Ask Dr. Xi: Rusting
From Dull Days: "Everyone always talks about lines and wrinkles as the primary sign of aging. I can’t believe how dull my skin looks since I started going through menopause. What’s up with that?"
Dr. Xi: Here’s a hot flash you may not have heard before. You’re not aging. You’re rusting. Beginning as early as their mid-forties, many women – like yourself – start to face a complexion that looks duller, dingy, cloudier, less luminous. And more unevenly discolored. The reason? It's rusting. Due to two distinct but surprisingly related functions: the build-up of iron on your skin's surface coupled with a slowing of skin’s natural exfoliation process.
Here's the conundrum. Pre-menopause, excess iron in the body and skin is eliminated two ways: through monthly menstruation and through exfoliation. Both of these activities slow during menopause.
First, our cell turnover should be approximately 28 days. But during menopause this cell turnover can slow significantly due to decreased estrogen levels. As cell turnover slows, dead cells linger longer on skin’s surface. Your complexion begins to look flat, dry, dull, dreary, uneven and discolored. Skin’s upper layers become thinner, diminishing its protective barrier function adding to additional moisture loss and a flaky, lackluster look and feel.
But it’s not just the build-up of dead cells that impact skin’s healthy glow – it’s the build-up of excess iron on skin’s surface that is no longer naturally exfoliated.
As I said, excess iron in the body is common with the onset of menopause. In fact, iron can accumulate on skin’s surface by as much as 42% pre-through-post menopause. It is normally eliminated through menstruation as well as exfoliation. The cessation of menstruation coupled with the deceleration of exfoliation limit the capacity to remove excess iron from the skin’s upper layers. Research shows that about 20% of the 1mg iron daily from the diet is excreted through the skin.
When body iron storage increases, the skin is exposed to higher levels of iron, which may cause oxidative damage and visible signs of aging.
Much like rust on metal, higher levels of iron when exposed to sunlight, air pollutants and irritants from other sources results in the appearance of increased oxidative damage in skin. If you’ve ever seen a rusty bicycle, you know the corrosive damage the environment has on metal. Oxidative stress begets skin-aging yellowing, dullness, dark spots and discolorations and well as wrinkles, loss of elasticity and other signs of aging.
Until now, antioxidants have been the only defense to attempt to battle the symptoms, but they do not treat an underlying cause: i-On®'s patented technology does.
My i-On® De-ironizing Inducers Technology (DII®) does what no free-radical neutralizing antioxidant can do. It actually helps Reduce iron overload before it is converted to skin-damaging free radicals.
Vitamin C helps Release iron deposits from skin’s surface. Pearl Powder, a calcium carbonate, helps prevent iron from becoming bioavailable and Remove skin-rusting iron deposits. Then Skin-rejuvenating Hyaluronic Acid plus Tetrapeptide-11 Repair previous damage done. And the goes one step further to help Rebuild collagen, clarity, elasticity and tone / skin’s health and appearance. It’s a quinfecta of benefits. And unlike ordinary antioxidants that merely neutralize free radicals that are already present i-On® Age Disrupting Skincare With DII® helps prevent them from activating in the first place.
In a 42-day trial, 100% reported improvements across every measure in objective, subjective and biomechanical tests.
Your skin looks and feels youthfully radiant and glows with good health. And the rust is history!