Chriselle Lim on Life After 40 + The Science of J-Beauty with Nathalie Broussard

Mirror Mirror with Amy Chang

In this episode of Mirror Mirror, Amy Chang explores the dual themes of biological skin aging and personal life reinvention. Dr. Nathalie Br

Key takeaways

• Dr. Nathalie Broussard explains that skin metabolism remains responsive even as we age, offering opportunities for support.
• Shiseido researchers discovered a 'net-shaped collagen' structure around hair follicles that helps resist sagging.

Main topics

• Skin aging science
• Shiseide research and innovation

Notable quotes

No one could pay me to go back to my 20s.

Conclusion

A motivating episode that reframes aging as a period of continuous evo

Transcript preview

Speaker 3 (0:00) No one could pay me to go back to my 20s. No, same. I don't want 40s to be the new 20s. 40s is 40s and it's amazing. By Speaker 2 (0:08) trying to look and feel our best that we're trying to look younger. But that's not the case. I want to look 40 and Speaker 1 (0:15) just look great at 40. When you think that all the skin function has already slowed down. You might think there is nothing to do more. And yes, you still have the opportunity to support and to sustain all the skin's function. But Speaker 3 (0:29) that's the beauty of aging is that, first of all, it is a gift. That's why I do not like the word anti-aging because there's nothing anti about it. Speaker 2 (0:37) We have been taught for generations that youth is the ultimate signifier of beauty, success, and possibility. But that is changing. Today, women have more options than ever to age well physically, mentally, emotionally and we're seeing women reinvent themselves at ages that previous generations of like our mothers our grandmothers our great-grandmothers may have considered the beginning of the end you know so today I want to explore this idea that potential has no age and that you can reinvent yourself at any stage in life. Today, I'm joined by two incredible women who come at this topic from two very different perspectives. First, I have Dr. Natalie Broussard. Natalie is a PharmD and Shiseido's Director of Scientific Communication for EMEA. Natalie has spent 20 years in the dermal cosmetic industry and works at the intersection of science, skin, and innovation, really helping to translate the research behind the why and the how of how our skin changes as we age. Speaker 1 (1:45) Welcome, Dr. Broussard. Speaker 2 (1:47) I'm thrilled to have you Speaker 1 (1:48) here with me today. Thank you so much, Amy. I'm so grateful to be here with you today. So when you think about this idea that potential has no age, what does that mean from a scientific perspective? Well, definitely from a scientific standpoint. Potential has no edge really means that all the skin's biological metabolisms never stop being responsive. That's exciting. So then that Speaker 2 (2:09) means that there's still opportunity to turn back the clock, to address skin care concerns that were not predetermined to be with these concerns. There's still Speaker 1 (2:19) a hope. And even, you know, in mature skin, when you think that all the skin function has already slowed down, you might think there is nothing to do more. And yes, you still have the opportunity to support and to sustain all the skin's function. And in particular, the skin support network. This is really key because probably you know what is the most concerning signs of aging of women, of male to women. I would say it probably varies Speaker 2 (2:50) depending on ethnicity, right? I'd say... Asians were concerned with a lot of sagging, dark spots, you know, maybe Caucasians more fine Speaker 1 (2:59) lines. Definitely, yes. You're right, there are some specificities. But there is one universal, which is sagging. And we discovered through a study that we conducted at Shiseido Research that among 600 people, they all since... Beyond 40, they all have sagging signs, which are really impactful in terms of skin appearance and overall appearance. So Speaker 2 (3:26) what is happening to the skin as we age that is leading to this skin concern of sagging? Speaker 1 (3:32) Well, a lot of things are happening. Skin aging is the result of many different factors that really impact and influence the way we will age. Speaker 1 (3:44) Inside the skin, you will have a different system that will impact the skin. We should not consider the skin alone, in itself, but really to consider that it interacts with different systems. And that's why the idea is to try to target the right source that leads to specific signs of aging. For example, if you want to target sagging and to prevent sagging, you have to support all the skin mechanisms that will create this support and sustain it. Yeah, I mean, it's a difficult Speaker 2 (4:20) problem to tackle at times because there's so many, there's the different layers in the face. You have the skin, fat, muscle, fascia. And how does one go Speaker 1 (4:30) about addressing that topically? Yeah, so as you might know, of course, we discovered that at... all skin layer and even deeper, we have some factor that can impact the resistance to sagging. To be really honest, we know that, for example, the blood circulation, muscles also are really key elements to support your skin. We don't think that's why massage, exercising, face exercising is really important too. Speaker 1 (5:03) And you also have all the nervous activity that can control the blood circulation, then block the nutrition of your muscles. So you can see it's really a virtuous circle. And along of... Everything's connected. Everything is active on the skin. And Speaker 2 (5:20) that's so interesting you point out about the nerves too, because our emotional state. does affect us. You know, we're learning that the stress hormone cortisol plays a factor in skin conditions like acne, rosacea, dermatitis. And so it's interesting to hear that with sagging skin, you have these different elements like Speaker 1 (5:42) the nervous system. Definitely. We were studying the relationship between skin and the nervous system for more than 40 years at Shiseido. It's even one part of our, you know, main research in neuroscience. And we all know that skin is really the window of our, you know, inner core. I mean, what we are feeling inside. Absolutely. And that's why you were mentioning some disease, acne, psoriasis, atopic skin, etc. They are just reflecting what we have also inside and everything is exacerbated by stress. Speaker 1 (6:20) I swear, the relationship between stress and skin is both ways. I mean, you can impact your skin if you have a lot of chronic mental stress. And on the other side, if you have, I would say, a not really beautiful skin, it can also generate some stress. So, you know, it's really a diverse circle of stress and skin. Speaker 2 (6:43) I think the one thing that I hear from my audience a lot is that there are so many... variables to consider and with a modern lifestyle and maybe one has a family, a career they're building, perhaps elderly parents are caring for it can feel like there's a lot and where does one even begin to start addressing these concerns and taking care of their their well being so that they can look and feel their best. So if you had to force rank, like give me the top three. that you would say, okay, I recommend doing one, two, and three for your best skin. Speaker 1 (7:19) My message will be very holistic, as you said, when you want to improve your appearance and don't forget your well-being. And also your lifestyle. I mean, for sure, to support your well-being, but not only. There is a lot of misconception around skincare. A lot of people think that we cannot control age, that it's like hereditary, and it's like that, and we cannot go far from aging. But the way you age depends also on your lifestyle. Of course, using skincare is a great tool for your skin directly, but... it's only a small part of a bigger picture. Speaker 3 (8:08) So Speaker 1 (8:08) you have to consider your lifestyle. For example, all the external aggressors like UV exposure are responsible for, is the most, I would say, enemy and cause of premature aging. So the first gesture would be also to prevent and to wear SPF. It's really the number one gesture anyone can make. And of course, the lifestyle, so we mentioned. trying to limit the amount of stress, but not only diet, sleep and be happy. I mean, yes. Speaker 2 (8:39) And Speaker 1 (8:39) just to come back also on sagging, because I didn't explain the relationship also with sagging and the nerves. We discovered that the nerves activity when they are impacted by, you know, the oxidative stress could slow down. the blood circulation, which is also key to nurture your skin and to nurture your muscles. And when you say that the nervous system is Speaker 2 (9:07) affected by oxidative stressors, you're talking about like inflammatory foods, pollution, lack of sleep, UV Speaker 1 (9:15) rays. In fact, everything is quite going through oxidative stress. I mean, UV exposure, inflammatory, nutrition. poor sleep, everything inside your skin will lead to a kind of what we call oxidative stress. So it's like a modern life. So what Speaker 2 (9:36) excites you for women who are in their 40s, their 50s right now, you know, with the future Speaker 1 (9:42) of skincare? Well, what excites me first is that I realized that we are moving even beyond simply just hiding the signs of aging, but really going further by generating new innovation to support the skin itself and more fundamentally. And what really also fueled my excitement is the research. I had the chance, as you say, that we have, I think, one of the most innovative research and advanced research, in particular on skin aging and