Curcumin - Part VI: Multiple Skin Benefits

 
 

Widespread Benefits

Curcumin improves several skin disorders due to the fact that it has various beneficial effects on various organs including the skin. (1,2) One of the key benefits is reduced inflammation. This is critical because excessive inflammation plays a role in many skin complaints. Curcumin also has a number of other beneficial actions in the following areas:

  • Skin Infections

  • Wound Healing

  • Acne

  • Hair Loss

  • Hirsutism (Excessive Hair Growth)

  • Skin Cancer Prevention and Treatment

  • Anti-Aging

Luminnova Health offers a selection of ultra-high penetration topical curcumin formulations for maximal benefit. These are available through The Skin Centre.

 

Skin Inflammation

Curcumin has been shown to be quite effective in an number of skin conditions where inflammation is a prominent feature. These include:

  • Acne

  • Psoriasis 

  • Seborrheic Dermatitis

  • Rosacea

  • Eczema

  • Lichen Planus

  • Scleroderma 

  • Oral inflammatory disease (gingivitis, periodontitis, mucositis, oral lichen planus)

  • Many other inflammatory skin complaints


In fact topical and oral curcumin can be used along with, or in place of topical steroids or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, but without the side effects which limit their use. The mechanisms by which curcumin exerts It’s anti-inflammatory benefits is by inhibiting the most powerful and ubiquitous known inflammatory mediators - namely TNF-α, NF-κB and other interdependent inflammatory cytokines. (3,4) Curcumin also promotes the repair of skin damaged by inflammation, by promoting growth factors and blood flow thereby reversing the manifestations of inflammatory skin disease including dryness, scaling, redness, itching and swelling.



Infection

Resistant infections are becoming an increasingly daunting challenge in medical practice. As a result there is a renewed focus on other anti-microbial therapies which had been recognized for decades. One of these is curcumin which has been shown to have anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal activity! (5-9) Furthermore it can be used as a photosensitizer to produce greatly enhanced anti-microbial effects and anti-cancer effects for that matter. (10)



Wound Healing

Oral and topical curcumin has been demonstrated to accelerate and improve wound healing in many contexts including burns and after traumatic injury and surgery. Numerous animal studies have confirmed this benefit (11-14) and more recently there has been evidence from human clinical studies as well. Obstetric patients frequently undergo surgical procedures and are an ideal subjects for assessing the action of wound healing agents in healthy populations. One of these studies published in 2009, showed improved healing with the use of a tumeric extract ointment for episiotomy scars. (15) The second study was actually published in the West Indian Medical Journal (16) in 2015 and demonstrated improved wound healing in women who applied a tumeric extract after C-section. The improvement observed with use of tumeric extract was significantly better than placebo cream even within one week after surgery and showed even greater response by the second week. It appears that curcumin promotes improved wound healing by a number of mechanisms including its antibacterial activity.(17) Its effects on growth factors  promote repair and also control excessive cellular matrix and fibrosis (18) - which inhibits hypertrophic scar and keloid formation.


Excess Androgen Activity

The hormone testosterone is present in males, but is also present at much lower levels in females. Even if there are normal levels of testosterone present, it can be converted to the more potent dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in the skin by an enzyme called alpha-reductase.  High levels of DHT in the skin can trigger:

  • Acne

  • Oily skin

  • Male Pattern Hair Loss (androgenic alopecia on the scalp)

  • Hirsutism (unwanted excessive hair growth on the body)

One of the critical factors affecting the rate at which conversion to DHT occurs is the level of  insulin like growth factor-1 (IGF-1). Interestingly, IGF-1 is triggered by high glycaemic diets such as carbohydrate-rich fast foods and sugar which have long been suspected of triggering acne! Curcumin inhibits both alpha-reductase19 and IGF-1 (20,21) and therefore can reduce the severity of the above conditions. 


With regard to acne, curcumin has additional beneficial effects due to its anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial actions. Furthermore, it can also be helpful in reducing stubborn post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, again due to it’s dampening effect on inflammation AND inhibition of the enzyme tyrosinase (22). This enzyme is needed for melanin formation.

Take a look at one of one of our early curcumin success stories at our partner practice The Skin Centre:

 
 
Topical Curcumin improved acne control, reversed early acne scarring and reduced oiliness. The second photo shows skin as topical curcumin commenced. Third photo shows skin one month after topical curcumin was added.

Topical Curcumin improved acne control, reversed early acne scarring and reduced oiliness. The second photo shows skin as topical curcumin commenced. Third photo shows skin one month after topical curcumin was added.

 

 

Prevention and Treatment of Skin Cancer

Animal studies have demonstrated significant activity of topical and oral curcumin against multiple types of cancer. (23-29) Human clinical studies have shown that curcumin can be used to improve the response to standard cancer treatments and significantly improve symptoms and quality of life of cancer patients. (2,30-35) What’s more, these benefits were demonstrated with the older generation relatively poorly bioavailable forms of curcumin. There have been tremendous strides with curcumin formulation since then. I predict even greater results in the next round of clinical studies using these improved formulations. In Europe, intravenous curcumin PDT is also being incorporated as a powerful adjunctive therapy for targeting a number of solid tumours including breast, colon and prostate cancers.


Curcumin has also shown promise in targeting skin cancer including basal cell cancer, squamous cell cancer and even melanoma. (36-38) The majority of the studies showing positive effects are lab studies on cancer cell lines and animal studies but the results are impressive. Multiple mechanisms have been described by which curcumin has its anti-neoplastic effects including: (2)

  • Reduced angiogenesis (reduced blood supply to cancer cells)

  • Cell cycle arrest (less cancer cell multiplication)

  • Apoptosis (selective death of cancer cells) 

  • Reduced metastasis

  • Reduced inflammation (inflammation drives the cancer process)

  • Suppression of oncogenes (genes which drive cancer formation)

  • Potentiation of tumour suppressors


There is presently insufficient evidence to recommend curcumin as standalone treatment for skin cancer, particularly melanoma. However, based on the copious evidence available, I do recommend it for prevention of skin cancer and treatment of pre-cancers (actinic keratosis) along with optimal sun protection. Topical curcumin is the ideal route of administration for prevention of skin cancers but it can also be combined with high bio-available and bio-accessible oral curcumin for maximal benefit.

 
 
Topical Curcumin arrests the growth of Basal Cell Cancer and Clears Surrounding Pre-Cancers

Topical Curcumin arrests the growth of Basal Cell Cancer and Clears Surrounding Pre-Cancers

 
 
Topical Curcumin Treats Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Rejuvenates the surrounding skin!

Topical Curcumin Treats Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Rejuvenates the surrounding skin!

 


 

Anti-Aging

It is believed that the aging process in the body as a whole and the skin in particular is driven by chronic inflammation and the presence of free radicals which together damage the body at a cellular level and eventually results in degradation and dysfuction of the major organs including the skin. With respect to the skin, the most obvious free radical generator and promoter of acute and chronic inflammation is the sun. However it is becoming increasingly clear that our diet also plays an overwhelming role in the degree and pace at which our skin ages over time. As curcumin is known to a powerful anti-oxidant (mops up damaging free radicals) and a powerful quencher of inflammation it is an ideal anti-aging candidate. 


A controlled study demonstrated that fruit flies who were fed curcumin had a significantly longer lifespan than the control group that did not receive curcumin. (39,40) Clearly it would not be feasible or ethical to replicate this in humans! However, studies have demonstrated anti-aging benefits of curcumin on the skin. A study presented at 2010 American Academy of Dermatology meeting showed that a topical tumeric extract (curcumin) resulted a notable reduction in fine lines, wrinkles and some reduction in age spots in Caucasian and Asian women within four weeks of use and was more pronounced at two months. 


For optimal anti-aging benefits, topical curcumin can be combined with other proven anti-aging topicals. The addition of a superior formulation of oral curcumin along with a well researched supplement containing essential multivitamins, minerals and other phytonutrients in the RIGHT dosage combinations is also a good strategy. Of course lifestyle changes such as a predominantly plant based diet, avoiding sun damage, pollution and smoking are also of critical importance.

References

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  2. Kunnumakkara AB et al. Curcumin, the golden nutraceutical: multitargeting for multiple chronic diseases. Br J Pharmacol. 2017 Jun;174(11):1325-1348. doi: 10.1111/bph.13621. Epub 2016 Oct 21.

  3. Singh S and Aggawal B. Activation of Transcription Factor NF-κB Is Suppressed by Curcumin (Diferuloylmethane). Journal of Biological Chemistry. doi: 10.1074/jbc.270.42.24995. October 20, 1995

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Dr. Juliette Hepburn
Dermatologist & Medical Director
The Skin Centre | Luminnova Health

 
Curcumin, Skin Disorders, Anti-Aging SolutionsJuliette Hepburn