CBD and Skin Health

Your skin says a lot about you. Changes in your skin are more often than not, manifestations of underlying medical conditions. Dry, itchy skin, persistent acne, inflammation, dark patches could be signals of problems that are more than skin deep. So before you slap on a concealer and sideline these clues, it’s time to take a deeper look at what your skin could be trying to tell you about your overall health.

Primary Cause of Skin Problems

As much as our skin is exposed to environmental abuse, it also bears the brunt of imbalances in the body’s internal constituents. The skin responds differently to each of these factors, which makes it difficult to diagnose and identify the root cause of a skin condition with certainty based on what appears on the surface. However, inflammation sticks out as a common identifier for most disorders. 

Inflammation is a typical response of the immune system to injury. Be it a wood splinter, an insect bite, or a broken bone - inflammation will follow. While inflammation is the first and crucial step towards healing, it is often prolonged and the pain leads to atrophy of muscles surrounding it. So, it’s like a double-edged sword - you never know which edge you will get. 

The good news is, the causes of inflammation are, in most cases, within our control and can be avoided. Let’s take a look.

Poor Nutritional Intake

Nutrition is the primary ingredient in skin health. Our skin cells are constantly being replaced by younger ones, so a diet rich in vitamins and minerals is important to support this rapid growth and keep the skin physiology intact. For example, Vitamins A and D have therapeutic effects on the skin while Vitamins C, E, and coenzyme Q have antioxidant properties. Vitamin C helps in stimulating collagen production and protects the skin against UV damage.

Naturally, nutritional deficiencies result in an impairment of skin barrier functions, giving rise to dermatological conditions like acne, eczema, psoriasis, hyperpigmentation, and more. Inflammation gatecrashes in most of these. So, ramping up your nutrition is one of the primary ways to restrict inflammation.

Weakened Immune System

On most days, your immune system is your best friend. On the rest, it gets restless and either engages too often or starts attacking your own body. The former can cause allergies, eczema, asthma, etc. and the latter is responsible for diseases like lupus, psoriasis, sclerosis, etc. More than 80 illnesses can be attributed to the immune system and most of these cause inflammation.

These disorders along with factors like poor nutrition, stress, aging, etc. weaken the immune system. A weak immune system puts you at risk of contracting various illnesses every day. It’s like a vicious cycle. In addition to inflammation, other symptoms of a weak immune system could be frequent cold, fatigue, fever, skin infections, aches, digestive problems, and more. Hence, taking good care of your immune system can save you a lot of ‘bumps’.

Stress

Have you noticed that your skin breakouts are directly proportional to your stress level? There’s no coincidence in it. Stress pushes your body to create cortisol which is our built-in alarm system. The sebaceous glands on your skin pick up on these signals and produce excess oil which clogs your pores and causes acne. When your body is under stress, it forces your immune system to overreact and send out an inflammatory response that aggravates existing skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, etc.

External Conditions

Insect bites, stings, sunburns, overexposure to extreme temperatures, etc. can cause irritations on the skin, which flares up in response. Sometimes, coming in contact with poisonous plants like poison oak, sumac, etc., exposure to unsanitary conditions, harsh chemicals, and biological agents can trigger allergic reactions which can turn into a serious medical condition.

How Hemp Oil Promotes Skin Health

One inevitable conclusion can be drawn from the above factors - all roads lead to skin inflammation and pain. To be able to achieve great skin, it’s necessary to first focus on how to reduce inflammation. Fortunately, hemp oil has proven to be a remarkable way to mitigate skin inflammation. Hemp’s cannabinoid content which includes CBD along with its other nutrients work synergistically to provide a plethora of benefits for the skin and overall health.

CBD in Skin Health

Cannabidiol (CBD) in hemp oil has been found to interact with the cannabinoid receptors located on the skin and throughout our bodies to induce our endocannabinoid system to respond. The purpose of this response is to achieve homeostasis - balancing the imbalances in the body that show up as skin inflammations, allergic reactions, etc. When applied topically as a cream or oil, CBD circumvents the central nervous system (CNS) to directly hit the root of inflammation and soothe pain. Bypassing the CNS route reduces the chances of negative side effects that traditional anti-inflammatory medications cause.

In addition to its anti-inflammatory properties, CBD’s antimicrobial effect has also been making a lot of noise. CBD has been found to be surprisingly effective in killing bacterial strains that cause staph infection and even MRSA, thus working as an organic disinfectant for the skin. It also strengthens the skin’s barrier functions by acting as a catalyst to the skin’s defense mechanism in flushing out free radicals - all the while assisting the ECS in regulating the production of new cells, leaving skin moisturized.

That’s not all. CBD is surprisingly impressive in fighting acne from the root. Its balancing act works on reducing the overproduction of sebum (oil) in sebaceous glands which is the primary cause of acne. Once that is achieved, CBD gains ground on the rapidly multiplying sebum-producing cell and restricts their proliferation to control breakouts.

So far, CBD may sound like a one-man show, but that is not the case. Other cannabinoids in hemp oil like CBG, CBN, CBC, etc. along with terpenes and flavonoids are just as powerful. CBD works in sync with these compounds and accelerates the cycle of inflammation-rebuilding-remodeling of wound healing. It targets the cells involved in this cycle to reduce the response of the inflammation-related genes present in these cells while providing relief from pain.

The great thing about CBD is that it has no side effects. Unless you are allergic to CBD, there isn’t much you need to worry about. It’s as organic as it gets. However, some CBD products contain trace amounts of its racy relative, THC (psychoactive compound) but not enough to cause a ‘high’. If THC is something you are not willing to put into your body, you can opt for CBD products with zero THC content.

Phytonutrients

Oxidative stress is one of the worst enemies of the skin. As the skin is constantly exposed to external pollutants like smoke, dust, extreme heat, etc., free radicals are generated as byproducts. Too many free radicals break down the cellular structure of skin cells and result in oxidative stress. This speeds up skin aging by producing wrinkles, texture changes, dark spots, etc. - it’s a time machine you don’t want to get into. 

Phytonutrients, being great antioxidants, come to the rescue in clearing away these free radicals and healing the damage while protecting skin integrity. Hemp oil is rich in phytonutrients that are essential for the body. While CBD is its biggest selling point, other phytonutrients in hemp include essential fatty acids like Omega 3 and 6, antioxidants in the form of Vitamin E and carotene, minerals like calcium, zinc, magnesium, iron, etc., and polyunsaturated fatty acids that help in reducing the risk of Type 2 diabetes. Apart from these, you also get terpenes, flavonoids, and other cannabinoids like CBG, CBN, CBC, etc. already packed into the hemp oil that work together to produce an effect greater than CBD alone.

Conclusion

CBD is a powerful phytochemical with incredible therapeutic potential. From improved sleep cycle to improved skin health, CBD has made some great strides in boosting functional health. As a healing cannabinoid, CBD sparks a gentle detox in whichever way we use it. Putting it in gels, tinctures, oils, or creams has it flying off the shelves at lightning speed. Taking stock of all the research on CBD, there isn’t much doubt about why everyone wants to be a party to the CBD show. Fact is, CBD works. It gets the job done organically without causing any negative effects. Make the good choice with NeuAxiom and see it for yourself.