Simple Nutrition Insights

The Silent Saboteur: How Low-Grade Inflammation Impacts Skin, Immunity, and Aging — and What We Can Do About It.

• Leonila • Season 2 • Episode 32

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We explore the science of inflammation and its profound impact on skin health with Dr. Ebru, immunologist and founder of Avexena skincare. This eye-opening conversation reveals how chronic inflammation silently accelerates skin aging and what you can do about it through nutrition, lifestyle, and science-backed skincare approaches.

• Understanding "inflammaging" - the connection between low-grade chronic inflammation and accelerated skin aging
• How stress, pollution, poor diet and harsh skincare trigger hidden inflammation
• Why excess sugar consumption damages collagen through glycation
• Anti-inflammatory foods that support skin health: vitamin C-rich fruits, omega-3 sources, antioxidant-rich berries
• Creating a balanced morning and evening skincare routine with fewer, more effective products
• The gut-brain-skin connection and how stress reduction directly benefits skin
• Why following TikTok skincare trends and 10-step routines may damage skin health
• Dr. Ebru's personal non-negotiables for skin health: quality cleansing, hydration, and simplicity
• Details on Avexena's latest innovation: a multi-function LED and radiofrequency device

Visit www.avexena.com to learn more about Dr. Ebru's science-backed, anti-inflammatory skincare solutions.


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Speaker 1:

Hi everyone and welcome back to another episode of the Simple Nutrition Insights Podcast. I'm your host, leonila Campos, registered dietitian, business owner and passionate believer that small, sustainable steps can lead to big health transformations. Today we're diving into a topic that touches nearly everyone skin health and aging but through a lens you may not have heard before inflammation. I'm thrilled to join by Dr Ebru, a world-renowned immunologist and the founder of Avexena and a world-winning anti-inflammation skincare and wellness brand. Her work bridges science and skincare in such a unique way, and today we'll be exploring how chronic inflammation affects your skin, what the science says and how nutrition plays a powerful role in aging from the inside out. Dr Ebru, welcome to the show. I'm so excited to have you here.

Speaker 2:

Thank you so much for having me, Leo. It's amazing to be here.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, thank you for taking that. I mean you're so busy so I appreciate your time. Thank you, yeah. So let's start. You have such a fascinating background in immunology and science. Can you tell us a little bit about your journey and maybe what inspired you to create Avicenna?

Speaker 2:

Sure, avicenna was born out of both, you know, scientific conviction and personal necessity. And I'm an immunologist by training and I researched nearly two decades in molecular medicine and how inflammation affects the immune system. But it was when I started personally experiencing, you know, chronic acne and how it impacted me both on a health level and the mental level. Then I realized there's like a deeper void in the skincare, because brands like to target more wrinkles and blemishes and make it go away for a while. But few understood what are the possible inflammatory triggers or is there a stress-related factor involved in it? And we created the Resina to focus on signs of inflammation and to cater to even the most sensitive skin. Cater to even the most sensitive skin. And every formula we create is guided by scientific inputs and cutting edge discoveries. And because skin health is about wellness.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, Thank you so much for sharing that journey and just the science background, it's such a great segue right to go into the anti-inflammation. So you've become known for your work in anti-inflammation. Can you explain what this term means and how inflammation accelerates the aging process, especially for our skin?

Speaker 2:

Definitely so. First of all, these days inflammation has been termed as something bad, but inflammation is. We need to distinguish which inflammation is bad. So the acute systemic inflammation is good because it keeps us alive, it defeats the bacteria and helps the healing mechanism. And inflammation is one of those bad guys we don't like because it's a term we use in immunology to describe the low-grade, micro-grade, chronic inflammation that silently builds up in our bodies as we age. And anti-inflammation is defining that, you know, like a skincare that um combats against signs of inflammation. So inflammation is actually coming up with two words inflammation plus aging, um.

Speaker 2:

So another question is everybody asks okay, so we know we have inflammation.

Speaker 2:

Because how does, how do we get it Right? So it lingers under the surface, it's silent, you don't see it, but it's triggered by stress, pollution, poor diet or even harsh skincare, with a zillion different steps right. So what does it do, you may ask? Inflammation accelerates collagen breakdown, it weakens the skin barrier, it disrupts the skin microbiome, and that's only the skin issue, but it affects overall our body. So what we put in our body, what we eat, how we treat ourselves during stress, those are all very important and over time the signs of inflammation would show up as premature aging, like fine lines, dullness, dryness, sensitivity. And when we say a skincare that works against signs of inflammation, it focuses on and the main goal is to visibly soothe or strengthen and restore the skin's balance. By that way, if you are preventing, trying to prevent these stress-inducing aging or aggressors, let's call you may be able to slow down the signs of these inflammation, these unwanted signs that would create sensitivities and make you unhappy in the long run, absolutely.

Speaker 1:

And I think, at least talking from experience right, when I see fine lines right or a wrinkle here and there, it's something that is so powerful and you look for things right to help you. And you know, when we think about the triggers right, and as a dietician, I talk a lot about how nutrition influences inflammation. What are some of the biggest ways you've seen food and lifestyle habits impact the skin, both either positively or negatively?

Speaker 2:

Well, negatively. One of the biggest hidden triggers is excess sugar and bad eating habits, you know. High carbohydrates, because it can cause glycation, which can damage the collagen and accelerates the skin aging. And another one would be having high fatty foods, because they may tip the inflammatory balance by increasing the fat tissue in your body. Also, skipping meals, eating nothing all day or eating very, then overloading yourself that would also both starve your skin of essential nutrients. Also, you will end up with lots of insulin spikes, which you don't want. And finally, the alcohol and caffeine overuse.

Speaker 2:

Like you know, I love coffee, don't get me wrong, but the overuse of it can dehydrate and irritate the skin, because usually when we're drinking coffee we forget to drink water. So that's not good either. So it's not about we can't be perfect, that's for sure. I mean, we're going to have it, we'll have a little bit, you know, sugar or coffee, whatnot, but it's all about the awareness. So even doing small tweaks can make a profound difference in how your skin and body feels. So those positive foods I like is I love any foods.

Speaker 2:

Or like vegetables or fruits with high in vitamin C, omega-3, fatty acids, I love the zinc, selenium rich foods, polyphenols and fermented fruits, for example blueberries, pomegranates they're packed with skin protective antioxidants. Salmon, flaxseed they help to support the lipid barrier. Leafy greens I love leafy greens because they're both refreshing and filling, but they come up with their own minerals and vitamins. Also, probiotics and fermented foods like kefir or kimchi can help with the microbiome balance, especially the gut microbiome balance. So having all these in combination and in balance help the skin and the body to build more resilience against environmental aggressors. You know, and this helps from collagen synthesis to inflammation regulation.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, thank you for giving us that list right of foods that positively affect um or help right, and also the ones that are not so positive. But, as you mentioned right, we don't have to just not have them, but is the amount right, creating that balance? Uh, that is going to help with our inflammation too, and eventually with our um, with our skin health. So Avicenna's formulas are incredibly science-driven. What makes your approach different when it comes to anti-inflammatory skincare?

Speaker 2:

Well, one of the things is we look at every ingredient and look at their scientific background, how it works with the skin, if they have any pros or cons and that kind of thing. So after we decide which ingredients we're going to use, we try to test as much as possible to see if they're going to work together 100%. You know, that's another thing, because we don't believe in having one hero ingredient in the skincare. We want to use as effective as possible and as many as possible ingredients in there so you don't end up using too many products on your face. So that's one of the difference and we formulate our products to be multitasking and to solve various problems at one time, so you don't have to use like 10 different creams to solve 10 different problems.

Speaker 2:

Because the one of the things is that because the more you touch your face or the more you overload your skin with five different creams on top of each other, I mean we can say it's going to get suffocated. You know your skin is going to get suffocated and you don't want that. So the point is also we avoid common sensitizers and we love the bioactives and natural actives. And the one point is we do not want to compromise on luxury and sensorial experience, but we want 100 percent effectivity. So it's not. We're not fighting the age, you know. We're not ageism, we are. We believe in supporting the skin's longevity and calm and the clarity and um you know, as a preventative way to have a longer time of wellness. That that's the best part.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I love that. I love that your product and philosophy really emphasized both internal and external care. What we put on our skin and what we nourish our bodies with play a huge role in essentially the aging process and how we are going to feel. If someone listening wanted to create a simple inflammation-reducing routine to support their skin through both skincare and food, what would that look like?

Speaker 2:

Well, let's start with the food, Because whatever we eat, it shows up. Unfortunately, If you have too much ice cream, it's going to show up as fat uh, you know that kind of thing.

Speaker 2:

So in the morning I love a nice warm lemon water and then um an omega-3 plant rich breakfast. You can go with chia pudding, with berries or, if you like to have protein egg whites, I love egg whites. And in the morning also, in addition to what you eat, your skincare should be a gentle cleanse and then, depending on the season, you can go with a very light serum, like the serum we have, the MicrolG Immune B3 serum, and continue with your SPF. It's a very, very hot day, or if it's winter, I would highly recommend doing the serum and then adding the cream on to prevent the trans-epidermal water loss from your skin and our Ageist Perfection Cream is perfect for that and then definitely add your SPF always.

Speaker 2:

So the midday, definitely go for herbal teas or if you like your coffee, have your coffee. But I like an antioxidant rich lunch, like quinoa, greens, roasted vegetables. I love olive oil, a good olive oil. You can go. If you like your meats, you can go for a chicken or a fish. And in the evening I like doing lighter meals if possible. That's why I like salads a lot in the evening these days I love carrot salad.

Speaker 2:

I don't know why. I think my body is craving for it. What I do is I grate it, put a little bit olive oil and add some lemon juice and there we go. I just munch on the carrot salad and it makes me happy, and um, of course always drink your water and then uh for the skincare.

Speaker 2:

Remove, uh, the impurities that comes from the day, uh, with a gooder, and then follow up with your routine skincare routine and at that time the skincare you do at night works better than during the day, because you're going to calm down and you're going to sleep, and this is the time where your skin takes a breather from the daily stress and your body starts on the repair journey. So I definitely say remove the impurities with the gentle cleanser, add your serum, add your facial cream, do your eye concentrate and then go to bed. And if you want to go with a supplement, definitely you can do a deep sleep supported by magnesium, something like that. So this is my routine, I like this routine and I think this resonates with a lot of people.

Speaker 1:

Right, yeah, I love the emphasis on the different anti-inflammatory foods, right. Different anti-inflammatory foods, right, and how you're keeping yourself hydrated throughout the day, either with some herbal tea or some water, some, you know, some of those fruits and vegetables that you're adding, and there's nothing. You know that we can say it's too complicated, right, and it's something that we can definitely do on a consistent basis. And then, of course, the description of how to take care of your skin right, it's definitely a question that has come to mind. Okay, how do I take better care of my skin? So, thank you for sharing those tips and the specific products that you use, too. We know that gut-brain-skin access is real and that stress, pro-digestion and lack of sleep can show up on our skin. What are some holistic wellness practices you recommend to support skin from the inside?

Speaker 2:

Well, we talked about the food aspect, but there's also the mental aspect, and when we say mental, people tend to think that, oh, am I mental? Like? Are we talking about mental diseases? No, I don't know how else to explain it, but stress puts a lot of pressure on and on the brain and on your soul. So that's why the best way I can summarize it as mental, but uh, you, we all need a break, a little bit break, and this could be a little walk around the neighborhood or play with your dog, or even a 10 minute meditation and um, telling yourself everything is going to be fine at the end of the day, because the brain is designed to worry and have anxiety, and our monkey brain never stops talking, unfortunately, and all that affects your cortisol. It raises up. As the cortisol goes up, there is more pressure on the immune system, right? So that's why I would highly recommend taking at least five minutes, 10 minutes break, so you can have your time off.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, thank you so much for sharing those tips. And you know, as a dietician too, stress is something that we talk about and like how to help lower those levels, right. So I love the simple tips like hey, take a five minute walk, do some meditation, play with your dog, right. I think that's such a profound way to just kind of disconnect right from all the stress that is happening. So thank you for sharing that. Are there any common myths about skincare or anti-aging that you wish people would stop believing?

Speaker 2:

oh god, uh, stop following the tiktok trends. I tell those everywhere please stop following the tiktok trends. And I I think it was the other day I saw it on a lyric group uh, did a scientific publication on how, um, the tic-tac-trens are hurting the teenager skin and how they're ending up going to dermatologists even more than before kind of common sense. But if we need a publication to explain that to the world, please be my guest. Write more. You know we need more. So there's that. And stop doing like 10 step skincare routines.

Speaker 2:

That doesn't help. You don't need five, six different creams to solve five different problems. A good cream or a good skincare routine would be formulated in a way that you wouldn't need that. So do your homework. Read the ingredients, read the when you're purchasing it, read the product page, read the reviewer comments. You know they will tell you how they feel and what was the result sometimes. So I would highly recommend that too. And you know, keep your money to yourself. Don't buy five different creams. Go for the one that has all the multitasking, multifunctioning aspects of things. So, one, you're spending less money in the long run. Two, you are going to have less sensitivity because you're using less product on your face. So that's the whole thing.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, thank you again for just mentioning that not to follow for what someone with a million followers or whatever is doing, that might be not so healthy or dangerous, which which I find it to you, as you know, in the nutrition aspect of it as well. But when my clients tell me, oh, I'm trying these because I saw it on tiktok and I'm like, how can I put it in a nice way, that is, you know, not healthy, but you know it's difficult, you know, to it's sometimes to compete with, like, the masses, and so sometimes a publication right might help. Oh yeah, that's interesting. What are your personal non-negotiables when it comes to skincare and nutrition?

Speaker 2:

Oh, non-negotiables, definitely my cleanser and my cream and my face oil some days. So we have really good cleanser at Avicenna and our face oil has been designed to work against all the signs of inflammation with the peptides and Bokuchiol. So I love those three. You know those are my non-negotiables. And for the nutrition these days, carrot salad, but unfortunately I love my coffee, so a good coffee that's, I have to have it in the morning. But anything in moderation, you know I'm gonna put it that way. Uh, I try to go as much as organic as I can. Unfortunately sometimes it's not available or sometimes it's too expensive, even today. So I try to select the best foods possible out there. You know, salads, fruits, vegetables. I try to go that way.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, thank you so much for sharing that too. And, as you mentioned towards the beginning, beginning right like. It doesn't have to be like eliminating those foods that maybe we enjoy. Right is the amount. So are we drinking coffee all day long and like not hydrating right versus like? Okay, I'm gonna have my cup of coffee and and that is it, and my other hydrating foods too that's great. Keeping it simple and balanced, yes, um. So what's coming up next for you and avicenna? Any new launches or innovations we should be excited about?

Speaker 2:

oh yeah, we definitely have a new launch and actually it launched like we launched it four or five days ago. We didn't do a big fuss about it, to be honest, because I was too excited to put it out there, because the results are fantastic. And the name is Anka Face and Body Treatment System and it's basically a LED light therapy with red LED light, blue and pink, and it has radiofrequency EMS ultrasound and it has radiofrequency EMS ultrasound. And one of the key differences than any other equipment that's out there because it combines both the LED light with the radiofrequency therapy and ultrasound is this you can use it both on your face and your body. So most of the devices like not most of them, all of the devices out there only focuses on the face, but your skin doesn't end on your face. Your body is aging too, so why not show the same love to the body as well and the body when the levels of from one to five are ideal for the body, because it can work on the, the work of cellulite, how it becomes uneven when you have a fatty tissue underneath. It helps with those.

Speaker 2:

So that is one of the cutting edge stuff we have right now and we have designed two gels for that. One of them is the Hydrosculpt face gel and it's different than the conductive gels in the way that we added the peptides and all that you need in any skincare you would like, so you can use it even as a face gel. You don't need to always use it with the device. Same for the body. That's ShapeLift conductive body gel and that has caffeine in it, guanara and that kind of other ingredients, niacinamide and peptides To help with the signs of inflammation on the body and also the uneven look that this machine is fighting against. So yeah, that's one cool little device and you can use it everywhere.

Speaker 1:

That's fascinating, yeah, especially if you're traveling right or you just want to take it with you. That's amazing, awesome. Well, also fascinating and amazing. Dr Ebru, thank you so much for sharing your time, your science and your passion with us today. I think so many of our listeners are walking away with a deeper understanding of how their daily habits from what they eat to how they manage stress impact their skin more than they realize. If you're listening and you're curious to explore Avicenna's science-backed inflammation targeting skincare, head to wwwavicennacom. I'll also drop the link in the show notes and if you enjoyed today's episode, be sure to subscribe, leave a review and share. Share it with a friend who's ready to glow inside and out. Dr Eru, any final thoughts, anything else that you would like to share to the listeners?

Speaker 2:

Definitely. I mean skincare has been reflected to us as a luxury. It's not. It is your time off, and it is your time off and saying to the world I respect myself, I love myself and I'm going to be resilient against all of you. So it's not just about beauty, it's just really taking care of yourself.

Speaker 1:

Mic drop. Yeah, thank you so much, and I love that you say that it's not about luxury, right? We all have skin and so we all have a face and so we definitely need to take care of it and, at the end of the day, what's the best thing to do that and do that right? So amazing. Until next time, I'm leonie lacampos, and this is simple nutrition insights. Thank you so much. Take care, friends, bye.