Is CBD Anti-Aging?

Which of us hasn’t met someone who takes CBD oil to relieve anxiety or stress? And haven’t we all heard of someone who rubs CBD balm on their neck or joints before bed or after sports?

In other words, like most people you probably know the basics about what CBD is. But is CBD anti-aging? And can it treat wrinkles?

Cannabidiol or CBD is a cannabinoid or plant compound that the Cannabis sativa plant creates in nature. CBD won’t get you high, in contrast to the tetrahydrocannabinol or THC in cannabis, but it does create a host of medicinal benefits. More and more people are using CBD to treat all kinds of health issues now, from nausea and insomnia to depression and muscle pain.

Now CBD is being used to create many different high-end skincare products, including creams, gels, masks, and serums. But how does it work?

CBD, like any antioxidant, can help reduce visible signs of aging. CBD topicals can counteract damage from free radicals, soothe inflammation, and improve signs of aging such as skin dullness, ruddy skin tone, and wrinkles, making them less noticeable.

What Is CBD Oil?

The Cannabis sativa plant, which includes both hemp plants and marijuana plants, naturally creates the non-intoxicating plant compound Cannabidiol or CBD. Manufacturers usually extract CBD, and then suspend the fat-soluble substance in powder form in an oil such as olive oil, hemp oil, or coconut oil. Each suspension may enhance the CBD’s effectiveness with the particular oil’s own benefits.

CBD oil in skincare products, Unlike the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in cannabis, cannot get you high. CBD does not have the same psychoactive traits.

Hemp seed oil is not the same thing as CBD oil, although both are great for skin health. The difference is in the concentration of CBD itself, Although some companies market the two products interchangeably.

There are only trace amounts of CBD, if any, in hemp seed oil, although manufacturers derive it from the seeds of the hemp plant. However, the hemp plant and its oil is known for its benefits to the skin, as it is among the best non-animal sources of essential fatty acids omega 3 and omega 6. Many of these acids such as gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) are known for their skin-moisturizing benefits.

Actual CBD products are what offer concentrated CBD oil. The International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients (INCI) guides all FDA-regulated CBD products, so they must actually list cannabidiol on an ingredient label along with their name.

To be sure of what you are getting, it may be a good idea to request the product specification or assay from the company. Just remember, “CBD-enriched hemp seed oil” or any other alternative terms or titles on ingredient labels are not the same ingredient as cannabidiol.

What Does CBD Do in Skincare Products?

Experts are only starting to discover in the most basic sense what the benefits of CBD in skincare can do. In topical CBD products and the body more generally it works like this.

CBD is among over 100 plant cannabinoids called phytocannabinoids. The human body produces endocannabinoids in the endocannabinoid system, or ECS. These are in essence the body’s own cannabinoids.

Throughout the brain and body, CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptors and endocannabinoids bind to assist the body in achieving stasis. This interaction also helps regulate many internal functions such as hormones, appetite, mood, the immune system, sleep, and others.

Alone, the ECS cannot always produce the precise amount of cannabinoids needed or smoothly regulate all bodily functions itself. This is why it can improve the overall health to introduce cannabis phytocannabinoids as a sort of replacement for what is already there naturally.

CBD Oil vs CBD Topicals for Anti-Aging

Remember, never smoke anything including cannabis products to help your skin, no matter what. That will never work. Smoking and anti-aging just don’t mix, because smoking burns organic materials and creates free radicals. Some concentrates, vape pen oils, and other products also contain chemicals and substances that are less than ideal for the skin and/or lungs once they’re combusted and inhaled.

This means the top two choices for treating skin conditions are CBD oils and CBD topicals such as balm or face cream. In the anti-aging context one good way to consume CBD is to use a strong, high-quality CBD oil or CBD extract orally. This way you could feel effects more quickly, especially if you hold the product under your tongue to aid in absorption.

Topical CBD creams and lotions can also be beneficial for skin treatments including wrinkles and anti-aging, particularly in high doses applied directly to target areas. The best topical CBD products also boost skin health with other critical organic compounds, humanmade ingredients, and nutrients that tighten the skin and encourage additional collagen production, such as vitamin E, aloe vera, Retin A, and essential oils.

What Causes Premature Aging?

is CBD anti-aging

Although we all think of aging as a natural process, the vast majority of skin aging that is visible is premature. This premature aging of the skin is caused by exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light from the sun. Other relevant factors include unhealthful diet, pollution, and stress.

The skin goes through major changes once we enter adulthood and the aging process, reducing elastin production and gradually producing about 1 percent less collagen annually. This starts after age 20 or so, and these changes cause the skin to become less firm and elastic. Over time, the skin becomes less able to heal itself and more delicate and thinner. As the oil glands beneath the outermost layer of the skin, the sebaceous glands, produce less oil over time, this problem gets worse. The combined result of these changes can be fine lines, larger pores, wrinkles, sagging skin, and other traits that can prematurely age the appearance of the skin.

There’s no way to stop aging yet, but premature aging deserves our attention. That’s because there are ways to prevent, treat, and in some cases reverse it. Especially since so many of the factors that influence aging are inside our control, such as poor diet, smoking, or sunlight exposure, this is particularly true.

So here’s what we all want to know: how can CBD help when it comes to signs of aging?

How Do CBD Anti Aging Creams Work?

Let’s be real here. There are lots of reasons we get wrinkles, and it’s way before we’re adults who give a damn that we do so much damage. And then there’s stuff like that genetic predisposition to crow’s feet you got from Aunt Harriet, along with the habit of laughing heartily at jokes and smiling a lot. Anyway, from UV ray exposure in the sun to smoking, or even just bathing in stress, life gets painted all over our faces early on.

But CBD products can help visibly reduce problems such as wrinkles, skin dullness, and ruddy skin tone because antioxidants are among the keys to fighting aging damage.

CBD oil and topicals help diminish signs of aging and fight wrinkles in several ways:

CBD Fights Inflammation

The anti-inflammatory properties of CBD can relax the skin, treat skin inflammation, and reduce redness and dry skin, reducing the appearance of existing damage such as wrinkles. These anti-inflammatory benefits can also treat psoriasis and eczema. The essential fatty acid omega 3 and GLA also gently moisturize the skin as they reduce inflammation.

CBD has Antioxidant Properties

You’ve probably heard that vitamins C and E are antioxidants, but CBD from the cannabis plant has even more powerful antioxidant qualities. These antioxidants help reduce free radicals that attack collagen fibers and otherwise wreak havoc in the body. Of course many natural processes in the body also produce toxins, and CBD also fights their harmful free radical byproducts.

CBD Soothes Sensitive Skin

CBD oil also produces significant soothing, skin-normalizing, and calming benefits that can help reduce redness, reactivity, and other skin sensitivity issues. This assists the skin in managing the rigors of environmental exposure and other stressors.

CBD Encourages Sebum Production

Regulating sebum or facial oil production is among the keys to coping with both acne and signs of aging. Optimal production of sebum leads to less sensitive, smoother, more supple skin. Hemp oil and CBD both help maintain the proper level of sebum and regulate the oil glands.

There are other ways that CBD products may promote a more youthful look:

  • Treat your pain! Especially chronic pain can cause premature aging, not to mention those pain-filled looks on your face that create wrinkles.
  • Treat your stress! When your stress levels are too high, so are your cortisol levels, and that makes skin issues worse. Overall wellness helps slow premature aging.
  • Treat your insomnia! Better quality sleep leads to better health overall, and that can slow or stop premature aging.

What Do the Best CBD Anti-Aging Products Have in Common?

Most of the best CBD anti-aging products are CBD topicals. They tend to be focused on ingredients that are nourishing, moisturizing, replenishing, hydrating, and refreshing for the skin. For example, you can buy CBD topicals designed to reduce signs of aging such as the appearance of fine lines. Some of these include extracts from apricot and apricot seed oil, rose extract, algae, vitamins A, D, K, and E, jojoba oil, camellia, hemp seed oil,  prickly pear, pomegranate oil, red raspberry seed, plant collagen, and other humectants, natural moisturizers, and ingredients that are non-comedogenic and loaded with omega-3 fatty acids.

There are many full-spectrum options, all delivering the entourage effect. And in most cases you can find a vegan choice, without additives or fillers.

Together, all of these components improve oxygen delivery to cells, stimulate cellular turnover, and renew skin elasticity by strengthening collagen. This in turn helps high-quality CBD products shield the skin from free radical damage to diminish signs of aging and prevent wrinkles.

How to Find the Best CBD Oil for Skin

There are so many options out there when it comes to using CBD for your skin. To ensure you get the best CBD skincare products for you, it helps to know what you’re shopping for:

Total CBD content. The package should clearly display the total cannabidiol content in milligrams. It should always be easy to see how many mg CBD something contains. Although there’s no technical answer today to how much CBD to use to fight signs of aging, reputable brands that produce and sell high-quality CBD products know and can report exactly what is in them, so look for the ability to monitor and measure your dosage.

Type of CBD. CBD products may contain full-spectrum CBD, broad spectrum CBD, or CBD isolate:

  • Full-spectrum CBD includes all of the hemp plant’s natural terpenes, cannabinoids, and flavonoids, including trace amounts of THC and minor cannabinoids such as CBN, CBC, CBV, and CBG. However, to be legal, a full-spectrum hemp-derived product must fall below 0.3 percent THC.
  • Broad-spectrum CBD includes all of the industrial hemp plant’s natural terpenes, cannabinoids, and flavonoids, except it has no detectable THC.
  • CBD isolate is pure CBD, and has no other terpenes, cannabinoids, or flavonoids, including THC.

None of these CBD products, including full-spectrum CBD, produces any psychoactive effects.

Third-party testing results. Look for the certificate of analysis or COA and other evidence of third-party testing results that reflect the purity and amount of the CBD. Ask the brand if you can’t find theirs.

INCI-compliant terminology. INCI stands for the International Nomenclature for Cosmetic Ingredients. To be INCI-compliant, a brand can only list “cannabidiol” on the ingredients to mean CBD. Remember, no other ingredient is the same, and neither are hemp seed extract and hemp seed oil the same as CBD oil.

Packaging. Stable packaging that will not expose plant matter to light and air is required for CBD skincare products. This means no clear jars, clear bottles, or any other packaging that could reduce the effectiveness of your CBD cream or tincture.

You probably have days where you worry about how your skin looks or feels sometimes if you’re here on Earth, and as we all get older, this sadly gets even easier to think about, especially as little signs of aging begin to appear.

CBD oil and CBD skincare products may help produce more supple, less irritated, smoother, less inflamed, more youthful skin. CBD seems to have science on its side so far.

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