Shiseido elucidates the mechanism by which infrared rays adversely affect the skin

 Shiseido has independently established an experimental method to accurately evaluate the effects of infrared rays, and elucidated a part of the mechanism by which infrared rays have an adverse effect on the skin.

It was confirmed that the heat generated by infrared rays, not the infrared light, damages the inside of the skin. In addition, we have found several types of plant-derived extracts as agents for treating skin damage caused by infrared heat.

In the company's previous research, it was found that the oxidative stress caused by ultraviolet rays on the skin is one of the causes of photoaging, and that the blue light of sunlight intensity damages the skin, but this time it is newly done by infrared rays. We also confirmed the effects and found that it is important to protect the skin from the three oxidations caused by light including infrared rays as well as ultraviolet rays and blue light in order to maintain healthy and beautiful skin.

We will continue research to support healthy and beautiful skin while coexisting with the environment by responding to three types of photooxidation: ultraviolet oxidation, blue light oxidation, and infrared oxidation (thermal oxidation).

The proportion of infrared rays contained in sunlight is much higher than that of ultraviolet rays, and according to the company's research, when exposed to the sun outdoors on a sunny day, the human body surface temperature reaches about 40 ° C in just a few minutes. I have confirmed that.

Recently, the effects of infrared rays on the skin have begun to be pointed out, but since infrared rays have a large thermal effect and it is necessary to control the temperature rise in order to correctly evaluate the effects, detailed verification has been considered difficult. 

Therefore, in order to accurately evaluate the effects of infrared rays, we have established a unique experimental method that can isolate and confirm the effects of light and heat, and proceeded with research. Then, the effect was confirmed by two methods, an experiment using cells and an analysis of the components in the skin.

First, using an original experimental method, while controlling the temperature conditions, the fibroblasts were irradiated with infrared rays at a level that can be exposed on a daily basis, and the effects were observed.

As a result, it was found that vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF-A) is increased by "heat" generated by infrared rays instead of "light" of infrared rays.

Since it has been suggested that VEGF-A is involved in skin problems such as age spots, redness, and wrinkles, it is considered that an excessive increase has an adverse effect on the skin.

Next, when the changes in the components existing in the skin were confirmed by component analysis, the components (lipid peroxide) that cause skin troubles in the skin also increased due to the temperature (heat) during infrared irradiation. It became clear.

From these results, it was suggested that the "heat" generated by infrared rays that can be exposed on a daily basis adversely affects the skin.

Subsequently, we searched for useful drugs to care for the effects of infrared rays that can be exposed on a daily basis on the skin.

This time, it was observed that several types of plant-derived extracts have the effect of leading the increase in VEGF-A and lipid peroxide that occurs inside the skin due to the heat of infrared rays to a normal state. That is, these agents are expected to prevent skin damage caused by the heat of infrared rays.