“Decades of ongoing research continues to reveal that so many of the medical conditions and symptoms that people suffer from are actually due to out-of-control inflammation. Reducing inflammation can not only make you feel better, but it can quite literally add years to your life.” - Dr Harry Weisinger, KURK Co-founder
Inflammageing is a medical term to describe the low-grade, continuous and chronic inflammatory state that develops as we age. This chronic inflammation is linked to many age-related health issues and unlike acute inflammation, it simmers quietly under the surface compromising your health and playing a big role in aging.
While we may think of inflammation as being associated with joint health, it has a far greater impact on our lives than many people realise. Chronic inflammation contributes to inflammatory diseases like heart disorders, cancer, type 2 diabetes, stroke, dementia, Alzheimer’s, arthritis, endometriosis and chronic respiratory diseases. Even depression, anxiety, period pain and skin issues like eczema and acne.
Dr Harry Weisinger, medical doctor and co-founder of KURK, says there are many sub-clinical symptoms of inflammation like headache, bloating, low mood, poor concentration, general fatigue or lethargy, cramping and general aches and pains that many people put up with and don’t visit a doctor for. “Decades of ongoing research continues to reveal that so many of the medical conditions and symptoms that people suffer from are actually due to out-of-control inflammation”, he says. Weisinger goes on to add that “reducing inflammation can not only make you feel better, but it can quite literally add years to your life.”
Inflammaging and your skin health - An Inside-out Protocol
Weisinger believes inflammation causes aging and aging makes inflammation worse. While this might seem like an impossible impasse, he adds that, “the single most important thing anyone can do to improve their lives is pay attention to the signs of inflammation – and do everything they can to reduce it.”
Many skin issues are impacted by inflammation. Changes in skin that occur as we age, such as the degradation of collagen and elastin resulting in fine lines, wrinkles and sagging skin, are influenced by this low grade, chronic inflammation. Inflammation will accelerate skin aging, weaken the skin barrier and impair its ability to retain moisture, increase sensitivity and redness and reduce healing ability. This type of skin fragility and decline in the skin barrier function can seriously impact the skin's immune capabilities and when wound healing is impaired, the risk of infection increases.*
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Inflammatory skin concerns like eczema, psoriasis and dermatitis have specific inflammatory profiles that can be compounded by inflammageing.
So while we can’t stop the clock, we can look for ways to reduce inflammation in our own bodies to minimise the effects of aging instead of feeding the inflammation – aging loop, both internally and externally.
For the perfect protocol to support skin health and inflammation with a co-ordinated inside-out approach, we are combining ETTO for skin barrier support and minimising chemicals topically and KURK as a daily liquid curcumin solution to fight inflammation from the inside.
Skincare for a healthy, resilient skin barrier
ETTOs commitment to providing bodycare products free from unwanted and toxic chemicals is a commitment to the health of our skin as well as our internal ecosystem that is directly impacted by what gets absorbed through our skin and into our bloodstream.
Many chemicals such as sulphates, synthetic fragrance, parabens and problematic preservatives can exacerbate or induce skin symptoms like acne, eczema, redness, peeling, dryness and premature aging. Even popular skincare actives like AHAs or salicylic acid can have these effects when used in high concentrations or when too many actives are used together.
These problematic ingredients can disrupt the skin barrier by stripping away the natural oils and protective layer that helps to fight off infection and irritation. Our skin also has a microbiome, that when disrupted will upset the balance of beneficial bacteria and may lead to sensitivity which can ultimately result in an inflammatory response on the skin.
Petroleum and synthetic ingredient free body care products for skin wellness, from $35
ETTO formulates products with clean, plant-based ingredients that help to nourish, strengthen and repair the skin barrier. ETTO’s Australian grown and steam distilled Tea Tree oil is super high in the bioactive teprinen-4-ol and is well known for its healing and anti-inflammatory skin properties. Research demonstrates Tea Tree as an effective remedy for acne as it kills the acne causing bacteria, eczema, dandruff, dermatitis and skin fungal infections such as tinea, athlete’s foot and jock itch. Tea Tree is also widely used as a burns treatment and has cooling and analgesic (pain relieving, soothing) properties when applied to irritated skin.
While the powerful potency of ETTOs pure terpinen-4-ol used as a botanical topical helps to calm visible inflammation, there is another plant-based active that is very effective at tackling systematic inflammation from the inside, and that is Curcumin.
The golden gift from nature to keep you strong and healthy into your golden years
Curcumin is the bioactive found in turmeric and over the years much research has come to prove that this wonder root is incredibly powerful at reducing inflammation and offers extensive health benefits. This is where ETTO meets KURK. KURK is a company committed to supporting people of all ages to address chronic inflammation using this natural adaptogenic plant. KURKs liquid Curcumin dives deep into the body’s molecular processes to fight inflammageing and their unique formula allows increased absorption so that the full potential of the Curcumin can be realised.
Curcumin is considered a hard crystal that is insoluble in water, making absorption into our cells very difficult. KURK uses plant-based ingredients to create micelles to surround the hard crystal which allows it to be mixed with water and then absorbed through the cell walls, carrying the Curcumin effectively into the bloodstream.
Unlock nature's power Shop KURK to optimise your health, from $79
And, this plant ally can certainly be of benefit to our skin and to fight inflammation from the inside out and the perfect accompaniment to using ETTO for your healthiest skin yet:
Boost Collagen
When taken regularly, curcumin can help to boost collagen production by stimulating the cells that produce collagen.
Reduce skin redness
Studies have also shown that curcumin can reduce skin inflammation and redness, giving us a brighter and more even complexion.
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Powerful antioxidant
The antioxidant power of Curcumin in KURK can help protect skin cells from damage caused by free radicals, which can increase as we age and the body’s ability to fight oxidative stress reduces. Free radicals can damage DNA, proteins and lipids which all leads to premature aging.
Ceramides for a healthy skin barrier
Curcumin helps to increase ceramide synthesis, ceramides are lipids that help the body to maintain moisture in the skin barrier. Curcumin was found in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology to increase ceramide levels in the skin which leads to improved hydration and skin barrier function.
KURK has kindly offered a 20% discount on your first order use code KURK20 at checkout on their website here.
*Sources: Pilkington, S. M., Bulfone-Paus, S., Griffiths, C. E. M., & Watson, R. E. B. (2021). Inflammaging and the Skin. The Journal of investigative dermatology, 141(4S), 1087–1095. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jid.2020.11.006
Sidgwick, G. P., McGeorge, D., & Bayat, A. (2015). A comprehensive evidence-based review on the role of topicals and dressings in the management of skin scarring. Archives of dermatological research, 307(5), 461-477.
Kaur, C. D., & Saraf, S. (2011). In vitro sun protection factor determination of herbal oils used in cosmetics. Pharmacognosy research, 3(1), 22.
Chen, C. Y., Cheng, K. C., Chang, A. Y., Lin, C. L., Hwang, T. L., & Hong, Y. H. (2016). Curcumin promotes the repair of sciatic nerve injury in rats through reducing inflammation and oxidative stress. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine