Carrots, apples, and beets. >> And do you leave the skin on? >> I do. And that and I'll tell

you why. There's research behind this. >> Talk to me. >> In the skin of an apple. My um in-laws are apple farmers, so I'm really passionate about apples. They are. And the reason why you keep the apple peel on is because it's got corsetin in it. And corsetin lives on apple skin which is a type of flavonoid which is a type of anti-cenolytic. So when we think about you know these scesscent or zombie cells well how do we target them? How do you get rid of

them? There are natural products and fruits and vegetables that exist that can target and reduce those presence of those cells. This is a really cool fact. So, with flax seed and chia seed, you're getting alpha linoleic acid and you're also getting fiber. And I love this fact um because fiber is something that we know that we need to get for healthy skin. We just talked about reducing your glycemic index. In addition to that, did you know that chia seeds also have calcium in it? >> They

do. >> They do. So, two tablespoons of chia seeds has 180 mg of calcium. That's about half a cup of milk. Wow. So, for somebody that can't tolerate dairy, chia seed. >> Exactly. >> So, you I'm I'm like trying to follow the recipe. So, we're throwing this in the crock pot. How much of the flax seed and the chia seed you put in? >> I usually do like one or two tablespoons of each. Okay. And then the turmeric. And then I use a coconut water as

the base. So, coconut water has a lot of electrolytes. So, it's going to power you through that day. It's going to give you a lot of the um magnesium there, too, that you're going to need. and and really this combination that comes together will hold you strong. You can even add protein to it in the beginning of the morning if you're trying to just get up. >> Okay, now let me just get technical here cuz I want to make sure I know what I'm doing. Am

I only cooking down the ABCs so they're mushy? And then once they're mushy, which I can do while it's at work, >> then I can put that in like, you know, a storage dish. And then in the morning, I take a I take a scoop of the mush, some turmeric, some flax seed, some chia seed, and then I pour in my coconut water. If I want a little protein, throw that in there, and then I zap it. >> That's right. >> And your kids will have

it. >> That's right. And this could look a lot of different versions for you. You know, maybe it's blueberries, spinach, and yogurt, but it's what works for you and making it a consistent habit. >> Dr. Wells, what does turmeric do for your skin? >> So, turmeric activates a lot of anti-inflammatory pathways. So it really helps your skin defense mode. So you're about to walk out the door and you're going into the world fighting against all these different pollutants and antioxidants, right? So that creates inflammation. By

having turmeric and other of these products in your smoothie, you actually can start helping your skin fight inflammation earlier on. All right, I got so much more. Let's move the smoothie stuff. I feel very empowered by this. And here's the other thing I love about this. What's discouraging about your skin is that everything is a product marketed to you. And everything that you're talking about exists in your daily life. And not only is good for your overall health, >> but it's amazing to know and very

empowering to know that every one of these levers that you can pull are almost no money. You're going to eat anyway. Mhm. >> And they also increase not just the health of your skin and not just how it looks and how glowing you are and all that stuff which it will but it also makes you feel better and it's impacted to your overall health which you know you said in the beginning it's all connected because this is the biggest organ. >> Okay. >> As somebody who

has two centers at the Mayo Clinic, Dr. Wilds, how much water do you need to drink in order to have healthier skin? >> Yeah. So when you think about hydrating your skin, there's two ways. There's a little bit of a myth that goes around. Okay, so the myth around hydrating your skin is that people think drinking water is enough to hydrate their skin barrier, but it's not. You actually need to apply moisturizer. So, a lot of the studies are showing that only a portion of water

that you drink shows up on the skin, right? So, you have to think about the hydration needs can really shift. It can be affected by your climate, the humidity, and a lot of different things. So, how much water do you need to drink? For women, it's about 2 L a day. the 11 to 12 cups. >> So, I have a large wide-mouth mason jar right here. And I typically drink two of these a day. And one of the This is like four cups each. >> Perfect.

So, about eight cups is good enough, but if you can try to get to 10 or 12 cups, that's better. Especially if you're in pmenopause and menopause, your baseline water loss has increased and our levels of stress as women have increased. So, so you're just losing more water every day just by >> we're sweating it out, ladies. >> So, just aiming for about 10 cups is is is key for women. And for men, it's uh two additional cups more than that. So, 12 to 13. >>

Wow. >> Mhm. >> Now, you also said that it's the inside and the outside. So, what am I doing on the outside to hydrate my skin? Because I know people have told me before, my own dermatologists, maybe even other medical experts, but can you remind us what is the thing we're looking for that is hydrating when you put it on your skin? So, the skin needs hctants. Hctins are ingredients that pull water in. So these are going to be like glycerin camides. These are going to

look like um colloidal oatmeal can reduce inflammation and calm the skin. >> Oatmeal is hydrating. >> Oatmeal is it's finely ground. It's called colloidal oatmeal. Um this is actually FDA approved. So if you go in a lot of the brands for eczema moisturizers and lotions, it'll say that it has an FDA seal on it and it says National Eczema Foundation approved for eczema skin. So broken skin can get a lot of benefits from colloidal oatmeal because it has the ingredients to calm the skin down. Um

the other uh hctant aka something an ingredient that pulls water in is beta glucans. So beta glucans is another active that you can look for in the ingredient list. So these are going to pull water in. You also want to look for moisturizers that are tub lotions that you can scoop out versus pump lotions. Why? Because tub lotions are thicker and you and they hold more moisture in there versus pump lotion to get it out of the pump, they actually have to add water, which is

counterintuitive. There's more liquid in there. It rubs on nicely, but it also evaporates and loses the barrier faster. >> I wouldn't have thought that pumping it to get it out through that little thing makes it less concentrated. >> It's a thinner lotion. The tub lotions are thicker. >> So, Dr. W. Mhm. >> I just had this image of you either at the grocery store or Target or CVS or somewhere else and you've got your two kids and it's a Saturday and you're pushing your cart and

then you see somebody like me just staring at the aisles and I'm reaching for something that you know is a giant waste. Is it hard for you to not walk up to people and be like I just buy that one down there? >> I have this Target moment all the time. So, whenever I'm in Target, I am so tempted by people looking at products and just seeing what ingredients there are. I just want to go up to them and be like, "Hey, I've been there. Um,

can I just help you?" And I just want to help you pick out, especially if they're in the baby aisle and they're like choosing between different products. How do I what do I choose? Which ingredients? I just want to go be like, "How try this?" And this has, you know, this is more good for sensitive skin or this is better for this type of eczema prone skin just just to help them out, you know, and it's so tempting, but I have to resist myself. And this

is a key conversation. People are overwhelmed with what's out there in our grocery stores and over the counter, which is a good thing because it's accessible, but also the choices make it seem like there's insurmountable and harder decision making. >> So you should you stay away from fragrance given that your the purpose of the moisturizer is really to hydrate your skin. >> Yes. So fragrance-free, unscented, you want to look for both of those words. >> Oh, okay. This is a dumb question. You ready? Those are

different. >> Those are different. And this is going to shock you. Unscented can mean that they're actually adding fragrance in to mask the scent away. >> Whoa. So unscented doesn't mean it's free of fragrance. Unscented means you're not going to smell anything, but we might have added something to cover the smell. >> Exactly. >> Whoa. >> Dr. Wells, what does regular exercise and movement do for your skin? And how can movement help your skin age better? >> Um, I have some really cool studies here, so

I'm like so excited. Um, okay. So, your skin responds to exercise. So, there are some really great human data that supports this. So, in a small randomized study with older adults, they found that the skin healed faster in an average of 10 days faster in the group that exercised compared to the group that didn't exercise. really it impacts wound healing. Exercise actually secretes out positive signals for your body to reduce inflammation to help metabolic signaling, metabolic health. So, one of the things that the body releases

they're called exoomes or extracellular vesicles. They're they're really fun. They're like text messages that your body sends to each other and and sends signals of benefit, but they can also send signals of harm. But depending on where it's coming from, with exercise, this can actually be a positive cue to send circulating beneficial exoomes all around to all distant organs, including the skin. And these messages can help that repair process that you're seeing. I want to just remind you as you're listening and watching that Dr. Wilds

runs two centers at the Mayo Clinic, one of which is researching and focuses on wounds. >> That's right. I love my research lab. Uh we have a the regenerative dermatology and skin longevity lab. We are part of the department of dermatology. Um and it's a it's a good team. >> So is there something about the circulation that helps too? >> So definitely the circulation cuz it the those exoomes that are coming through are coming through the circulation. So they help create better blood flow, better messages

that are going all around. So just overall this idea Mel is getting back to homeostasis. I'm going to I'm going to break this word down because it's one of my favorite words. >> Homeostasis. >> Homeostasis. Okay. Homeostasis means reestablishing balance. And I we love studying regenerative medicine in our lab. And the skin being the largest regenerative organ. It constantly is going through the the leverage of enduring stress and breaking down and being resilient to stress. There was another study, a 16week study in 56 middle-aged women.

They looked at cardio versus resistance training and what they found was in these patients they had better skin elasticity and the upper layer of their skin which holds the collagen and elastin improved. This was >> which kind of training >> this is this is with weightlifting and weight. I'm so glad you said that because every medical doctor that has come on in every single field has said for women in particular, strength training, resistance training, nonnegotiable for every aspect of your health. So if you were about

to say cardio, >> it's a combination, but resistance training plays the bigger role. Okay, for sure. Why? Because the skin and muscle are super interconnected. You know, we we have a constant communication. So those strength training, those signals actually transcend to the skin. And this is actually why I tell my patients who are on GLP-1 medications who have that weight loss that they're experiencing that strength training becomes a very important part of their conversation because it can help tighten their skin elasticity. >> Well, that makes

sense cuz as you're teaching us, the skin is the largest organ. It's a living organ. It's sending information in. It's receiving information out. And the more you're pumping up your muscles, the more it must plump up and pump and tighten up your skin. >> The fourth pillar is stress. How does chronic stress impact your skin? So, let's talk about cortisol. This is the stress hormone. Um, and we've all heard about it. Um, cortisol receptors are part of your skin. And this is really fascinating why they're

part of your skin. So, your skin has this neuroendocrine system. fancy way of saying it's part of the fight orflight mechanism, right? And it's evolutionarily there because your skin plays an active role in that defense, right? You're going out into the world. It's it's receiving all of the external damage from the outside world first. So, it has to be frontline defense mode and reducing the inflammation. It has to be part of that fight andflight response. So, there are natural cortisol receptors are part of your skin.

And it's partly there also because it's this adaptive response. So because it encounters stress, it can create adaptive signals to defay the stress too. It's helping you combat stress. Why is this important? So this means that when you're in stressful situations, your skin knows it and it perceives it. So if you're on a airplane and high altitude situations, your skin is stressed. >> Is that why I'm puffy on a plane? >> You can be. Yes. >> Wow. Okay. UV UV damage that stresses out your skin.

This is an interesting study. Did you know that the stress of going through a divorce can impact your skin barrier recovery? They did this study and they found that um in 28 healthy women aged between 21 and 45 years old, the process of marital separation showed up on their skin. They had worse total epidermal water loss, meaning their skin lost more water. And when they took the tape strip, which is a top layer of the skin, and evaluated it, that barrier strength was not affected, but

your ability to recover from injury was affected. >> Wow. That doesn't surprise me. >> Mhm. >> Cuz that's extraordinarily stressful. >> Very stressful. >> Does stress lead to hair loss, Dr. Wilds? >> Yes. And stress can show up in the hair in a different way. So hair grows in different cycles. So we grow, rest, shed, grow, rest, shed. And at any given time, our hairs are always cycling between them. And we actually have normal shedding seasons. So in the spring and the fall, you're supposed to

shed a little bit more than the other seasons. So with these different cycles, their stressors can actually shift the hair from these growth phase or resting phase into this shedding phase. Okay? >> And this can show up about three or four months after that stressful event. So, say you've kind of had um lot, you know, loss of a family member, loss of a pet, a surgery, an illness, um an a very stressful work situation, whatever that is that occurred, it'll take about 3 or 4 months

to be reflected on your skin and your hair. So, it's a it's a important clue to pay attention to, but it is a reversible clue. >> First of all, Dr. Wilds, how much shedding of hair? Because there are those periods where I've looked down on the floor of the shower where I have, you know, washed my hair and I run my fingers through and I'm like, what is this? Like this is like a wig in my hands and then I start to get worried like how

much is too much. >> So everybody experiences a natural normal shed every time you wash your hair. Every time you wash your hair, it's in the hundreds. It seems like a lot, but there's a lot of different structures within here. >> What should you do? I sleep better, eat better. Is there something to do? >> I am a big fan of pumpkin seed oil. >> What? >> Yes, I'll tell you about this. This is a there's actually studies around pumpkin seed oil. It's a supplement. So,

uh, in a study where they supplemented 400 mg of pumpkin seed oil and they followed, um, these men for about 24 weeks and these were men that are having male pattern baldness and they had shown that it actually can shift the androgens that influence hair loss and allow the pathways. So, there's actually an analog that comes from pumpkin seed oil that can help reduce those types of signals and can support a healthier hair follicle environment. kidding. >> Mhm. >> Wow. I'm putting that in the cart

>> when I go shopping next. Okay. Talk to me about nails. And are hair and nails part of skin? Like is this like a different thing? Like >> No, it's all interconnect. I'm so hair and nails are part of skin. >> Hair, nails, and your mucosal surfaces. >> What is a mucosal surface? >> So, this is your inside of your mouth and and your lips. So, all of that is connected. It's all one organ that we study within dermatology. >> Okay. So, let's talk about nails.

Let's say your nails are breaking or you got ridges or white spots. What does that tell you? >> So your nails can reflect nutrition deficiency there too and it can have aging pattern. So ridges for instance, those can be just seen with normal aging and it's it's it's okay to see those changes. You want to pay attention because pigment can also show up on your nails. So when you see pigment, both white patches and brown or black patches. When you have pigment changes, you need to

go see a dermatologist. And this is because, especially when it's dark brown, you want to be evaluated to make sure it's not a melanoma. Now, pigment changes can also happen during pregnancy and postpartum. Or if you're darker skin types, you can also see changes in your nails. But really paying attention to those check engine light that we talked about, they can be check engine light on your nails, too. And they can give you clues even for liver dysfunction. Cerosis has a telltale sign that we look

for on the nails. Um, fungal infections can also present as yellowing, discoloration on the nails. So, there's different aspects that your nails can provide uh for clues of what's going on on the inside. The fifth and final pillar that you mentioned is topicals and treatments. And Dr. Wilds, I would love to have you unpack something I see everywhere and I do not understand, and that is the word peptides. >> So, peptides are short amino acids. They're like little Legos. So you can put them together to

build a bigger protein. So when you think about it, you take these pieces and it can function into a different type of protein. We're familiar with GLP-1 medications. These are part of the peptide family. But think about these peptides as keys also that can open up a door that could mean nothing or very limited or it can open a very powerful door as the one that has opened with GLP-1s and weight loss medication. Okay, so this is something that acts like a key to unlock something

that is inside your body. Okay. How do I know what key is going to work and whether or not something is safe or it's complete marketing BS? Because it seems like that word is slapped on everything right now. Yes, peptides have really gained a lot of traction right now um with the longevity movement and the um wellness space as well. You know, you have to be really cautious. It can be applied topically or it can be applied injectables. Um peptides currently are sourced very differently and

they're not FDA regulated at this point. Although some of them can be FDA regulated and medications like the GOP1 medications, >> the vast 99.9% of things, no testing, no FDA regulation. Proceed with caution. Is that what you're saying? >> Proceed with caution. But I'm hopeful. I'm actually a fan of peptides being tested in the positive way. So right now the FDA is creating um new shifts with 503A compoundingies and what are going to be bulk compounded. This is actually giving people a safer way to access

peptides. But the key is to t take that and create evidence-based clinical trials. >> When it comes to peptides that are getting injected, unless it's something like a GLP-1 that has been clinically tested, Dr. Wilds, is that safe? >> So outside of that, you're just creating an experiment on your own. You're trying to you're becoming the body is a pin cushion. They're applying different types of combinations of peptides. You're working with your physician to figure out what's the right version for you. Anecdotally, we're hearing benefit,

but we can't generalize that and provide guidelines without having clinical trials. >> Gotcha. So, you're basically running an experiment on yourself. >> Correct. >> Um, what about topicals? Are there topical ingredients that are quote peptides that you're excited about even if they don't have the FDA approval yet? >> I'm a big fan of the topical copper peptides. There is evidence behind this. Um there's data that's showing that it can actually help the dermal epidermal junction and create collagen but it's really and and it can be

delivered topically as well. So a lot of times I want to do a myth busted right now. Okay. I want to talk about this glow stack peptide. So right now a lot of people are really excited about and it's become really popular Mel this glow stack. So this glow stack is BPC157 peptide, TB500 peptide, and the GHK copper peptide. And it's an injectable combination >> for your skin. >> For your skin. That's what they say. If you inject the stack combination, then that creates skin glow.

>> Okay. >> But from a research perspective, the first two peptides, while I'm excited about those for different reasons, they don't have any skin generating data. And the GHK copper works really well as a topical. So, we don't need to go the injectable route because if they are injecting it, I'd be worried about copper levels and at what point do we need to be doing additional testing? So, that stack is something that I don't recommend. Instead, I say use a topical copper peptides. >> Um, what

non peptide topicals do you recommend? >> So, I like to think about your daytime and nighttime skin care differently because we talked about circadian rhythm shift. >> Yes. And in the daytime, you're on defense, protecting yourself against the world. >> And on the night time, your skin goes into an offensive mode while you sleep. Kind of like your brain. >> Repairing and shedding. >> Yes. >> And resting. >> Exactly. So, in the daytime, you want those defense ingredients. You want a really good antioxidant. We talked

about antioxidant earlier. They're going to go in and fight free radical damage, any damage that's coming from the outside world. they'll they'll turn down the noise on that. Okay. >> So, you could buy a vitamin C, vitamin C, furillic acid. That's a really good combination. You could buy platelet exosomes. So, these can come in start building and creating more barrier resilience over time. You also want a really good sunscreen. >> Dr. Wallace, teach us about sunscreen. >> All right, Mel. Sunscreen is one of the best

things you could be doing for your skin. It protects your skin barrier from the outside UV exposure. So, I want you to be using a broadspectctrum SPF 30 or greater and reapplying the sunscreen regularly. But do you want to be put to a test? >> Yes. >> Okay. >> Oh. Oh, she's coming over, everybody. She's got a tray. I'm going to narrate this for you if you're not watching on YouTube. Okay. You have a tray that has five different things on it. Tell us what's on

there. >> So, I've got a tray here with different types of sunscreen in the bottom. So, I have a mineral sunscreen, >> I have a chemical sunscreen, and I have a tinted sunscreen. So, the these are three different versions that you can get at the drugstore. >> And then at the top, I have beef tallow, and I have coconut oil. So, a lot of times we're seeing beef tallow, and coconut oil within our sunscreen products. So, we're going to test all of these and see against

a UV camera, okay? >> How well these actually protect you from UV rays. >> Okay. What is real and what is BS? Here we go. >> All right, Mel. I'm going to apply these. >> Okay. >> Forearm here. And we're going to start from the top, which is we're going to do just a sunscreen. So, we'll do mineral sunscreen over here. Then I'm going to go into a chemical >> and she's using a different finger because this is very much a research project. Now, this one's

rubbing in. This is more like moisturizer. >> Exactly. You can't even see it. >> Sunscreens. Very nice. >> What is the chemical in a sunscreen that blocks UV ray? >> So, there's a lot of different types of chemicals. We actually just got a new chemical filter called Bimitreszole, BE MT. This is the first sunscreen filter that's been approved in our market in over 20 years. Very exciting for us. But these sunscreen filters basically can um can absorb the UV and then reduce it into heat energy

and release it out. Okay. >> Okay. So, we have the mineral at the top, a chemical next, and then I'm going to put a third sunscreen on, which is a tinted sunscreen. >> This one looks sort of like body foundation. >> Mhm. kind of has a nice glow to it. >> Yes. >> But the tint is because the tint has iron oxides in it and this is really important for visible light protection. So I love a tinted sunscreen for patients with melasmarapone skin cuz visible light

can actually impact their skin there. >> See, I thought a tinted sunscreen was just to make me look like I had smoother, nicer foundation skin, not that there's actually any property in the tinted. I thought it was like UV makeup. >> Yes. Yes. It's partly that, but it's the iron oxide that gives them that tint, which actually confers protection, too. Great. Okay. So, now the last two, these are more the natural products that people talk about. >> The first one is coconut oil. That's going to

go on there. >> And then the last product is beef tallow. >> Okay. There's a lot of noise online about the tallow thing. is actually now getting into a lot of natural sunscreen products, but we don't have a lot of evidence in the sunscreen filter world about beef tallow, but we are applying this because a lot of people are learning about this in this way >> and they think it can be a sunscreen. >> Okay, so here we go. Let's see what's going to Now, now

you're picking up a scanner on your phone, >> a UV camera. You can see very nicely. >> What do you see if it's blocking? when it's blocking, you see a black line. >> And she's using an app right now to basically scan my arm and it's showing with UV light which one of these five things is actually blocking the light. And so the one that is mineral, you're like that sucker that's blocking. >> It's blocking. So this is going to confer protection of UVA, UVB protection,

broadspectctrum. The next one down is the chemical sunscreen. This is also doing a great job. Look at that black line that's going across here. >> I am protected. >> This is such a great protection because that's also showing that it's rubbed in really nicely, so you don't visibly see it on the skin, but when you actually look at it uh on this UV camera, it's showing good protection. >> Great. Okay, >> the third one down is a tinted sunscreen. Again, we don't see that on your

skin, but under the UV camera, we see that protection right over here. And this is again showing that nice dark color conferring protection from UV rays. And then the bottom we have coconut oil and beef tallow which are not showing any change here. So >> meaning there's no protection. >> There is no protection from the coconut oil and the beef tallow which we've applied right here. >> Wow. It's amazing that you can see that. >> I just want people to be aware that these are actually

oils. You're actually creating more disposition to burn. So you want to be careful with these products, especially when they're in sunscreen. You actually have a higher risk for burning with coconut oil and beef tallow and being out in the sun. >> Amazing. I love knowing the facts and the science. >> That's right. A little experiment here, but it really talked us through of how we can see it. >> Thank you for showing us that. Dr. Wells, you recommend that we keep sunscreen in our car. Why?

>> Let me show you why, Mel. >> Okay. This image was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. And this shows you a picture of a truck driver who has significant sun damage on the left side of his face from driving in his truck. Holy cow. This gentleman looks like he has a face that the left side is 80 or 90 years old and the right side is like 60 years old. And the left side has the sun damage because your left side is facing

that window as you're driving >> and you're still getting that UVB and UVA rays that are coming through that window. Even if it's tinted, you should still apply sunscreen in your car, >> which is why you need it in your car. >> Exactly. Most of us are getting sun damage during our drive into work and our drive home from work. So, you really underestimate the power and most of us are being pretty good by putting sunscreen on, but keep sunscreen in your car so that when

you're driving home from work, you can reapply. And if you're listening right now, you're in your car, I would, you know, try to get that sunscreen practice started. >> Fabulous. Okay. So, you need to be moisturizing and sunscreening in the morning. >> Yes. >> Now, let's talk about what you do at night. >> So, at night time, you're going into repair mode mode and regenerate mode, right? So, now you're applying those peptides. So, the copper peptides is great, especially for underneath the eye. You can also

apply um activives like retinols and retinoids. With retinoids and retinols, you want to be driving this space carefully. If you're overexfoliating your skin, you're overinflaming your skin. So, if you're putting on a topical tininoan and you're peeling a lot, you need to cut it back. It's like your skin's on the treadmill and it it's kind of exfoliating, it's turning over, turning over. You've got to slow that speed down. So, you may actually need to switch to an over-the-counter retinoid that is less potent so that you

can tolerate it more and build that consistency over time. So, those are really helpful factors. You I also recommend a nighttime barrier moisturizer. So, you can look at products that have those hctins that we talked about, beta glucans to really strengthen up the barrier overnight. Um, I can't help but use this as my personal uh, dermatology session and I am just going to say the one thing I can't stand, like I didn't think about my body that much because I can't see my back, but the

thing I have to stare at all the time is my face and I really hate my jowls. um what is happening to the structure of your face as you age and your skin starts to hang there like a purse you don't want. >> So this is a normal aging process that is actually a structural change. Your skin is not the problem when it comes to dowels. No, your skin is actually just reflecting what's happening. Let me show you something with a cake >> that we can

take a look at >> and and we'll talk about what's really happening. >> Okay, great. Um, we have our executive producer going outside. This is a fun episode because we, as you're watching, are taking you all over the place and I'm doing my best to narrate it, but I just hate this. And so I just first want to understand what's happening and second want to understand, do I just have to live with this? Is this is this Mel Robbins version of radical acceptance? And I know

it's a sign of aging. And I want to age gracefully. And I don't want to look 30 when I'm 70 or 80. I want to look my age, but energized and vibrant and, you know, just healthy. And my jowls make me feel like a sad old hag. >> Well, Mel, I'm sitting across from you right now and you look amazing. But really, what let's talk about the structural problem that's happening with jowls. >> Okay. And I'm going to describe this because she has in front of

her a beautiful cake and imagine you're at a wedding and they give you a big old triangle slice of cake and it's multi-layered. So there's like the uh red velvet on the top, then we got the buttercream icing, then we've got the vanilla cake, and then at the bottom we've got a chocolate fudge. And so we got we've got these three layers with the frosting in between. >> And it smells really good. >> Oh god, we're gonna have to have a piece when we're done. So

there's actually two other pieces to the cake, Larry Mel. The disc and the platter that it's sitting on and this is becomes important part of this analogy. Oh, >> so let's talk you through it. So what's happening within your skin is actually reflected on the layers of the cake. So your skin has three different layers. So you have the epidermis. This is the part that normally sheds out. And you know we talked about regenerative top layer. That's the red velvet. And then the second part is

your dermis. This is where your collagen, elastin, all those matrix proteins live. This is the scaffold of your skin. >> And then in the bottom, this is your hypodermis, which is where the fat lives. How you regulate your temperature. This disc that it's sitting on, this is the muscle. We're going to call this the ligaments and the muscle that >> in my face. >> In your face. Okay. >> Um, and this is becomes the spanx of your skin, if you will. >> My Spanx, >> your

Spanx, >> the superficial muscular aponurosis. That whole system holds everything up. Okay. And then >> it's not working. It's not working. It's okay. And then is that the bones? >> This is the bone. That's right. The platter is the bone. And that is such an important piece of what's happening when we think about jowel structure. Okay. Okay. So, let's talk about what happens with age is we start to see a shift in our bone health. So, I'm going to move the cake down over here from

this higher sitting plate. >> It's sitting on a beautiful marble pedestal like you would see in a nice bakery. And now it's going on to a shorter plate. >> What happened to my bones? >> Your bones are decreasing and you're you're going to see a loss of bone health and osteopenia, osteoporosis, all the things that you think about for your bone health that's happening. It happens on your face. >> Oh my god. >> All of those things. And so that's important to think about. So there

things we could do for each of these layers to start helping your skin structure right? >> Okay. Because it help the jowls. >> Because it helps the jowls. Because what you are seeing is a descent problem. It's a gravity problem. >> A descent a gravity problem. So I am if I'm losing bone density, >> the skin that used to be held up by the bone is now gripping on for dear life to what's left and sagging down below my jawline. >> Correct. Yeah. And and the

fat loss. There's all these compartments lose a little bit, but most of it is bone structure. Also, your dentistician. People underestimate the power of dental care cuz with age you start to see more crowding of your teeth. Um, and when your teeth crowds, it can actually change the appearance of your jowls and your your jawline as well. So, it's it's that dentition your so brushing and flossing those are super easy things that you could do at home. Eating your green leafy vegetables that can help your

vitamin D and calcium uptake. >> All of that helping. What am I doing? >> How what do you do about your job? So once you've optimized all of the systemic things, right? >> I'm hanging on every word. >> I want you to go to your dermatologist and talk about high frequency micro focused ultrasound. >> So these are non sometimes they're called non-invasive facelifts. So this is an energy that's delivered through ultrasound waves that can help tighten the Spanx layer, the superficial muscular aponurosis. It it can

be applied for your neck. It can be applied for the lateral the sides of the face. It works for some people. It needs multiple treatments and making sure you're being consistent with it. >> We'll see. I'll report back. >> So, Mel, speaking of different skin changes that you're seeing, I have another cake because I want to show you what the GLP1 medications can be doing to your skin and facial structures. >> Oh, great. I have our executive producer Tracy coming in with another cake. Oh, whoa.

So, the first cake is just like what you would expect at a bakery. There's a clean slice. It looks like a great cake. The other cake is the same. It's got three layers. It's the red velvet. It's the vanilla. It's the chocolate. It's the plate. It's the bones. But the cake looks like one of your kids took a fork or their fingers and started digging out at the layers. It looks like somebody basically ate part of the cake without slicing it. >> Yeah. So, what you

see at the surface level for skin for patients on GLP1 medications is laxity or looser skin. A lot of patients that are on these medications, they kind of talk about it as ompic face. It's a commonly used term, but what that actually means is that it's shifting the way your skin is naturally sitting because you've lost the underlying support structure from the fat layers. Your muscle has gotten leaner and you're seeing different changes. So, let me demonstrate for you. Are you going to cut a slice

of this sucker? Oh my god. No, she's not. She's not cutting a triangular slice. She's going for the bottom layer. >> Yep. This is the hypodermis. This is the fatty layer of your skin. >> Okay. >> So, I'm going to go all the way across. How am I doing? >> You're doing really good. >> And this is going to kind of just remove that fat structure. For every 20 lbs of weight that you lose on a GLP-1 medications, that's a 10% facial volume loss. >> Wow.

So that >> and what's happening is the bottom layer of this cake, these three layers of your skin structure, the fat layer is going away. She's now lifting the cake off the platter. She's putting it on a plate and all that's left is the red velvet and the vanilla. So just the top two layers cuz the fat is gone. So what does that mean for somebody on a GLP1? And what does a a zmpic face mean, Dr. WS from a medical perspective >> from a medical

perspective it's that you've lost the the healthy atapose structure the healthy fats that's present on the face and technically it's not accelerated aging so what's actually happening is that you've just experienced weight loss on the face I want to share here that GLP1 medications have really been transformative for so many patients tool >> it has been an incredible tool and that's the first and foremost priority within their their portfolio but what we see as a side effect is that the medications can influence facial volume loss.

And when you have this, this is a perceived older appearance look, right? Think about a child. They have these beautiful, they call them baby cheeks, right? My six-year-old right now has the best smile cuz her cheeks puff up. And that means that that facial volume, especially in that midface, confers youth. So, we associate that midface volume with youth. So when you start to lose that midface volume on GLP1s and you see that decline and the sagging that can happen from the elasticity and the stretch of

the skin, it's actually the opposite effect of pregnancy. With pregnancy, you have a slow increase of skin stretch. >> With weight loss, you have a quick rapid loss and you have an involution and and you have that the skin that can sag down. So it's it so that's what you're seeing here. So, what do you do if you're on a GLP1 and you're starting to see Osmpic face and you're starting to see like the the skin sagging from the rapid weight loss? >> So, this is

where I think building up muscle is so key. We talked about this connection with muscle and skin and creating the the strength training moments. So, these actually can impact your the muscle on your face. Your face has muscle too and this can be strengthened over time just by whole body strength training. you can create the right signals, the right exercise induced exoome cues that can help build that and and preserve that skin scaffold as you're going through these changes. >> So, somebody who is on a

GLP-1 and experiencing awesome results with weight loss, but you are losing that third kind of fat layer in your skin and now you're starting to have a saggier, older looking face, the ompic face. Strength training helps restimulate that in your face. sancting is part of the equation and you want to start it earlier on. So when you're going on the ozic medication and you know you're about to experience this, right? So accelerated weight loss happens for some, not everybody. And when you're in that accelerated weight

loss period, that's when you want to be thinking about all the additives you could do like strength training to help that. There's also bio stimulation again brings into the conversation and what about radio frequency micro needling or micro focused ultrasound. Those are other energy based devices that could be collagen stimulating and collagen banking as you're going through that accelerated weight loss period. But you want to be cautious because you want to wait for that weight to stabilize. So once you've finished having that considerable weight drop,

that's when you want to think about interventions at that time. >> Very helpful and the visual is fantastic. Let's remove the cakes. Here we go. >> So Dr. Well, if the person listening takes one thing away from this extraordinary conversation, what would it be? >> You are serving your overall health. And by listening to the skin, it's a birectional conversation. It provides us clues and information of how your overall health is functioning. And by looking at the skin, we also have the power to influence our

overall health. But really, the conversation is that it's okay. You need to be more forgiving to your skin which is functioning in so many different ways. The final thing I'll leave you with is that the face gets the marketing budget but the whole organ deserves the care and that is healthcare. Oh, I love that. The face gets the marketing budget of all these products but the whole body is the healthcare. >> Exactly. >> This has been extraordinarily fascinating and empowering and fun. Dr. Wilds, what are

your parting words? I'm so honored to have this conversation with you, Mel. And I have to say that to me, this was an experience that I manifested in a way. I thought in doing our research with my lab, looking at the skin and seeing the changes that it can confer for your overall health, I had this thought. I thought, wouldn't it be great if I shared this with just the world and how important it is to think about your skin and not just in a way

that is being marketed to you, but really shift the conversation about how important it is for your overall health. And literally 3 months later, I ran into you in an elevator and we made that connection and um here I am. So, thank you for this opportunity to talk to your viewers. >> You're welcome. And you know, there is something magical about the show. I really believe that. I was in an elevator. The doors opened up. You walked in. You had on the coolest outfit. You had

on one of those tags. You were here for like some big medical conference at Harvard or something like that. And you said hello. I said hello to you. I I think I complimented your skirt or something. And then we started talking. We then find out that you're not even just incredibly dressed and super smart and really outgoing. You happen to be a rockstar medical researcher doing unbelievable things, running two centers and this research lab. So yes, you did manifest this. Yes, it is important to say

hello to people in elevators. Yes, it is important to put out in the world what you want to see and experience in the world because when you do, extraordinarily magical things happen. So, thank you for having that intention. Thank you for being in that elevator. Thank you for doing the research that you do. and thank you for making us feel empowered and smart about how to take care of the largest organ in our body. I definitely am leaving here really excited and I can't wait to

share this with so many people in my life and you know I'm excited for you. I want to thank you as well for making the time to listen to this or to watch this. And in case no one else tells you today, I wanted to be sure as your friend to tell you that I love you and I believe in you. I believe in your ability to create a better life and health. Your health, that is the basis of having a better life. And everything you

learn today is going to help you make smart decisions that will make you feel better in your own skin. All righty, I'll see you in the very next episode. I'll welcome you in the moment you hit play. This segment is brought to you by Mrs. Meyers. Now, you may think that you're ignoring the clutter around you, but your brain isn't. See, the little things in your home can affect you more than you realize. The noise, the clutter, even weird smells. All of these things can make

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