Our skin, our largest organ and signalling platform for our health.
Your skin is our first and foremost protection against the world. It gives us protection from the elements: wind, water, ultraviolet radiation from the sun's powerful rays, and it acts as a sensor to protect us from the heat or cold. It is also a good indicator of our overall health, as many imbalances in our body manifest through skin conditions such as acne, eczema and rashes.
Maintaining healthy, glowing skin is influenced by many things, especially diet, sleep and stress levels. But plants have been known to provide additional protection where necessary to help achieve skin that is nourished and full of life.
The therapeutic effects of CBD on our skin
Understanding how CBD can benefit your skin requires a little information about the anatomy and signalling that takes places on a cellular level. We will try to keep it brief!
Our skin is built up from layers of fatty acids that are hydrophobic and hydrophilic - they hate and love water. This forms the outer layer of our skin, known as the epidermis, which sits beneath more specialised protective formations of corneocytes that act as the initial barrier of our skin. Within the layers of our skin you will find elements of the endocannabinoid system (ECS) and our endogenous (own, naturally occurring) cannabinoids prevalent too. These endogenous cannabinoids include Anandamide and 2-arachidonoyl glycerol (2-AG), which are responsible for regulating the activity of cannabinoid receptors, CB1 and CB2, that are found across our ECS.
Cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2 are the main targets for endocannabinoids, they can also influence Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) receptors which are found in many types of skin cells. These TRP have a broad functionality involving key aspects of skin health, such as the formation and maintenance of the skin external layers, cell growth and differentiation, plus the immunological and inflammatory potential of the skin [source].
The influence of phytocannabinoids, namely CBD
Phytocannabinoids are compounds from plants that interact with our endocannabinoid system. The Cannabis sativa l. plant is rich in one of the principal sources of the phytocannabinoid, cannabidiol (CBD).
Due to the important roles covered by the ECS in our skin health, phytocannabinoids like CBD have the potential to have a therapeutic role in maintaining healthy skin functions. Crucial to this is the amount of CBD that can be absorbed into the skin and how far it travels through the outer layers of keratinocytes, via the epidermis to the dermis.
There is immediate potential for CBD to have an effect, as the keratinocyte layer of the epidermis is particularly vulnerable to external oxidative stress. CBD has shown significant antioxidant ability in vitro and can neutralising reactive oxygen species through modulation of enzymes present in the skin [source].
Nurturing the skin from within
Our gut health is one of the key influencers of our skin's appearance. The gut is responsible for extracting nourishment from the foods and liquids that we feed ourselves. It manages the delicate balance of life in the microbiome that lives within that processes these into forms we can absorb [source].
Imbalances in our gut microbiota affect our ability to efficiently nourish ourselves, and directly impact our innate immune system functions. Inflammatory foods, stress and alcohol, in particular, are the key creators of disruption to the balance of our microbiota. Interestingly, CBD has been shown to limit the harm caused by alcohol through their influence on the signalling between your microbiota, brain and your gut [source]. Minimising the disruption this causes doesn't mean that one can drink more, however, it does contribute to the understanding that CBD is a protector of our immune system and many other functions that the gut plays a key role in - especially our mood.
The balancing act
Maintenance of healthy skin requires a balanced approach to limit stress from internal (gut health) and external (elements) factors.
Our personal approach is to use plant originating, high-quality ingredients that are grown in respect to the earth, supporting organic agriculture. Development of our Regenerative Golden Drops focuses on this balance of inside and out - so it can be used both on your skin and consumed should you wish.