Lecture on Aging Spots and Melanin

Introduction

• Topic: Aging spots, also known as liver spots
• Causes, treatments, and prevention of aging spots
• Common in people over 60 (90% prevalence)
• Aging spots are related to melanin, a pigment in the skin

What is Melanin?

• Pigment responsible for the color of skin, hair, and eyes
• Protects against UV radiation
• Acts as a natural sunscreen, blocking UV radiation
• UV radiation is necessary for vitamin D production

Problems with Conventional Treatments

• Chemical treatments, bleaching, laser, synthetic vitamin A
• Side effects associated with these treatments

Uneven Distribution of Melanin

• Melanin is not evenly distributed in the skin
• Uneven distribution increases with age
• Aging reduces skin’s efficiency in regulating melanin

Factors Increasing Melanin Production

• UV radiation
• Oxidative stress (free radical damage)
• Pregnancy (higher estrogen and progesterone)
• Diabetes (high insulin levels)
• Inflammation and certain drugs
• Stress (high cortisol levels)

Function of Melanin

• Absorbs UV radiation and disperses it as heat
• Neutralizes UV damage
• Filters out 99.9% of UV light

Natural Solutions to Aging Spots

• Research on natural remedies for aging spots
• Effective combinations: vitamin C, grape seed extract, zinc, licorice extract, and certain berries
• Recommended: Zinc and Selenium
  • Zinc: powerful antioxidant, lowers melanin production, involved in many biochemical pathways
  • Selenium: precursor for glutathione (a powerful antioxidant), reduces oxidative damage

Role of Vitamin D

• Important for skin health
• Balancing sun exposure to get enough vitamin D without excessive UV radiation

Supplementation and Creams

• Supplements: zinc and selenium in balanced trace mineral blends
• Creams: containing zinc and selenium
• Many people are deficient in zinc and selenium, which are crucial for immune function and antioxidant production

Conclusion

• Importance of zinc and selenium for preventing aging spots
• Check out video on zinc for further information