7 Ways Seaweed Helps In Skin Repair
Eating seaweed can help your body more than you’d know. It has anti-inflammatory properties to fight arthritis, celiac disease, asthma and obesity. It is also a rich source of antioxidants, but using seaweed can be more than just eating it. Your skin is your body’s largest organ and because it absorbs up to 60% of what is applied topically to, also helps your skin when you apply seaweed to it. Seaweed can moisturize and calm the skin and is very good for combating acne. Keep reading to learn the top way’s seaweed helps in skin repair.
Why Would Seaweed be the Solution?
Kelps and seaweeds are ecosystem engineers that shape their physical and chemical surroundings. We are 70% water, and our blood plasma is less than 1 molecule different than ocean water. Water is an ionizing solvent, which means that acid based chemistry is permitted, as a result a much wider range of reactions can take place within the human body as part of the body chemistry. Unique metabolites of seaweeds possess specific biological properties that make them potential ingredients of many industrial applications. These include functional foods (nutraceutical), pharmaceuticals and cosmeceuticals. Natural cosmeceuticals are becoming more popular than synthetic cosmetics and the investigation of new seaweeds’ functional components is ongoing.
Seaweed is a sought after source of natural vitamins, minerals and compounds proven to help in skin repair. Therefore, it has been proven to be a promising area of cosmeceutical studies. Seaweeds produce a range of active components. This includes a mix of vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, and antioxidants that can rebalance, replenish and stabilize your skin. Red and brown seaweeds’ active compounds have been shown to have unique properties including, anti-wrinkling, brightening effects, anti-inflammatory and anti-allergy.
What are the 7 Ways Seaweed Helps my Skin?
1. Anti-coagulant activity
Marine algae-derived fucoidan are determined to be effective against blood coagulation. Many studies have proposed fucoidan as an alternative agent to the anti-coagulant heparin. Accordingly, fucoidans have been suggested to be potential biological materials in treatment of blood coagulant disorders. (2)
2. Prevents Acne & Skin Inflammations
Almost everyone suffers from acne, a rash, or eczema at least once in their lifetime. Marine algal compounds are enriched with a variety of organisms that harbour a wide range of biologically important compounds (phlorotannins, sulfated polysaccharides and tyrosinase inhibitors) that are useful for the cosmeceutical benefit of humans.
Deeply detoxify, regulate the sebaceous glands, reduce inflammation, slough off dead cells, nourish and hydrate. Generate new healthy cells, strengthen the skin barrier and shrink the pores. Seaweed is amazing right?!
3. Anti-Aging Effects
Marine algal compounds (phlorotannins, sulfated polysaccharides and tyrosinase inhibitors) from the marine environment is enriched with a variety of organisms that harbour a wide range of biologically important compounds that are useful for the cosmeceutical benefit of humans.
Cosmeceutical products with natural ingredients have high market value as people are starting to believe naturally occurring compounds are safer than artificial compounds. Seaweeds are one of the most interesting organisms found in oceans around the earth. Within last few decades, discovery of secondary metabolites with biological activities from seaweeds has been significantly increased. Further, the unique secondary metabolites isolated from seaweeds including polysaccharides, carotenoids and polyphenols possess range of bioactive properties that make them potential ingredient for optimal dermal health and therefore longevity. (3)
4. Reduces Skin Pigmentation
Marine algae-derived phlorotannins have been investigated for their human beneficial aspects that include anti-inflammatory, and hyaluronidase and enzyme inhibitory activities due to their rich bioactive compounds. Several studies have provided insight into biological activities of marine algae in promoting skin, health, and beauty products. Hence, marine algae derived Seabright Moisturizer™, which utilizes important ingredients—phlorotannins, sulfated polysaccharides and tyrosinase inhibitors from raw, wild, minimally processed seaweeds.
Further Benefits
- Sea Minerals contain the properties to replicate skin cells at a faster pace. This helps in replacing the dead cells with new ones regularly.
- Rich In Riboflavin & Thiamine that accelerates skin repair and healing mechanisms. That way, you are highly protected against skin inflammations and related disorders.
- Antioxidants like Flavonoids & Carotenoids help in preventing the build-up of free radicals. These, in turn, aid in better protection against inflammations and pathogenic infestations.
Skin pigmentation occurs due to excessive stimulation of the melanocytes. Melanin synthesis is known to be controlled by the enzyme tyrosinase, causing uneven skin pigmentation which is both visually as well as physiologically not salubrious. Owing to the high tyrosinase inhibitory activity of certain seaweeds and the high levels of Niacin, seaweed helps in getting rid of the excessive pigmentation which is unhealthy for your skin.
As you get older, your skin tends to get weaker due to a variety of reasons. Along with a lack of absorption of nutrients, the facial muscles loosen with age. Aging at the cellular level is characterized by oxidative stress, inflammation, and cell senescence. This results in the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, age spots, and blemishes. The brown seaweed compound, Ascophyllum nodosum rich in phlorotannins, has been studied for its inhibitory activity against oxidative stress, inflammation, and senescence.
5. Increases Collagen Synthesis
Due to their simple cell structure, seaweed sinks deep down into the epidermis to hydrate and nourish cells, giving you an enviably healthy glow. The healing benefits of seaweed for skin are so numerous that it makes incorporating seaweed a healthy dermal longevity advantage in your daily skincare routine.
Unlike most skin care brands claiming they use seaweed, Seaflora products use minimally processed wild, organic, hand-harvested seaweeds. They are the Main Ingredient making up 50% – 90% of each formula, not a Marketing ingredient in extract form. Because raw kelp contains high levels of omega-3-fatty acids, magnesium, zinc, antioxidants, iodine, vitamins, minerals, trace elements, full chain amino acids and more skin loving benefits!
6. Anti-viral Activity
Several seaweed polysaccharides have shown high antiviral activity against some human viruses, including important pathogens such as human immunodeficiency virus, herpes simplex virus, human cytomegalovirus, dengue virus and respiratory syncytial virus. There is still research needing to be done, but seaweeds have much potential for future topical uses to prevent viral infection.
7. Superior Nutrient Bioavailability
Bioavailability is Seaweeds readily bioavailable superfood. Fucoxanthin is a marine carotenoid (antioxidant) in brown seaweeds. It has been shown to have protective effects on the liver, blood vessels of the brain, bones, skin, and eyes when used topically or ingested.
Sources:
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11101-011-9214-4#citeas
https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/ben/cmc/2004/00000011/00000018/art00002
