:02:27. > :02:37.My name is Dr Rozina Ali and I'm a consultant plastic surgeon in the
:02:37. > :02:46.
:02:46. > :02:56.And I have it damps what, please? But what fascinates me is how it
:02:56. > :03:04.
:03:04. > :03:11.This is a natural! -- this is not natural! So I left the operating
:03:12. > :03:18.theatre behind for the frontiers of skin science. This is not what I
:03:18. > :03:28.Along the way I discovered a diet that could potentially help us all
:03:28. > :03:41.
:03:41. > :03:51.look younger. What do you think That we're on the verge of changing
:03:51. > :03:51.
:03:51. > :04:01.summers forever with the contents And that something we all love to
:04:01. > :04:26.
:04:26. > :04:36.eat is revolutionising the science Skin, believe it or not, is an
:04:36. > :04:38.
:04:38. > :04:48.organ. Just like the heart, lungs But what makes it special is that
:04:48. > :05:00.
:05:00. > :05:03.unlike any other organ, you can see It's the largest organ in the body.
:05:03. > :05:07.In fact, laid out flat, it's as big as this. And that's somewhere
:05:07. > :05:11.around 20 square feet. But it's not just big, it's the very first organ
:05:11. > :05:21.we developed. In fact, skin is the difference between a collection of
:05:21. > :05:45.
:05:45. > :05:55.It's the first thing I look at when But why do some people look older
:05:55. > :06:11.
:06:11. > :06:16.What's the scientific truth about Time for me to declare my personal
:06:16. > :06:20.interest. I'm 44 years old and I've not had any plastic surgery. I'm
:06:20. > :06:27.probably a bit like you. I'm young enough to care, old enough to know
:06:27. > :06:37.better. So for me, it all comes down to the science. If it stacks
:06:37. > :06:41.
:06:41. > :06:51.up, if it's scientifically credible, Every day of our lives, our skin is
:06:51. > :07:01.engaged in a relentless war with The first battle is against the
:07:01. > :07:04.
:07:04. > :07:14.Working out how the sun helps to make you look older means
:07:14. > :07:18.
:07:18. > :07:23.investigating the effect it has on This is what gives young skin its
:07:23. > :07:33.distinctive plumpness. If it deflates, the skin wrinkles and
:07:33. > :07:44.
:07:44. > :07:54.Surprisingly, scientists trying to understand how you can look younger
:07:54. > :07:57.
:07:57. > :08:07.for longer have been studying lorry Meet Rob and Alan. Between them,
:08:07. > :08:15.
:08:15. > :08:25.they've been driving around Britain Would you like to get in? Thank you.
:08:25. > :08:35.
:08:35. > :08:42.Just as well I'm sensibly dressed! And there's something about their
:08:42. > :08:47.faces that provide clues about the hidden power of the sun. A good-
:08:47. > :08:51.looking guy like you, tell me about your skincare regime, what do you
:08:51. > :08:58.use? Apart from washing my face with soap and water, I don't use
:08:58. > :09:03.any. Moisturiser? No. My wife would start getting a bit suspicious if I
:09:03. > :09:07.started using moisturiser! Does she have reason to be suspicious?
:09:07. > :09:13.Absolutely not and she knows that. Have you had any problems with your
:09:13. > :09:18.skin? Ever get sunburnt? Have not in a cab. I use protection when I'm
:09:18. > :09:23.not -- when I'm on holiday. For work, never. Why don't you bother
:09:23. > :09:28.with protection or any skin care when you are driving? You are
:09:28. > :09:32.always in the truck. You get out every now and then, but you will
:09:32. > :09:36.only be going from the cab to an office or into the back of a
:09:36. > :09:46.trailer to help unload at something. You are never in the sum for very
:09:46. > :09:50.
:09:50. > :09:53.long. For -- in the sun. doesn't get burned in his cab.
:09:53. > :09:58.That's because the glass he sits behind for most of the day filters
:09:58. > :10:02.out the rays that cause sunburn. This bit of the sun's spectrum is
:10:02. > :10:07.This bit of the sun's spectrum is called UVB. These rays have a very
:10:07. > :10:10.short wavelength and so only burn the top layer of our skin. They
:10:10. > :10:18.can't penetrate any deeper. And they can't get through window glass
:10:18. > :10:28.Now, I don't want to seem unkind, but Rob's skin doesn't look
:10:28. > :10:33.So what's going on? To answer that question, I've arranged for Rob and
:10:33. > :10:43.Alan to have a skin check-up. And that's taking place here at
:10:43. > :10:44.
:10:44. > :10:48.Manchester University's world Conducting the test is Britain's
:10:48. > :10:54.leading skin scientist - Professor Chris Griffiths. He's taking Rob
:10:54. > :11:04.and Alan's picture with this very special camera. And he's been using
:11:04. > :11:05.
:11:05. > :11:11.it to uncover some of the secrets of how the sun ages our skin. Who
:11:11. > :11:18.wants to go first? Let's get the ugly out of the way! Swing around
:11:19. > :11:23.and close your eyes. Bath exactly the same again, look in the mirror.
:11:23. > :11:33.It is just getting used your face. What does that mean? What's wrong
:11:33. > :11:43.with it? Well done. What will the photographs reveal about Rob and
:11:43. > :11:43.
:11:43. > :11:49.A you can see on Allen's face that there are deeper wrinkles on the
:11:49. > :11:53.right side, they are longer off compared with the left side.
:11:53. > :11:58.There's a deeper wrinkle here if compared with the left side. I tell
:11:58. > :12:04.you what is really obvious to me. On the right, the eyebrow is lower
:12:04. > :12:09.than his brow bone. This is significantly longer and then it
:12:09. > :12:14.goes down passed his lips into the Marion neckline and on the other
:12:14. > :12:22.side, or you see is that slight line. It is much, much less for
:12:22. > :12:29.elastic tissue. Exactly. I think that is gruesome! It is gruesome!
:12:29. > :12:37.Right, can we see Rob? This time, it has been colour-coded so the
:12:37. > :12:41.green lines are marking the wrinkles. That is not as bad!
:12:41. > :12:48.interestingly, considering you are younger, don't be depressed, a lot
:12:48. > :12:58.more wrinkles. Her thank you! lots more of them. There are more
:12:58. > :13:02.
:13:02. > :13:05.on the right than the left. G fact that one side of their face is
:13:05. > :13:07.more wrinkled than the other is no surprise to Professor Griffiths.
:13:07. > :13:13.He's conducted numerous studies into the condition of lorry
:13:13. > :13:16.drivers' skin. That confirms our previous work. People who are
:13:16. > :13:26.professional long-distance lorry drivers get a lot of sun exposure
:13:26. > :13:26.
:13:26. > :13:36.You might think, behind the safety of the windscreen, the drivers are
:13:36. > :13:46.
:13:46. > :13:52.There's another form of sunlight that does penetrate glass. It's
:13:52. > :14:02.called UVA. It has a much longer wavelength, allowing it go get much
:14:02. > :14:19.
:14:19. > :14:29.Job done. And what about you? don't think so. I don't think
:14:29. > :14:36.that's very fair! I we need a comparison. This is a natural. --
:14:36. > :14:44.this is not natural. Reluctantly, in the interests of science, I gave
:14:44. > :14:49.in. And I soon wished I hadn't. That's interesting. If you have
:14:49. > :14:54.more wrinkles on the right side of your face than the left. That is
:14:54. > :15:01.amazing. On the left, that is quite a nice picture. I'm not unhappy
:15:01. > :15:06.with that. My gosh! On the right... You have four more -- far more.
:15:06. > :15:13.That is probably from everyday driving. It is not just for truck
:15:13. > :15:23.drivers? Not at all. I have to say I'm truly shocked. I think that
:15:23. > :15:23.
:15:23. > :15:29.gets the message home. Now you know There's no question that from now
:15:29. > :15:39.on I'll be slapping on sunscreen when I'm driving. But what kind of
:15:39. > :15:54.
:15:54. > :16:04.UVA ages UVB burns. Look for five- star UVA rating. I'll be wearing it
:16:04. > :16:13.
:16:13. > :16:22.Most of us are smart enough to make sure we slap on sunscreen in the
:16:23. > :16:32.But no matter how diligent you are, slapping on sunscreen isn't
:16:33. > :16:35.
:16:35. > :16:42.The problem with sunscreen is that it keeps rubbing off. It provides a
:16:42. > :16:45.protective coating to the skin, but it doesn't penetrate it. Lie down,
:16:45. > :16:52.touch anyone, or even go in the water, and its protective qualities
:16:52. > :16:59.But there's a possible solution to this problem that's at the cutting
:16:59. > :17:09.I've come here to Sharm-el-Sheik on Egypt's Red Sea, because it's one
:17:09. > :17:11.of the best places in the world to One of the most intriguing and
:17:11. > :17:17.promising new developments is being unearthed not here, but out there
:17:17. > :17:27.under the waves. And it has the potential to change summers for
:17:27. > :17:55.
:17:55. > :18:04.Damaging UVA rays can penetrate So why doesn't everything in the
:18:04. > :18:07.According to Dr Paul Long, who's one of the world's leading experts
:18:07. > :18:17.in biochemical adaptation, the answer lies on this stunning coral
:18:17. > :18:24.
:18:24. > :18:32.It's hard to get your head round, but it's a strange mix of animal
:18:32. > :18:42.The plant half of the creature gets its energy from the sun, through
:18:42. > :18:50.
:18:50. > :18:54.And that creates a problem for the Photosynthesis need sunlight, so,
:18:54. > :18:58.can only live in the first couple of metres of water because
:18:58. > :19:04.otherwise it will not penetrate through the water column but it is
:19:04. > :19:14.a double-edged sword. They want to live through photosynthesis but
:19:14. > :19:20.
:19:20. > :19:22.But the coral isn't in fact actually damaged by the sun. And
:19:22. > :19:32.that's because the plant half, the algae, makes a sun protection
:19:32. > :19:42.
:19:42. > :19:46.compound that's passed onto the What we found it is a partnership
:19:46. > :19:50.between the two of them, so the plant will make a certain compound,
:19:50. > :19:54.pass it to the animal which will train -- change it to the Sun
:19:54. > :20:04.screening compound for the benefit of most partners. So both are
:20:04. > :20:07.
:20:07. > :20:17.Remarkably, coral is the source of sun protection for huge numbers of
:20:17. > :20:19.
:20:19. > :20:25.Smaller fish get the sun protection compounds from grazing the reef.
:20:25. > :20:35.Bigger fish from eating the smaller fish. What I want to know is, how
:20:35. > :20:37.
:20:37. > :20:47.To solve the puzzle, Dr Long invited me out for a special
:20:47. > :20:49.
:20:49. > :20:56.evening, which involved a close And there's one particular part of
:20:56. > :21:04.this ocean predator's anatomy he wanted me to look at. We are going
:21:04. > :21:10.to take out the RA and take out its lines. -- take out the Ivy and take
:21:10. > :21:15.out its lens. No girl travels without scissors. I will start just
:21:15. > :21:20.on the outside. That is the cornea coming off. This could get quite
:21:20. > :21:30.messy. The eyeball is pressurised. I know you are a great surgeon, but
:21:30. > :21:39.be careful way you make the cut. can feel it now. Just cut the iris.
:21:40. > :21:49.Oh! Gently. There we go! I told you it was pressurised. Quickly, we
:21:49. > :21:58.still have got the lens. Unbelievable. Verities. That he's
:21:58. > :22:03.the lens. -- then it is. So what is in that? What does that do in the
:22:03. > :22:11.eye of any animal? Lech * like three selling its the retina. --
:22:11. > :22:18.lets the light through. So it can see through the retina. It will
:22:18. > :22:24.Lettin UV light. So they need sunglasses. The compounds that are
:22:24. > :22:29.concentrated in the lens, they filter out the damaging UV Ray
:22:29. > :22:33.before it hits the retina. This is a super concentrated form of all
:22:33. > :22:43.the goodness in the Coral? Can I tell you one thing? I do not
:22:43. > :22:47.
:22:47. > :22:50.normally squeal. That is important But to find out just how much sun
:22:50. > :22:54.protection there is in the squid's eye, I need to travel back to
:22:54. > :23:01.London and Dr Long's lab. The lens from the eye of the squid has been
:23:01. > :23:09.broken down into an extract for analysis. It's then placed in this
:23:09. > :23:14.It measures how much UV protection the MAAs provide. The results are
:23:14. > :23:24.displayed on this simple graph. And what it shows is that the compounds
:23:24. > :23:32.
:23:32. > :23:41.give the squid massive amounts of So ET is absorbing the U V A, so no
:23:41. > :23:45.more ageing. It is absorbing some of the UVB. Could I get a tan?
:23:45. > :23:49.But it is protecting me from damaging rays. Sounds like good
:23:49. > :23:51.stuff to me. What's even more remarkable is that in tests in the
:23:51. > :24:01.lab, they've found that these compounds appear to be actually
:24:01. > :24:06.absorbed by skin cells. And that means they can't rub off. Our work
:24:06. > :24:10.is to see how well using human skins with these compounds, do they
:24:10. > :24:14.get absorbed in? Rather than slapping it all over like normal
:24:14. > :24:21.sun cream we have an indelible stain. You've applied only just
:24:21. > :24:24.once and it would be absorbed into the scheme. Dr Long is confident he
:24:24. > :24:27.can makes these MAAs into a synthetic sunscreen. Slap it on
:24:27. > :24:30.once, and you'd be protected all day. But because this sun
:24:30. > :24:40.protection passes up the food chain, he believes we can get it without a
:24:40. > :24:41.
:24:41. > :24:45.cream. Not by eating squid's eyes, but by taking a sun protection pill.
:24:45. > :24:50.Potentially we could manufacture these compounds in to a tablet or
:24:50. > :24:53.capsule and we should be able to swallow it. I now know that I would
:24:53. > :24:59.have it every day, not just on holiday, because I want to protect
:24:59. > :25:09.myself against the raised and I need all the help I can get. -- the
:25:09. > :25:23.
:25:23. > :25:32.If all goes to plan, Dr Long hopes to have the pill on the market in
:25:32. > :25:42.And that would be a major leap forward in helping all of us keep
:25:42. > :25:48.
:25:48. > :25:58.But it's not just in the science of sun protection that radical new
:25:58. > :26:06.
:26:06. > :26:15.There's another area of research that's uncovering more of the
:26:15. > :26:25.secrets of how and why our skin wrinkles. And this understanding
:26:25. > :26:31.
:26:31. > :26:41.holds out the promise that we can The problem is that this important
:26:41. > :26:44.
:26:44. > :26:54.factor in skin ageing is something we can't live without - oxygen. We
:26:54. > :26:58.
:26:58. > :27:00.breathe it in every day, but it can Professor John Casey has been
:27:00. > :27:10.grappling with the problematic connection between oxygen and
:27:10. > :27:15.
:27:15. > :27:20.ageing for nearly 20 years. Every time we breathe, at 98% of that
:27:20. > :27:23.oxygen goes to burn the food we are eating and liberate the small
:27:24. > :27:29.molecules we need for regeneration and it releases lots of energy is
:27:29. > :27:39.to allow muscles to work. A good thing. But there is maybe one or 2%
:27:39. > :27:42.
:27:42. > :27:52.of the oxygen that goes down a This small amount of oxygen,
:27:52. > :27:54.
:27:54. > :28:04.commonly known as free radicals, Over time, the damage starts to
:28:04. > :28:09.
:28:09. > :28:19.accumulate. And the classic signs Our bodies have a defence mechanism
:28:19. > :28:23.- it's just not quite efficient So you have a system which is
:28:23. > :28:27.continually being slightly damaged due to the reaction to oxygen and
:28:27. > :28:32.another system, sell defence, which is about correcting the damage.
:28:32. > :28:42.Putting things back to where they should be. So you have a balance.
:28:42. > :28:46.What happens with ageing? Is the cell systems overwhelmed?
:28:46. > :28:51.Eventually the accumulation of damaged molecules, dysfunctional
:28:51. > :29:01.molecules, is always that be greater than the rate at which you
:29:01. > :29:06.can clear it up. So inexorably, the animal cages. -- ages. Professor
:29:06. > :29:09.Casey works at Unilever's science park in Bedfordshire. And what he's
:29:09. > :29:19.investigating is how the signs of ageing that appear on the surface
:29:19. > :29:27.
:29:27. > :29:32.of our skin are caused by processes This will blow your socks off. A
:29:32. > :29:35.fantastic set of images. This might look like a computer graphic, but
:29:35. > :29:43.it is in fact what your skin really looks like. The two layers are easy
:29:43. > :29:49.to see. The epidermis at the top is shaded dark. The dermis at the
:29:49. > :29:53.bottom is slightly lighter. This is where collagen, the protein that
:29:53. > :29:55.helps to keep us looking younger, is made. And at the heart of the
:29:55. > :30:00.dermis are the cells that produce it. They're called fibroblasts and
:30:00. > :30:09.they're highlighted in red in this image. They're collagen making
:30:09. > :30:15.machines. And if you really want to understand how important
:30:15. > :30:18.fibroblasts are, you have to look at this. Filmed over 24 hours, it
:30:18. > :30:28.shows a collagen filled with a young person's fibroblasts on the
:30:28. > :30:37.
:30:37. > :30:42.left, compared with an older They are hardly moving at all, they
:30:42. > :30:46.are doing their best, but nowhere near as good as the cells from a
:30:47. > :30:56.young person's skin, as we see here. You can really only see how the
:30:56. > :31:06.collagen factory works at extreme The object in the centre of the
:31:06. > :31:09.
:31:09. > :31:15.screen is a fibroblast. The spider's web around it is collagen.
:31:15. > :31:18.Oh, my goodness. Let's have a look in more detail. It's the fibroblast
:31:19. > :31:28.that makes the collagen. Crucially, in young, tight skin, the
:31:29. > :31:30.
:31:30. > :31:36.fibroblast also pulls powerfully It creates a three-dimensional,
:31:36. > :31:40.tense network of collagen which gives young skin its characteristic
:31:40. > :31:50.strength and smoothness. With old skin, the connection between the
:31:50. > :31:54.
:31:54. > :32:02.fibroblasts and collagen breaks As the skin ages, it almost rejects
:32:02. > :32:08.the collagen, so they start to round up the projections and often
:32:08. > :32:18.cells start to disappear. The collagen, instead of looking like a
:32:18. > :32:34.
:32:34. > :32:37.well-sprung network, looks like a Scientists are still trying to work
:32:37. > :32:47.out exactly how oxygen helps the clock to keep ticking on our ageing
:32:47. > :33:01.
:33:01. > :33:11.But is it possible to turn back the Can we repair and rejuvenate our
:33:11. > :33:16.
:33:16. > :33:22.Part of the answer appears to lie Dr Gail Jenkins has been working on
:33:22. > :33:25.what scientists call oxidative stress for a decade. And she's
:33:25. > :33:35.convinced what we consume is key to protecting and recharging our
:33:35. > :33:46.
:33:46. > :33:53.And she has four rules to make life The first rule is always look for
:33:53. > :33:58.bright colours. And one of the most important of the brightly coloured
:33:58. > :34:08.fruit and veg is the humble tomato. It's chock full of a very special
:34:08. > :34:09.
:34:09. > :34:16.ingredient. Tomatoes by an excellent source of lycopene. That
:34:16. > :34:26.gives it the bright red collar. Excellent at absorbing oxygen and
:34:26. > :34:32.presenting -- preventing oxidative stress. Rule number two is look for
:34:32. > :34:36.bitter tasting fruit and veg. Broccoli and radishes are an
:34:36. > :34:40.excellent source of Clicquot assimilates. By eating these
:34:40. > :34:45.ingredients and getting them deposited in the skin, you allow
:34:45. > :34:55.the skin cells to defend itself. An excellent natural source of helping
:34:55. > :34:57.
:34:57. > :35:05.yourself protect yourself from Time for rule number three - eat
:35:05. > :35:09.lots of oily fish. Fish is an excellent thing for for skin, it
:35:09. > :35:14.contains omega 3. You have to choose a certain type of fish. You
:35:14. > :35:19.are looking for oily fish. Things like mackerel. Why is the mackerel
:35:19. > :35:23.good for our skin? The omega 3 in the mackerel have been shown that
:35:23. > :35:27.have anti-inflammatory benefits. They dampen down inflammation in
:35:27. > :35:33.the skin cells. Anything that dampens down in for mentioned is
:35:33. > :35:43.good to prevent ageing. -- inflammation. Final rule? Try and
:35:43. > :35:44.
:35:44. > :35:54.avoid startchy food like rice, But what kind of meal can you make
:35:54. > :35:58.
:35:58. > :36:08.with these natural anti-ageing, We took the food we bought in the
:36:08. > :36:16.
:36:16. > :36:18.If I say so myself, very well cooked! But winning the fight
:36:18. > :36:27.against oxidative stress would severely test the appetites of most
:36:27. > :36:31.of us. The one big issue is the amount of ingredients. For example,
:36:31. > :36:37.the broccoli. In terms of the amount of properly you need to get
:36:37. > :36:42.any benefit, it is about half a kilo a day. A huge amount.
:36:42. > :36:46.about the fish? The fish levels are not too bad. But in those two
:36:46. > :36:52.together, you would deliver a significant amount of the omega 3
:36:52. > :36:57.fatty acids, but it would be two together for one person. If we 85 a
:36:57. > :37:01.day or fruit, would that cover skin benefits? It would depend on the
:37:01. > :37:06.portions, but I suspect not. To get the benefit you need from these
:37:06. > :37:08.particular ingredients, you would need to eat much more. And But
:37:08. > :37:13.scientists at Unilever believe they've come up with a pill that
:37:13. > :37:15.could have all the benefits of the diet in a capsule. This is it.
:37:15. > :37:25.Apparently, everything that's in the anti-oxidant diet is in this
:37:25. > :37:34.
:37:34. > :37:38.This is the Culture Lab. Just about every skin cell type is growing in
:37:38. > :37:47.here. Professor Casey and his team have been testing the contents of
:37:47. > :37:53.the anti-wrinkle pill on older skin They've found fibroblasts that were
:37:53. > :38:03.dormant begin to reproduce collagen. They then ran a study of the
:38:03. > :38:06.
:38:06. > :38:11.effects of the pill on 480 middle You can't tell everything from
:38:12. > :38:14.pictures, but it has a good place pictures, but it has a good place
:38:14. > :38:17.to start. This is a picture of a woman's eye before taking the pill.
:38:17. > :38:20.And this is 14 weeks later. What you can see straight away, the
:38:20. > :38:23.quality of the skin significantly improved. The wrinkles are less
:38:23. > :38:26.long, and the wrinkles that she does still have are much more
:38:26. > :38:36.shallow. It might not be much compared to surgery, but it's
:38:36. > :38:40.
:38:40. > :38:45.We've been working on this for quite a few years. It is only now
:38:45. > :38:55.that we know this really works in people. We've tested it on hundreds
:38:55. > :38:57.
:38:57. > :39:05.of women and we are now confident Unilever are planning to publish
:39:05. > :39:08.their results in a leading peer And that's important. Because other
:39:08. > :39:18.scientists can test their claims and see if the results are
:39:18. > :39:19.
:39:19. > :39:29.But what you eat isn't the only new approach to solving the problem of
:39:29. > :39:30.
:39:30. > :39:40.There's a powerful and radical new science emerging that has the
:39:40. > :39:50.
:39:50. > :39:53.potential to completely transform It's hard to believe, but one of
:39:53. > :40:03.the things most of us love to eat is a factor in determining what our
:40:03. > :40:05.
:40:05. > :40:15.Sugar doesn't just have the potential to make you put on weight,
:40:15. > :40:16.
:40:16. > :40:26.it can also help to make you look It's incredible to think that it
:40:26. > :40:36.
:40:36. > :40:46.The effect of sugar on skin ageing has fascinated biologist Dr David
:40:46. > :40:47.
:40:47. > :40:57.Working with the University of Leiden in Holland, he asked a
:40:57. > :41:05.
:41:05. > :41:15.random group of people to guess the If you go to a school reunion, why
:41:15. > :41:18.
:41:18. > :41:22.do some people look younger than they are and others older? We were
:41:22. > :41:27.very interested in the reasons behind this variation in how old
:41:27. > :41:34.people look and maybe what the secret work behind how some people
:41:34. > :41:37.maintain the youthful appearance as they got older. In the study of 600
:41:37. > :41:47.people, Dr Gunn also measured everyone's blood sugar levels. And
:41:47. > :41:52.
:41:52. > :41:57.the link between blood and looks We put people into groups based on
:41:57. > :42:01.their glucose levels. Then we looked at between these groups are
:42:02. > :42:04.at their perceived age. What was interesting was that the guys in
:42:04. > :42:09.the High group looked older than those with the average levels and
:42:09. > :42:13.the average levels looked older again than the guys with the lowest
:42:13. > :42:16.levels of glucose sugar in their blood. What was fascinating on top
:42:16. > :42:21.of that is when we bring in the diabetics and looked at their
:42:21. > :42:29.perceived age, they were older yet again. The diabetics have had the
:42:29. > :42:36.longest exposure to high levels of glucose. On average, people with
:42:36. > :42:46.high blood sugar looked around two So does my skin look older than it
:42:46. > :42:47.
:42:47. > :42:57.Dr Gunn offered to run the test on To do that, he first needs to take
:42:57. > :42:58.
:42:58. > :43:02.a series of pictures. But there was one small hitch. This is the
:43:02. > :43:07.photography room. This is where we will take two photographs of
:43:07. > :43:13.yourself. One thing I notice straightaway is we will have to ask
:43:13. > :43:18.you to remove your make-up. Are you sure that is necessary? A very
:43:18. > :43:28.necessary -- necessary, I'm afraid. It can hide how your skin looks.
:43:28. > :43:31.
:43:31. > :43:41.This is not what I had envisaged. Does it look radically different?
:43:41. > :43:43.
:43:43. > :43:52.Perfect. Finally, the pictures were taken and adjusted so only my skin
:43:52. > :44:02.He then mixed up the images with people of a similar skin type and
:44:02. > :44:10.
:44:10. > :44:15.age to me. And he finished up by So what were the results? What age
:44:15. > :44:24.do you think people would give you? I daren't give you a figure. In
:44:24. > :44:29.case I'm wildly out. OK. I can tell you... Are whereas the box of
:44:29. > :44:39.tissues? We have a box of tissues here. You came out as 34 years of
:44:39. > :44:46.
:44:46. > :44:51.I was shocked to discover that the panel thought I looked ten years
:44:51. > :44:55.younger. Up now I want to know your glucose levels. I want to see
:44:55. > :45:03.whether you have low glucose. If you could show me that, I would be
:45:03. > :45:11.very interested. I have that here. I want to keep this! This is the
:45:11. > :45:15.figure. 4.5. OK. You would be counted in the low Group. Indeed,
:45:15. > :45:25.this supports the data we showed, that people with low glucose 10 to
:45:25. > :45:28.
:45:28. > :45:35.By So why do high blood sugar levels, amongst other things, help
:45:35. > :45:45.The answer lies in how the sugar gets attached to the collagen in
:45:45. > :45:53.
:45:53. > :45:57.Once it gets attached to collagen and makes it more brittle, it makes
:45:57. > :46:02.it more difficult for the skin to repair itself. Once that occurs,
:46:03. > :46:12.you are on your way to advance staging of the skin. -- advanced
:46:13. > :46:17.
:46:17. > :46:20.ageing. Obviously, cutting back on the sugars in our diet is one
:46:20. > :46:25.factor in looking younger. That might help to hold back the ageing
:46:25. > :46:35.process, but is there anything we can do to reverse it? And make our
:46:35. > :46:40.
:46:40. > :46:42.ageing sugar damaged skin look Our understanding of the power of
:46:42. > :46:46.sugar is totally transforming our view on skin ageing. It's also
:46:46. > :46:49.creating a whole new branch of science. And I think this science,
:46:49. > :46:59.probably more than anything, holds out the tantalising possibility of
:46:59. > :47:16.
:47:16. > :47:26.giving us the tools to help us look Babb the centre of this new science
:47:26. > :47:33.
:47:33. > :47:39.It's called Light Co biology, the study of complex issues which
:47:40. > :47:42.scientists called liking. Our understanding of the power of sugar
:47:43. > :47:52.is totally transforming our view on skin ageing. It's also creating a
:47:53. > :47:54.
:47:54. > :47:57.whole new branch of science. The incredible power of this biology is
:47:57. > :48:01.being on the brink of being realised and it starts with this,
:48:01. > :48:11.the mosquito. And of the disease which is the scourge of the
:48:11. > :48:13.
:48:13. > :48:16.It might seem improbable, but using glycobiology to find a vaccine for
:48:16. > :48:26.malaria holds vital clues for solving the puzzle of how to make
:48:26. > :48:36.
:48:36. > :48:39.The most ground-breaking work on glycobiology is being done here at
:48:40. > :48:49.the world famous Max Planck Institute. I'm slightly humbled to
:48:50. > :48:50.
:48:51. > :48:53.I'm here to meet Professor Peter Seeburger. He's in charge of the
:48:53. > :49:03.cutting edge research programme and believes that the science of
:49:03. > :49:10.
:49:10. > :49:15.glycans has enormous untapped It has only been in the last couple
:49:15. > :49:23.of years the people really understood the importance of the
:49:23. > :49:33.Kuli cans and we are seeing a huge Glycans are found all over the
:49:33. > :49:39.
:49:39. > :49:43.And without them, our cells couldn't talk to one another. To me,
:49:43. > :49:46.they're like a kind of essential social network. Messages for
:49:46. > :49:51.everything from making organs to growing hair can only be sent when
:49:51. > :50:01.the glycans are attached. Block that connection, and the dialogue
:50:01. > :50:05.
:50:05. > :50:15.Inspired, Professor Seeburger used this insight to make a vaccine for
:50:15. > :50:17.
:50:17. > :50:20.malaria. He invented a revolutionary technique that
:50:20. > :50:29.enabled him to switch off the glycan that allowed the malaria
:50:29. > :50:33.parasite into our cells. parasite cannot survive without it.
:50:33. > :50:38.But it is really important in the life cycle and there is another
:50:38. > :50:44.aspect of the work. We do not try to kill the parasite. We only block
:50:44. > :50:49.the toxin. So the parasite is still there, but it no longer causes any
:50:49. > :50:52.symptoms or bad effects on the host? That's right. I'm really
:50:52. > :50:57.astonished to discover that in tests, the vaccine has proved 100%
:50:57. > :51:07.effective. So, the painstaking work carried out in these labs could end
:51:07. > :51:12.
:51:12. > :51:14.up saving millions of lives all And cracking the code of how our
:51:14. > :51:19.cells talk to each other is radically altering our
:51:19. > :51:25.understanding of how and why our skin ages. In a young person's skin,
:51:25. > :51:28.it is different to an old person. So the question is what happens
:51:28. > :51:34.with the communication between cells. The interesting part is that
:51:34. > :51:44.we found that if they Gallwey, the interaction can't happen any more,
:51:44. > :51:49.
:51:49. > :51:59.and that leads to all sorts of So, a breakdown in this
:51:59. > :52:01.
:52:01. > :52:05.communication appears to be a key I suppose it was only a matter of
:52:05. > :52:15.time before the huge potential of this new language of life was used
:52:15. > :52:17.
:52:17. > :52:27.to see how it could help us all The focus of this research isn't
:52:27. > :52:44.
:52:44. > :52:46.here in Berlin, but in the fashion I'd secretly hoped that this
:52:46. > :52:49.investigation between glycans and looking younger would be being
:52:49. > :52:52.conducted near the Boulevard St Germain, the Champs Elysee or any
:52:52. > :53:02.of the other celebrated fashion districts of the capital, but my
:53:02. > :53:10.
:53:10. > :53:19.I had to leave it behind and make Out here, amongst the warehouses
:53:19. > :53:23.and small industrial units are the They've been working with
:53:23. > :53:33.glycobiology to see if it can be used to make skin look younger. Of
:53:33. > :53:35.
:53:35. > :53:45.all of the cosmetics companies, The man leading the project is Dr
:53:45. > :53:52.
:53:52. > :53:58.For him, glycans are on the verge Like towns are involved in all
:53:58. > :54:04.Major biological processes, and in all human tissues. That includes
:54:04. > :54:13.skiing, of course. Without them, we cannot live. -- that includes
:54:14. > :54:16.L'Oreal lead the world in manufacturing synthetic skin.
:54:17. > :54:19.They've even managed to create the two separate layers of the skin,
:54:19. > :54:25.the dermis and the epidermis, in the lab. And what they're
:54:25. > :54:31.investigating is how these two layers are connected. How they talk
:54:31. > :54:41.to each other. That communication takes place in the epidermal
:54:41. > :54:49.
:54:49. > :54:59.But as we get older, our glycans The messages to keep making the
:54:59. > :55:13.
:55:13. > :55:15.vital collagen don't get sent and What L'Oreal claim is that, in the
:55:15. > :55:25.lab, they've been able to switch ageing glycans back on, restoring
:55:25. > :55:29.
:55:29. > :55:35.the dialogue between the dermis and We have shown that when you treat
:55:35. > :55:40.the skin, you are able to restore the quality of the dermatological
:55:40. > :55:50.junction. In other words, you restore the quality of the dialogue
:55:50. > :55:52.
:55:53. > :55:56.between epidermis, and Gomis. This is the key. -- and dermis. L'Oreal
:55:56. > :56:06.have used that science to make a cream. Which they claim increases
:56:06. > :56:06.
:56:06. > :56:16.the number of glycans in the That should restore deflated
:56:16. > :56:21.
:56:21. > :56:27.collagen, eliminate sagging and The woman in me is obviously very
:56:27. > :56:30.excited, but the surgeon in me is sceptical. And that's because most
:56:30. > :56:35.cosmetic creams just don't penetrate deep enough, or contain
:56:35. > :56:42.enough active ingredients. But maybe gylcans can reach the parts
:56:42. > :56:52.other cosmetic creams can't. L'Oreal have conducted a series of
:56:52. > :56:52.
:56:52. > :56:55.tests on real skin and I'm going to Looking at this dermatology trial
:56:55. > :56:59.of patients before and one month after using the product, what you
:56:59. > :57:07.can see in this classic crow's feet view is that the lines are
:57:07. > :57:10.And the skin quality certainly seems to have improved around this.
:57:10. > :57:14.This is the very difficult under eye area where the skin is really
:57:14. > :57:24.thin. And I've not seen results this good even with
:57:24. > :57:30.
:57:30. > :57:40.microdermabrasion or with laser Before you think of buying this
:57:40. > :57:41.
:57:41. > :57:47.cream, this study only featured 60 women. And it hasn't been published
:57:47. > :57:50.in a peer reviewed journal. It's promising, but I'd like to see more
:57:50. > :57:55.data to convince me. What I'm really interested in is the power
:57:55. > :57:58.of the fundamental science that lies behind it. Science that
:57:58. > :58:07.Professor Peter Seeburger, who's a consultant for L'Oreal, has helped
:58:07. > :58:13.to pioneer. Being cynical, in the beginning I was worried about the
:58:13. > :58:17.level of any signs done at a cosmetic company, but I learnt that
:58:17. > :58:21.it is good basic science and they have people there who have been
:58:21. > :58:31.doing this biology for 25 years in some cases. They are employing the
:58:31. > :58:47.
:58:47. > :58:51.same techniques as you would find If we're being honest, I think a
:58:51. > :59:01.lot of us would like to look younger if we could. But time only
:59:01. > :59:23.
:59:23. > :59:27.flows in one direction. And its As a surgeon, I used to think that
:59:28. > :59:34.the only way to staunch the flow was with a scalpel. But I know it
:59:34. > :59:38.is not the only answer. I didn't know what to expect when I started
:59:38. > :59:43.out on this journey. The influence of diet on skin ageing was a real
:59:43. > :59:46.eye opener. But it's made me much more thoughtful about what I eat. I
:59:46. > :59:51.was also pretty disappointed at just how strong and direct an
:59:51. > :59:53.effect sun exposure has on wrinkles. But I'm really hopeful that the new