The skin care industry is massive. And while there are truly effective products containing ingredients that can make a difference to your skin, there are others that probably aren't worth wasting your time on. Because the cosmetics industry is largely unregulated, you'll find that some cosmetics manufacturers will make unsupported claims.

Recently, some manufacturers have been making claims that their products either contain or are able to repair damaged DNA. While this sounds pretty impressive, can a topically applied skin care product truly repair damaged DNA?

What is DNA's Impact on Skin?

To some extent, our DNA (as well as RNA) has an impact on the way our skin looks. When we talk about having a genetic predisposition to something, wrinkled skin for example, then our DNA has an influence on this. However, we don't know for sure exactly which genes influence skin. We do know that as we age, cell communications may slow down or be misinterpreted by resulting in changes to skin texture. Cells my not retain water as well as previously, leading to skin that is drier. These changes may arise for a variety of reasons including your genetic make-up, sun damage, or free radical damage.

So when a manufacturer claims that their product will alter your DNA to improve the look of your skin, you can see that it's not as simple as it sounds. The manufacturer would need to know your genetic composition and for reasons of confidentiality, this isn't the kind of information you'd want someone else to have. Knowing your genetic make-up could allow someone to find out a lot of personal information about you including your predisposition to diseases. It's not the kind of information you'd want to share with just anyone.

Effective skin care solutions are available. They can help repair damage from the sun, they can protect against free radicals and they can even help to diminish the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Good sunscreens such as Anthelios can prevent the sun’s ultraviolet rays from penetrating deep into the epidermis and causing long-lasting cellular damage. But until technology moves forward, there isn't a way of altering your DNA to improve the appearance of your skin. Skin care products that claim to either contain DNA or be a crucial element in its repair dismiss the nature of DNA repair and the individual nature of genes.

Follow a Good Skin Care Routine

While using a skin care product to repair your damaged DNA may not yet be possible, you should be using sunscreens, emollients, antioxidants and exfoliants. These are all essential to keeping your skin healthy. But, it’s important to discern between manufacturers’ advertising claims and what a skin product is really capable of doing for you. Just like anything, it's a matter of buyer beware.

Sharmani Pillay is a Registered Pharmacist who specializes in anti aging skin care. She owns and operates an online skin care store at [Link Removed]