Your Skin Starts Aging Earlier Than You Think: How to Slow It Down | Dr. Carolina Oliveira | #179

Dr. Vonda Wright (0:00)

Many of us express that we look up one day in the mirror, and we're like, oh my god, suddenly everything's changed. What happened? I haven't changed my regimen, I'm still using the things I use. Somehow, something has shifted.

Dr. Carolina Reis Oliveira (0:14)

One of the key hallmarks of aging that we've been studying at OneSkin for the past 10 years is the accumulation of these aging cells called senescent or zombie cells. These are cells that are not functioning anymore, they stop dividing, they start secreting inflammation that's going to induce the cells around to age faster.

Dr. Vonda Wright (0:33)

The scariest thing is that they don't just stick to their own business in the skin.

Dr. Carolina Reis Oliveira (0:37)

Yeah.

Dr. Vonda Wright (0:37)

They can travel.

Dr. Carolina Reis Oliveira (0:38)

We accumulate them in our joints and they're associated with osteoarthritis. We accumulate in our hearts and they're associated with cardiovascular diseases. Good news is that there is a way that we can target the cells, we can reduce their accumulation, rejuvenate our tissues.

Dr. Vonda Wright (0:54)

This 48-year-old looks in the mirror, who is that person? What are the things that I have to pay attention to daily?

Dr. Carolina Reis Oliveira (1:02)

What I do and I think it fits for a lot of women.

Dr. Vonda Wright (1:07)

You are not here by accident. You're here because you were done being told to slow down. This is a space for women who want real science, straight from a surgeon who's lived it too. Hit subscribe. You're one of us now.

So you are used to me talking about bones. The master communicator that goes from the top of our heads to the bottom of our feet and an organ that really coordinates our body. But today, I think I'm getting trumped.

We are going to be talking about the largest organ in the body that sometimes just treated like window dressing, as if it only matters what you see in the mirror. And listen, I've said this before to you. I'm about as vain as they come, so it matters to me what it looks like in the mirror. But if we just stay superficially, we're missing the whole point of our skin.

And we're missing the whole point of what goes on below the superficial layer, the epidermis, and the role that the skin can have, believe it or not, in your complete longevity and health. So today, it's really, really special to have Dr Carolina Reis Oliveira, who is the scientist behind the brand OneSkin and CEO of the company. And this is an exciting conversation today because it helps us approach what we see every day in the mirror. Probably people today have already been looking at this organ of longevity in the mirror and not realizing its full potential. So thank you for coming on The Dr Vonda Show.

Dr. Carolina Reis Oliveira (2:50)

Thank you for having me, Dr Vonda. It's such a pleasure.

Dr. Vonda Wright (2:53)

You know, something that my women comment to me, and as I was thinking about this, I recognize in my old life, as we travel through perimenopause, many of us express that we look up one day in the mirror and we're like, oh my God, suddenly everything's changed. What happened? Everything I've ever been doing doesn't really matter anymore. I haven't changed my regimen. I'm still using the things I use, but somehow something has shifted.

And we know now that this is related to aging, the hallmarks of aging. We know now that this is related to the role of estrogen in the skin. But let's unpack all of this. What is really going on that leads so many women to say, I don't know what's going on, but something is changing in my mid-40s?

Dr. Carolina Reis Oliveira (3:51)

Yes. So that's actually a process that starts way earlier. It starts around your 20s.

We're essentially building damage in our skin over time. And one of the key hallmarks of aging that we've been studying at OneSkin for the past 10 years is the accumulation of these aging cells, also called senescent or zombie cells. I'm sure your audience may be familiar with these cells. These are cells that are not functioning anymore. They stop dividing. And that's not only the problem. The problem is that they start to secret inflammation that's going to induce the cells around to age faster, to become zombie as well.

Dr. Vonda Wright (4:34)

I want you to explain a little deeper. People have heard me talk about zombie cells and senescence.

But I explain it, and you're the skin scientist here, but I explain the fact that because you come from a stem cell background, everyone is born with stem cells pluripotent, meaning they can become anything under a correct stimulation. And then some of them will become mature skin cells. And they do their job well until they don't do their job well. And is that senescent cells that you're talking about? They refuse to die, therefore the zombie. But senescent cells, the scariest thing I read as preparing for this interview is that they don't just stick to their own business in the skin.