Epigenetics explained: How your lifestyle affects your skin

Everyday choices play an important role in skin ageing, making lifestyle just as important as genetics in maintaining a youthful complexion. For example, sun exposure triggers oxidative stress, accelerating wrinkles and loss of elasticity, while pollution introduces harmful toxins that can weaken the skin barrier and speed up ageing.  However, diet and hydration also play key roles, with nutrient-rich foods and proper hydration supporting skin cell regeneration, whereas processed foods can contribute to inflammation and dullness

For years, we’ve believed that genetics dictate how our skin ages. However, scientific advancements in epigenetics reveal that while genes play a role, external factors such as diet, sun exposure, pollution and stress can significantly influence skin health and ageing. This breakthrough understanding is reshaping skincare, offering new ways to maintain youthful, radiant skin.  

Epigenetics is the study of how lifestyle and environmental factors affect the way genes function without altering their DNA sequence. Instead, small chemical changes, such as DNA methylation, can either activate or deactivate certain genes. When it comes to skin, these epigenetic changes can accelerate ageing by switching off youth-related genes responsible for collagen and elastin production.   

The good news is that targeted skincare and smart lifestyle choices can reverse the age clock. By making informed decisions, we can help restore our skin’s youthful functions, slowing down and even reversing visible signs of ageing.

Additionally, chronic stress increases cortisol levels, which weakens collagen and leads to sagging skin, while quality sleep promotes cell repair and overall skin vitality.

Understanding these factors helps us make choices that actively support healthier, more resilient skin. By limiting exposure to harmful environmental stressors, managing stress and maintaining a balanced diet, we can help keep our skin looking youthful for longer.

Advancements in epigenetic research have helped scientists develop targeted skincare solutions. While we can’t change our DNA, epigenetics shows that we have control over how our skin ages. This marks an exciting new era in skincare where science-backed solutions can help us actively support youthful skin function, rather than passively accepting the effects of time.

By making informed lifestyle choices and using advanced skincare backed by science, achieving youthful, radiant skin is within reach. Eucerin Hyaluron-Filler Epicelline® Serum helps reverse and prevent visible signs of epigenetic changes by reactivating the skin’s youthful functions offering a scientifically advanced approach to anti-ageing skincare. The future of skincare is no longer about fighting the inevitable but about making use of cutting-edge science, combined with making healthy lifestyle decisions, to unlock your skin’s potential.