The whole truth about nanocosmetics

Magic creams and serums, whose substances are able to penetrate into the deepest layers of the epidermis and work from the inside, actively fighting the signs of aging, and with its causes ... say, a fairy tale? However, thanks to modern developments, and in particular - nanotechnology, it all became Do you still have doubts? Then let's figure out what is what.
Often on the label of the cream, you can read the inscription that "the components affect only the superficial layers of the dermis." The fact is that the size of most molecules of substances entering cosmetic products are huge in comparison with micropores in the layers of the skin, and therefore they can not penetrate farther than the upper layer of the epidermis. That is why the best minds of mankind have spent more than one year to create cosmetic products that could reach them.

First, scientists invented liposomes. Initially, these tiny balls, capable of penetrating through the intercellular space, were used in medicine, but in the early 1980s, the cosmetic companies adopted the baton. The new technology has become a breakthrough in the field of anti-aging care, because the liposome balls filled with useful components calmly crossed the epidermal barrier and reached deep layers of the skin where their membranes dissolved and the active substances rushed to the cells. Thanks to liposomes, it was possible to ensure better preservation of unstable ingredients (for example, rapidly oxidized in air vitamins), but the liposomes themselves proved to be very unstable: the agents with them had a shelf life of no more than 12-14 months. In addition, very often the envelope of liposomes dissolved before they reached the dermis. There followed a series of attempts to improve the technology, for example, there appeared, for example, spherulites - stronger multi-layer spheres, gradually releasing the active ingredients as they penetrated the skin. However, a truly new era came only with the flourishing of nanotechnology.

Size matters
Compared with nanoparticles ("nanos" in translation from the Greek - dwarf), liposomes seem simply giants: the size of the nanosomes used in cosmetics is usually 10-20 nm, while the liposomes are 200-600 nm. And as shown by the studies of Israeli scientists, who first began the development of nanocosmetics, such a small size allows them to reach the target - the dermis - without any hindrance and without losses. There nanosomes and start their work: they remove toxins, improve cell regeneration, restore them, fight with aging processes.

Nanosomes were followed by nanocomplexes - carefully selected cosmetic cocktails, each component of which was ground to nanosize.

Nanopanacea or nano-threat?
According to research by the University of Lancaster in the UK, in recent years, most patents related to nanoparticles accounted for just a fraction of skin care products and hair. In general, cosmetics manufacturers use in their products substances whose molecules are not able to penetrate deep into the skin. However, there are other - the smallest particles that can seep through the pores and thereby get into the blood. They are the ones who are the scientists. Nanoparticles in general are very suspicious - even if they have different chemical and physical properties than molecules of ordinary size.

Today no one can say unequivocally that nanocosmetics are absolutely harmless or, conversely, harmful: to answer these questions, more than one year of research is needed. Experts know that when using nanoengineering materials, there is a hypothetical risk. But many of them can not yet give an unambiguous answer to the question of whether there is a real risk. Although there are more categorically minded scientists who compare nanotechnology with the monsters of Frankenstein: the best minds of mankind do not yet know what they created, because the action of these particles on the human body still needs to be studied. Thus, a number of studies have shown that nanoparticles are capable of promoting the formation of free radicals that destroy or alter the DNA of cells.

A couple of years ago, there were data that, for example, silver nanoparticles (a known antiseptic and a popular component of many cosmetic products and preparations for external application), when ingested, can cause a number of negative processes, including violations at the DNA level. Even more than nanocosmetics, scientists are concerned about the safety of nutraceuticals with nanoparticles. And the organization of "green" in general advocates a temporary ban on the sale of nanocosmetics and other products - so long as the safety of their use will not be proven definitively.

To avoid a prejudiced attitude, many cosmetic giants that do not have one patent for nanocomponents avoid the use of the "nano" prefix, using such turns as "microencapsulation technology", "microparticles" or "microliposomes".

You can, but carefully?
Today, about a tenth of investment in the amount of billions of dollars attributable to the nanotechnology industry is spent on researching their safety for human health and the environment. But, according to many scientists, these amounts are still not enough.

Another problem - too rarely the results of research are widely publicized.

Nakomponenty today can be found in the composition of many cocktails for mesotherapy. The latest innovation in nanocosmetology is the Airgent technology, based on the subcutaneous injection of hyaluronic acid, enriched with nanoparticles of active nutritional components. After the procedure, the tone of the skin rises, wrinkles decrease, the production of collagen and elastin increases, and most importantly, the skin becomes denser and thickens, and the thinning of the skin that occurs with age is one of the main problems with which it is difficult to fight even the most advanced achievements of modern cosmetology .

Another popular procedure is laser nanoporphyring, during which a laser that makes a lot of micro-holes on the skin (more precisely, nano-holes) processes problem areas of the skin with wrinkles, stretch marks, bursting vessels, enlarged pores.

This directional stimulation stimulates the regeneration of cells, the production of collagen and elastin, the skin relief is leveled, and it itself becomes more elastic.

Creams and other cosmetic products, where nanocomponents are represented not by one or two ingredients, but constitute a large part of the formula, are pretty decent, but the effect of anti-aging agents with nanocomplexes is comparable to the result of plastic surgery: age wrinkles disappear, the face oval is pulled up .. But, of course, they should be selected by a specialist dermatocosmetologist: with independent actions, there is a very high probability that you will start shooting from a cannon by sparrows.

And from non-professional consultants (in Russia, such cosmetics are highly discredited by the fact that it extends to the principle of network marketing) there is more harm than good.

The other side of the coin - in recent years, the prefix "nano" has become very fashionable.

And if the label says "nanocream" or "nanoshampun", then often it is about the presence in it of some one component of the nanosize, and sometimes this name is an advertising ploy. Therefore, if nanocosmetics attracts your attention, better give preference to brands with a reputation. And be sure to listen to dermatocosmetologists, reminding that it has an even more active composition than professional cosmetic products, so there is no way to do without an individual approach and consultations of competent specialists!