Most conversations about skin aging begin with what we can see: wrinkles, dryness, pigmentation, changes in texture and loss of firmness.
In our recent Mito-Hackers webinar, Zita Desmet asked a different question:
What is actually happening within the skin as it gets older?
Her presentation centered on three connected processes: cellular turnover, communication between cells, and mitochondrial energy.
Together, they offer a different way to think about skin longevity. Instead of focusing only on how old skin looks, the discussion focused on how well skin continues to protect, renew and maintain itself over time.
Skin is constantly balancing defense and renewal
Zita began with two fundamental jobs of the skin.
The first is defense. Skin forms the interface between the body and the outside environment and must continually respond to ultraviolet light, pollution, oxidative stress and other external influences.
The second is renewal. Older and damaged cells must be replaced while the skin maintains an effective protective barrier.
Zita described these processes as a balance. When the skin is continually dealing with outside stressors, more of its resources may be directed toward defense, potentially leaving less capacity for effective renewal.
That tension between protecting the tissue and renewing it became one of the central themes of the webinar.
What happens to cellular turnover as skin ages?
Skin renewal is a continuing biological process.
New keratinocytes are produced near the base of the epidermis. As they move toward the surface, they change in form and function, contribute to the protective barrier and are eventually shed.
Zita described an approximate 28-day turnover cycle in younger skin, with the process potentially extending to 45 to 60 days in older skin.
But faster is not necessarily better.
During the Q&A, Mani asked whether cellular turnover could become too fast. Zita explained that both extremes can be undesirable. Turnover that becomes too slow may interfere with effective renewal, while excessively rapid turnover may not allow cells enough time to mature properly and form an effective barrier.
The goal, in other words, is not maximum turnover.
It is appropriate, well-regulated turnover.
Skin aging goes deeper than the surface
The presentation also looked at the different layers of the skin.
The epidermis forms the outer layer and plays an important role in barrier function and cellular renewal.
Beneath it lies the dermis, where much of the skin's structural support is found.
Zita discussed several components of this environment, including collagen, elastin, hyaluronic acid and fibroblasts.
Collagen receives enormous attention in conversations about skin aging, but the webinar made an important point: collagen does not exist by itself.
It is part of living tissue.
Fibroblasts produce and maintain components of the extracellular matrix. Blood vessels supply the tissue. Cells communicate with one another. Inflammatory processes, oxidative stress and changes elsewhere in the body can influence the environment in which those cells operate.
Looking only at collagen therefore tells us only part of the story.
From collagen to cellular communication
This broader view led into another theme from Zita's presentation: communication between cells.
Healthy tissue depends on cells being able to respond to their surroundings and to signals from other cells.
During aging, Zita discussed several processes that may interfere with that environment, including glycation, oxidative stress, inflammation and cellular senescence.
She also introduced the concept of âinflammagingâ and discussed how senescent cells can remain within tissue while influencing the cells around them.
Rather than looking at each of these processes in isolation, Zita's presentation placed them within the larger question of whether aging skin can continue to communicate, repair itself and respond appropriately to stress.
That leads to another question:
Where does the energy required to do all of this come from?
Mitochondrial energy and skin longevity
Mitochondria are usually discussed in relation to metabolism and energy production, but Zita argued that they also deserve more attention in conversations about skin aging.
Her reasoning was straightforward.
Cells require energy to function.
Renewal requires energy. Repair requires energy. Maintaining the skin barrier requires energy. Responding to environmental stress and communicating with surrounding cells also require functioning cellular machinery.
Zita therefore placed mitochondrial energy alongside cellular turnover and communication as one of the foundations of her skin-longevity framework.
The presentation discussed several approaches intended to influence mitochondrial function in skin, including photobiomodulation, supplementation and targeted topical delivery. High-purity (â)-epicatechin was also discussed within this context.
But the larger idea went beyond any one intervention.
Rather than asking only what can be applied to the surface of the skin, Zita encouraged the audience to think about the condition and capacity of the cells underneath it.
Building metabolic resilience
Zita used the term metabolic resilience to describe the ability of skin cells to continue functioning despite the stresses they encounter.
She grouped some of these challenges into broad categories that included sugar-related stress, oxidative stress and external environmental stress.
Skin is exposed to these pressures repeatedly throughout life.
The question therefore becomes less about eliminating every source of stress and more about whether the tissue can continue to defend itself, recover and renew.
This changes the way we think about skin longevity.
A wrinkle is something we can see.
The biological processes that eventually contribute to it may have been developing for years beneath the surface.
The Q&A went beyond the presentation
The audience discussion took several of these ideas further.
Dr. Francisco Villarreal expanded on the relationship between collagen, fibroblasts, inflammation, oxidative stress and the tissue environment, including the importance of blood flow and microcirculation.
The group also discussed what happens when common skincare practices become too aggressive and potentially interfere with the skin barrier.
A question about microneedling led to a broader conversation about controlled stress, tissue repair and whether the condition of the underlying cells affects the response to an intervention.
And near the end of the Q&A, Zita was asked a particularly practical question:
If you wanted your skin to function as well as possible 20 years from now, what three things would you prioritize today?
Her answer brought the conversation back to many of the themes that had appeared throughout the webinar.
We will leave that answer for the recording.
From âanti-agingâ to skin longevity
Perhaps the clearest summary of Zita's framework came at the end of her presentation:
Turnover + communication + mitochondrial energy = cell longevity.
That equation captures the difference between the traditional language of âanti-agingâ and the idea of skin longevity.
Anti-aging often begins with something visible and asks how we can change it.
Skin longevity asks a more basic set of questions.
How effectively are skin cells renewing?
Are they communicating properly?
Can the tissue respond to stress and repair itself?
Do those cells have the energy needed to continue doing their jobs?
Seen this way, skin aging is not simply about how many wrinkles appear on the surface.
It is about how well living tissue continues to function as it gets older.
Watch the Webinar
Mito-Hackers members can watch the complete conversation in two parts:
Part 1: Main Presentation
Zita Desmet presents her framework for skin longevity, cellular turnover, communication and mitochondrial energy.
Part 2: Questions and Answers
The discussion continues with questions about collagen, circulation, skincare practices, microneedling, metabolic health and what we can do today to support skin over the long term.
Watch the Webinar
Mito-Hackers members can watch the complete webinar in two parts:
Part 1: Main Presentation
Part 2: Questions and Answers
Visit the Webinars & Events space to watch the recordings.
Continue the Conversation
Which part of the presentation deserves the most attention: mitochondrial function in skin, oxidative stress, vascular support, the measurement methods, or the early topical epicatechin findings?
Interested in joining Mito-Hackers? Learn more about the community and apply for access to participate in future webinars and scientific discussions.
This briefing is intended for educational and scientific discussion only. It should not be interpreted as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment guidance.