CBD for skin: Everything you need to know

newsonjapan.com -- May 05

CBD products continue to gain popularity all over the world.

Today you can find various cannabidiol-enriched goods in the market, i.e. oils, capsules, edibles, e-liquids, as well as cosmetics. The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology and the National Centre for Biotechnology Information revealed that CBD could be used to nourish and soften the skin, make it more elastic, recover the hydrophile-lipophile balance, as well as effectively struggle with wrinkles. Let's find out what CBD is and how it can benefit the skin.

What Is CBD?

CBD (also called cannabidiol) is one of more than 100 chemical compounds called cannabinoids extracted from the hemp plant. The two most well-known cannabinoids are THC, which gets you stoned, and CBD, which does not. The hemp plants are rich in CBD and have low amounts of THC; therefore, cannabidiol is extracted from them rather than from the cannabis plants, which are high in THC and low in CBD.

How Does CBD Work?

Skin is the body's largest organ and its first line of defence against pollutants and damaging organisms. It also contains the highest concentration and amount of cannabinoid receptors. These receptors form the endocannabinoid system, which regulates the key functions and responses our body requires to achieve homeostasis. These are pain, stress, appetite, sleep, inflammation, immunity and even how much oil our skin produces.

Our skin binds with CBD easily and very well because the compound has the same receptors as our skin. CBD can stimulate the skin to produce its own cannabinoid receptors when it is required. Doing so, it helps reduce pain, lower inflammation, combat bacteria and reduce sebum and lipid production (which can cause acne). CBD is capable of treating dry skin, eczema and other difficult skin disorders. By controlling skin cell proliferation, applying CBD-infused products can be helpful in alleviating psoriasis, an intractable autoimmune disease.

Does CBD Benefit The Skin?

When added to skincare products, CBD's anti-inflammation and antimicrobial properties and essential fatty acids in the composition may reduce breakouts, soothe irritation, calm inflammation and moisturise your skin without clogging the pores. The compound is also rich in vitamins A, E and D, which stimulate the cells and collagen production, keeping your skin healthy and happy.

The anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties make CBD a must-have agent to calm irritated skin, reduce redness, lessen visible signs of ageing and fight acne. CBD demonstrated significant soothing properties, too. It can have skin-calming and skin-normalising effects on sensitive skin, making it less irritated and inflamed.

Free radicals are molecules or atoms containing unpaired electrons, due to which they are highly reactive with other cellular structures. You can find free radical-generating substances in your food, medicines, the air you breathe and the water you drink. Free radicals also include alcohol, fried foods, tobacco smoke, air pollutants, pesticides and many more. They can do harm to parts of cells like proteins, DNA and cell membranes by stealing their electrons in the course of the oxidation process. When these substances oxidise important components of the cell, those components become unable to function properly. The cell can even die because of the accumulation of such damage. The excess production of free radicals damages nerve cells and results in disease.

Antioxidants are chemical compounds that prevent free radicals from forming or neutralising them. They donate electrons to free radicals before they can oxidise other cell components. When the electrons of free radicals are paired, the free radicals are stabilised and become non-toxic to cells. Since CBD seems to be a powerful antioxidant agent, it may be effective in fighting free radicals and preventing the appearance of some diseases. Being able to struggle with free radicals, CBD oil can be added to anti-ageing creams and lotions to visibly remove problems like wrinkles, firmness, ruddy skin tone and skin dullness.