I tried biohacking my skincare routine

When you think of the term biohacking, you likely picture a toned tech CEO who swears he’s going to outlive us all. Maybe he will. But as a beauty editor, I wanted to see if I could learn something from this emerging space and apply it to my skincare routine.

“Biohacking skincare typically refers to utilising certain ingredients, injectables, and devices, as well as nutrition, to optimise skin health,” dermatologist Emily Wood tells Bazaar. Based on Wood’s assessment, I suppose you could say I started my skin biohacking journey after trying Botox for the first time months ago, but I decided to take things up a notch with my daily rotation.

According to Wood, some of the most popular ingredients to use in a biohacked skincare routine are peptides, which signal an increase in collagen production in cells; growth factors that act on cellular receptors to stimulate collagen output; vitamin C and other brightening antioxidants; and exosomes, which enhance cell regeneration.

She also recommends using a combination of blue- and red-light devices to reduce inflammation and boost collagen, an effective mineral SPF to prevent sun damage, and some in-office treatments, like lasers and injectable hyaluronic acid. “LED therapy is not only extremely available and popular, it’s also clinically backed,” professional aesthetician and Oak Essentials global skincare ambassador Julia Barna adds. “It was partly developed by NASA to help heal atrophied muscles and tissues.”

I’m no stranger to the benefits of an effective serum or skincare tool as a beauty editor, though I generally keep my at-home regimen streamlined to avoid irritation and breakouts. (I also happen to have acne-prone combination skin.) To biohack my everyday routine over a month, I first began increasing my use of my trusty Shark Beauty CryoGlow LED face mask to five days a week, then later incorporated emulsions and serums from the brand NIOD, along with other new staples, into my routine. In the morning and evening, after cleansing my face, I would alternate between the Skin Clearing and Skin Sustain settings on my LED mask, then prep my face with Sofie Pavitt Face’s Nice Ice Frozen Toner Pads for an additional cryotherapy treatment.

Next, I reached for NIOD’s Copper Amino Isolate Serum 3 1:1 (or CAIS3), which features copper peptides, tripeptide-29, and plant glycogen to boost collagen production and minimise fine lines. I followed with a few drops of the brand’s Modulating Glucosides for antioxidant and skin-barrier support, along with the Multi-Molecular Hyaluronic Complex, which contains 15 hyaluronic acids and hyaluronic-acid-complementary technologies. And before completing my routine with a moisturiser and sunscreen, depending on the time of day, I applied the brand’s peptide-based Fractionated Eye-Contour Concentrate.

“Biohacking is not necessarily about intensity or level but rather about utilising many different tools to maintain a youthful appearance,” Wood continues. “The best biohacking routine is multifaceted and can involve medical-grade skincare, sunscreen, a well-balanced diet, seven to eight hours of sleep at night, regular exercise, injectables, neurotoxin, laser, and skin-tightening devices.”

I took Wood’s recommendations to heart and extended my biohacking experience way past product application. Along with at-home maintenance, I also incorporated a number of spa-level skincare treatments to stimulate my glow. I first tried Sinclair’s Préime Dermafacial during my friend Kayla Greaves’s beauty event; it combines hydradermabrasion, microdermabrasion, microcurrent, ultrasound, and radio frequency technologies for ultimate skin tightening and rejuvenation. Around a week later, during a stay at the Equinox Hotel, I tested the MLX i3 Dome treatment, which joins the benefits of detoxifying far-infrared rays, cell-stimulating plasma therapy, and red and green LED light therapies in a single treatment. I was also a frequent visitor to the dry sauna and steam rooms to help my skin and body work up a good sweat, and I regularly used gentle lymphatic massage to stimulate blood flow.
 

I also made small tweaks to my diet and exercise routines. Along with upping my workout frequency to three times per week, I regularly added in more antioxidant-rich foods, like dark leafy greens, blueberries, blackberries, and sweet potatoes, to work on my skin from the inside out. I even began incorporating a daily multivitamin (in gummy form, of course) into my morning routine, which is also nicely packed with antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids for an extra cellular boost.

“There’s a whole world of supplements out there. All you have to do is walk through Erewhon,” Barna says. “But I think that when it comes down to it, understanding your body, knowing if there are things that cause inflammation for you or if you have allergies or a histamine response to anything, is important. The most bioavailable nutrients and vitamins we can get are in our food, so I think nothing will ever top that: just putting good stuff in our bodies and sleeping well.”

Wood agrees, adding, “Adequate rest and working out both help to reduce cortisol levels. Drinking water helps maintain skin hydration and a well-functioning internal organ system. Healthy skin is a direct reflection of how well your body is cared for.”

So, did it work? While I can partly attribute my skin’s more even tone and texture to a consistent skincare routine and other in-office treatments, they were really the cherry on top of a change in my overall wellness habits. By biohacking my skin go-tos, I also unintentionally hacked my lifestyle by prioritising healthier eating, regular exercise, and quality rest, which caused a ripple effect from the inside out. And now that I’ve adapted these healthier habits with noticeable results, I’m not sure I’ll ever stop figuring out ways to hack my routine. Even my Oura Ring 4 sleep and activity metrics have benefited since the start of this journey, regularly crowning me in each category in the app. As a tech CEO would probably say, the data doesn’t lie.


Lead Image: Courtesy of the brands

This article originally appeared on Harper'sBazaar.com

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