Curcumin's effect on the skin
In India, a young bride awaits, in the midst of music and merriment, while the elder women of the house ready her for her wedding. She is to be dressed in the finest of garbs and jewelry of the most intricate craftsmanship. But before she is clothed, they must ensure that her skin looks perfect. They rub her skin with a paste of sandalwood and turmeric so that when they wash it off, the glow of her skin is as mesmerizing, or more so, than the glimmer of her jewels.
For as long as anyone can remember, Turmeric has been used in Indian households to care for one's skin, in combination with a variety of ingredients like milk or sandalwood. Being a common ingredient in Indian recipes, it is found in every kitchen which makes it easily accessible in addition to being extremely useful. Turmeric fights bacteria and thus serves as a good substitute for industrially manufactured soap. As an anti-inflammatory, turmeric works well against skin ailments such as burns, psoriasis and eczema. For this reason it is also applied on cuts and wounds.
These benefits of turmeric can be attributed to a compound known as Curcumin which is its active ingredient. Laboratory studies have recently hailed Curcumin as a wonder drug that has the potential to cure and prevent a large number of diseases affecting the liver, heart, pancreas and the stomach. Till date, Curcumin has proven completely safe with virtually no side effects apart from minor gastrointestinal irritation when it is taken in large quantities. Recently, Curcumin's traditional role as an ally of the lipid-rich skin tissue has been clinically tested, although a larger amount of data is available for oral use than for topical use.
Curcumin is quite effective in curing pro-inflammatory diseases when applied topically to skin. Psoriasis is one such inflammatory skin disease which affects about two percent of the world's population. Either gender is equally at risk for this chronic condition in which patches of the skin become inflamed and develop red, flaky scales which are potentially itchy. The scalp, elbows, knees and lower back are the parts of the body that are most commonly affected.
The trigger for psoriasis is a harmful stimulus, which may be a wound, an allergic reaction, an infection (bacterial, fungal or viral), or even a sunburn. The injury stimulus, usually together with a superimposed bacterial infection, triggers a wound healing response. These healing processes require a source of energy which is generated from glycogen stores in the cells by the enzyme phosphorylase kinase that is secreted roughly five minutes after injury. According to Dr. Heng, in normal individuals, there is a switch-off mechanism for phosphorylase kinase, and the healing process, phosphorylase kinase levels return to normal and the energy supply to the inflammatory process is stopped. In psoriatic individuals, however, the switch-off mechanism for phosphorylase kinase is defective, leading to a greater breakdown of glycogen stores.
There is a debate as to whether psoriasis stems primarily from a defect in the immune system or in the skin cells called keratinocytes. Currently, the treatment regime for this disease works by reducing inflammation and slowing down the rapid growth and shedding of keratinocytes.
Curcumin lowers phosphorylase kinase levels and is thus effective in the resolution of psoriasis. Studies have shown that Curcumin protects skin by quenching free radicals and reducing inflammation through inhibition of the nuclear factor-KB. Curcumin treatment also reduced the time that the wounds took to heal, improved collagen deposition and increased fibroblast and vascular density in wounds, thereby enhancing both normal and impaired wound-healing. Curcumin has also been shown to have positive results as a pro-angiogenic agent in wound-healing by inducing transforming growth factor-beta, which induces both angiogenesis and accumulation of extracellular matrix, which continues through the remodeling phase of wound repair.
Curcumin is a healer of tumors of the colon, breast, duodenum and of the skin. The results of research using mouse models gives us reason to believe that topically applied Curcuminoids reduce the incidence of skin tumors as well as partly prevent ultraviolet damage. However, further studies are needed to confirm the effects of Curcumin on skin tumors in human beings.
The perfect dermatological cure should ideally have the ability to neutralize free radicals, reduce inflammation, modulate abnormal cell growth, reduce ultraviolet damage, and inhibit accumulation of age-related pigments. Curcumin has all of these abilities and then some. All of this evidence makes the case for Curcumin's ability as a powerful non-toxic agent for ministering to skin diseases.
