Gold Face Masks. Collagen. Vampire facials. There seems to be an endless supply of options available for anyone targeting wrinkles and fine lines. Instead of rummaging through your bathroom cabinet, could the secret to ageless skin be found at the gym? We all know that exercise is great for the body, mind and soul, but it appears that lifting weights has some great anti-aging benefits as well.
Can Lifting Weights Prevent Wrinkles?
As we age, our skin loses both elasticity and collagen. It also experiences a weakening of both the middle layer of the skin (dermis) and the top layer (epidermis). This then leads to looser, drier, saggier, and aged skin. Previous research has indicated that regular exercise can reduce skin aging in both humans and mice. As such, researchers sought to determine if resistance workouts would have a similar effect.
Led by co-author Satoshi Fujita, an exercise scientist at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, Japan, researchers recruited 56 sedentary, middle-aged women. For a period of 16 weeks, the researchers tasked half of the women with cycling for 30 minutes, twice a week, whilst the other half began lifting weights, for about 30 minutes, twice a week.
Fujita’s and his team also measured the elasticity, dermal thickness, structure, and skin tone of the participants. This was done using ultrasound and other measures before the first workout and within a week of the final one. The team also took blood samples before and after so that researchers. This was so that they could check for any changes in blood composition after the 16-week period.
Resistance Training Boasts Anti-Aging Benefits
Per the findings, published in Scientific Reports, participants who exercised twice a week noticed an improvement in their skin, yet weightlifting had the most profound effect
Speaking to the Washington Post, Fujita revealed that the women’s skin grew “more youthful at a cellular level” following their exercise routine.
The participants who lifted weights experienced a thicker dermal layer. According to the study, this was triggered by an increase in the activity of specialized genes that produce proteins designed to strengthen connective tissue.
So does this all translate to youthful skin?
“Theoretically, these changes may reduce wrinkles, improve appearance and help people look younger” – Satoshi Fujita
Should I Lift Weights For Better Skin?
Granted, the findings are intriguing and may pique your interest in weight lifting, but this does not mean that resistance training is an anti-aging tool.
For one, the study was small, short-term, and only featured a particular demographic – middle-aged, Japanese, sedentary, and female. What’s more, it also featured no control group. As such, more and larger experiments are needed.
With that said, it wouldn’t hurt to include more weight in your gym routine.
While we can’t confirm that lifting weights is the anti-aging secret to youthful skin, we can confirm that strength training can burn calories, boost your metabolism, and even increase your longevity.
“I am a 53-year-old male and I regularly perform strength and aerobic training in the morning, and I am often told that my skin looks very smooth for my age.” – Dr. Satoshi Fujita
References
Crane, J. D., MacNeil, L. G., Lally, J. S., Ford, R. J., Bujak, A. L., Brar, I. K., Kemp, B. E., Raha, S., Steinberg, G. R., & Tarnopolsky, M. A. (2015). Exercise-stimulated interleukin-15 is controlled by AMPK and regulates skin metabolism and aging. Aging Cell, 14(4), 625-634. https://doi.org/10.1111/acel.12341
Nishikori, S., Yasuda, J., Murata, K., Takegaki, J., Harada, Y., Shirai, Y., & Fujita, S. (2023). Resistance training rejuvenates aging skin by reducing circulating inflammatory factors and enhancing dermal extracellular matrices. Scientific Reports, 13(1), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-37207-9
