Science-Based Skincare
I promised to keep this platform real and keep it raw - including my skincare routine. Did you know that honey not only makes a great facial mask, but a wonderful cleanser as well? If you’re like, “Rebekah. Please. I pay MONEY for my skincare regime and there’s no way I’m buying your hoity toity crockery.” Listen. I WAS YOU. And I still am. But what if I told you that a secret skin care product that’s likely collecting dust on your pantry shelf only to see the light of day when you make that ever-coveted cup of tea is actually riddled with evidence-based, backed-by-science goodness for your skin? Break out that tea, cozy up, and let me blow your mind for a hot minute.
First thing’s first, as a PA, I practice evidence-based medicine daily. I keep up to date on the latest research to improve not only my understanding of ever-changing practice of medicine, but to improve my patient outcomes as well. I feel it’s my duty and obligation, especially in this business that James and I are in, to continue that practice. Should you decide to slather up some golden-goodness on your face before you soak in a glorious bubble bath or steam shower, I want you to feel good about your decision and not because it’s trending by the latest influencer on social media. So let’s dive in, shall we?
A quick Google scholar search will load up pages upon pages of research into the clinical significance and impact of honey on skincare, diabetes, wound healing, etc. What I present today doesn’t even begin to encompass the physiologic and biochemical properties of honey and the overall encompassing literal goldmine that we are just now starting to appreciate. I am only including four articles out of the hundreds that I read, in order to keep this digestible and applicable regardless of your background. Especially in light of the antibiotic resistance our modern world is facing (just a PSA, antibiotics do NOT treat your seasonal cold…), we are starting to turn to (or, rather, “return to”) ancient and holistic practices. Also, just a reminder, this is a blog post and not a scientific paper, so don’t come at me with your formatting critiques…
You see worker honeybees flying around and gathering nectar from flowers. When they return to the hive, they ingest and regurgitate the nectar several times until it reaches a certain consistency and quality. The worker bee then regurgitates it back into the honeycomb where bees will fan their wings to help water evaporate from the honey. This then gets sealed with beeswax for storing. This final product is what you consume when you purchase from a local beekeeper (and not from the generic grocery store brands that lace their honey with corn syrup - watch the Netflix show on this). During that regurgitation process, honeybees mix it with several enzymes including amylase, invertase, glucose oxidase, catalase, and acid phosphatase. Humans also produce amylase in our salivary glands, so don’t get weirded out yet. This process is what gives honey its amazing benefits.
Honey has several properties, but three of the big ones we are going to focus on today are antibacterial, antioxidant, and moisturizing properties.
Antibacterial -
This is a big one. Studies are actually finding that honey is as effective against MRSA and MSSA (antibiotic resistant bacteria) as antibiotics are, and in some cases, more effective (see the Rani article below). Hydrogen peroxide (the stuff you can buy in the black/brown bottle at the grocery store) is produced through the glucose oxidase added to honey by the worker bees. Hydrogen peroxide does two major things - creates an inflammatory response by enhancing the production of cytokines (think of them as little communicators in your body that tell your immune system where an infection might be occurring) and damaging the cell structure of bacteria (aka putting a bunch of holes into a wall to make it easier for the immune system to attack and kill the bacteria). So especially when it comes to treating acne (which, if you didn’t know is largely caused by the organism Propionbacterium acnes) honey is a great option due to its viscosity (aka it’s a thicc chick), by the property of osmosis (where water goes from high concentration to low concentration, or where water goes where it’s most needed/wanted) and it’s acidity, or low pH profile. In simpler terms, honey is thick and concentrated, so water is going to travel to it and away from the bacteria, thus starving bacteria of its life-source and creating a harsh environment for that bacteria - think like an acid desert. Honey helps diminish your acne and leaves you with glowing skin.
Antioxidant -
You hear about antioxidants all the time (especially when shopping for skincare products), but just as a refresher, an antioxidant is anything that prevents damage by neutralizing (or slowing the effects) of free radicals (unstable atoms that cause damage to cells). Honey has natural antioxidant properties by their amino acid (think “protein”) profile. Honey (and the natural hydrogen peroxide within its composition) helps neutralize free radicals and protects skin from damage.
Moisturizing -
Honey is a natural humectant (fancy word for “retains moisture”) which is largely due to the hydrogen bridges that form between the glucose and fructose content in honey (aka the biochemical bonds between the molecules that make up the sugar content of honey). This allows honey to retain moisture and provide hydration which, let’s be real, especially in this Colorado climate, you need year-round.
TLDR; honey is good for your skin because of its antibacterial, antioxidant, and moisturizing properties and you should use it as part of your daily skincare routine.
Hang tight, because in my next blog, I’m going to dish out some suuuuuuper simple face-mask recipes and you likely have all the ingredients at home. In the meantime, try pulling that jar out of your pantry and I challenge you to use honey like a cleanser and let me know how your skin feels!
xx,
Rebekah
Sources:
Ab Hadi, Hazrina. “Honey, a Gift from Nature to Health and Beauty: A Review.” British Journal of Pharmacy, vol. 1, no. 1, 2016, https://doi.org/10.5920/bjpharm.2016.05.
Eady, E. Anne, et al. “A Honey Trap for the Treatment of Acne: Manipulating the Follicular Microenvironment to Control Propionibacterium Acnes.” BioMed Research International, Hindawi, 14 May 2013, https://doi.org/10.1155/2013/679680.
Ediriweera, E. R., and N. Y. Premarathna. “Medicinal and Cosmetic Uses of Bee′s Honey - a Review.” AYU (An International Quarterly Journal of Research in Ayurveda), vol. 33, no. 2, 2012, p. 178., https://doi.org/10.4103/0974-8520.105233.
Rani GN, Budumuru R, Bandaru NR. Antimicrobial Activity of Honey with Special Reference to Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Methicillin Sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA). J Clin Diagn Res. 2017;11(8):DC05-DC08. doi:10.7860/JCDR/2017/30085.10347
