Internal and Topical Pearl Powder Benefits For Skin and Health

We love pearls. In fact, we love pearls more than diamonds.

This is because not only do pearls look amazingly sophisticated as jewelry, they also possess many incredible medicinal benefits when taken internally AND used topically in powder form. But what makes them so special though, so much that Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine made them staples for thousands of years?

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What Exactly Is Pearl Powder

Pearls used to make pearl powder for medicinal and skincare purposes are the same pearls used in jewelry. They are harvested either from freshwater (lakes, rivers, ponds) or seawater (oceans, lagoons, bays and costal areas). To make the powder, the pearls are boiled for sterilization, then grounded into a fine, light powder, which are taken orally, or incorporated into skincare formulations.

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Developed in collaboration with Dr. Will Cole, this blend of pearl powder and marine collagen, void of any fillers or taste/texture enhancers, is abundant in over 30 trace minerals and bioavailable amino acids to activate hair, skin and nail cells to produce collagen, promote cellular repair, increase hydration, and support two important antioxidants, glutathione and superoxide dismutase. The result is hydrated skin, reduced fine lines and wrinkles, stronger nails that are less prone to breakage, and shinier, stronger hair.

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Difference Between Freshwater Pearls and Seawater Pearls

Typically, a freshwater mussel can be nucleated to produce up to 50 pearls at a time due to its large size, while seawater oysters can only produce 1-3 pearls at a time, which makes seawater pearls more expensive compared to freshwater pearls. That is not all, however.

Seawater contains numerous minerals, nutrients, and dissolved ions in stable pH measurements, such as magnesium, calcium, potassium, chromium, selenium, and zinc etc., that freshwater does not have. Why is this important though?

• Nitrogen makes up about 3% of the human body and is an essential nutrient for humans, whilst phosphorous is what helps keep human bones strong . A high amount of both of these dissolved nutrients can be found in seawater thanks to the feces of marine life and decomposition of dead plants in the ocean.
  
  
• Human body needs sulfur to build and fix DNA, and protect cells from damage that can lead to serious diseases such as cancers. Sulfur also assists the body to metabolize food and contributes to skin, tendons, and ligaments health. The majority of sulfur on Earth is found in seawater or sedimentary rocks that may have been, or still are, under water.
  
  
• Magnesium plays an important role in the human body because it plays an integral role in over 300 metabolic reactions in the body, including regulating muscle and nerve function, blood sugar levels, blood pressure, and heart muscle actions, making protein, bones, and DNA, and maintaining proper bones and teeth formation, etc. Magnesium is the third most abundant ion found in seawater.
  
  
• To build and maintain strong bones and teeth, and for heart, muscles and nerves to function properly, the human body needs calcium. Some studies have even suggested that calcium, together with vitamin D, may help protect against cancer, diabetes and high blood pressure. Calcium is a nutrient found in abundance in seawater thanks to its natural occurrence in the earth's crust. In fact, pearl is the richest source of calcium on the planet (up to 80% by weight) for humans, and is absorbed twice as efficiently as conventional calcium supplements.

 
Oysters that produce seawater pearls are filter feeders, meaning that they eat by pumping large volumes of water through through their bodies. Thus nutrients in the water, such as the ones mentioned above, are filtered through the oyster and into the pearl, and when taken internally or used topically and absorbed through the skin and into the bloodstream, can benefit the human body greatly. This is why seawater pearl, which contains over 30 trace minerals, as well as many other nutrients, vitamins, and antioxidants, is much more nutritious and medicinal compared to freshwater pearls.

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Benefits of Pearl Powder For Skin

Promotes Collagen & Elastin Production Thus Improving and Slowing Skin, Hair & Nails Aging

Whilst collagen is a big part of youthful skin, it is much more than that——it is also the key to healthy hair, nails, bones, tendons, muscles, ligaments, connective tissues, and blood vessels, the conduction of piezoelectricity that facilitates cell communication, and the glue that holds your body together. Nevertheless, the body produces less collagen and of lower quality as we age, whilst UV-rays, environmental factors, free radicals, and many of our daily habits accelerate the breakdown of existing collagen. The skin, in particular, is made up of 75% collagen, but after the age of 25, collagen synthesis reduces at a rate of 1.5% a year. At the age of 45, your collagen levels may have fallen by as much as 30%, and around the 60-year mark, we stop producing collagen totally.

Pearl powder contains nacre that increases tissue regeneration such as collagen types I and III, whilst conchiolin, a special compound also unique to pearls, stimulates collagen promotion, as well as keratin, which is one of the proteins in skin and hair that improves hydration of skin cells, speed up cell metabolism, increase circulation, prevent hair loss and help to repair damaged cells. Pearl powder also contains the three amino acids that are vital in collagen production.

Through using pearl powder both internally and topically, collagen and elastin production is stimulated. Skin thus becomes more supple, elastic and firm with less wrinkles and sagging, hair growth, volume, thickness, and shine improves with less shedding, and nails become stronger.

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Stimulate Fibroblast Function To Slow Skin Aging

The nacre in pearls stimulates proper physiological functioning in skin fibroblast, which is essential to the formation of new skin, collagen and bone tissue, and rapid wound healing; in other words, it helps with skin regeneration, and slows signs of aging, such as wrinkles, sagging, loss of elasticity. It also promotes the interactions between fibroblast and the dermal extracellular matrix, which when disrupted drives the aging process in human skin.

Brightens Skin

Conchiolin in pearls not only boost collagen production, but also reduce melanin production by inhibiting the activity of tyrosinase remarkably. It can also preferentially bind to the receptors of the melanocytic cell membrane to render endothelin ineffective, so that it can inhibit the proliferation of melanocytes and the synthesis of melanin caused by the release of endothelin due to UV radiation, and inhibit the release of endothelial cells by keratinocytes. Whilst, glutathione directly as well as indirectly inhibits the tyrosinase enzyme.

By tackling melanin on different fronts, hyperpigmentation is reduced, skin tone is more even, and the overall complexion is brightened. 

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Improves Skin Hydration

People who don’t have enough calcium in their bodies don’t have enough sebum to keep their skin nourished naturally, leaving them with dry and dehydrated skin. The high level of calcium in pearl powder can work with the epidermis to produce and balance the skin’s natural sebum and keep the skin hydrated and moisturised. It, along with the 20 amino acids, also promote hydration by pushing hydration into the deeper layers of the skin, and enhance the skin barrier’s water retention function so as to reduce water loss.

Reduces Inflammation

Pearl powder is rich in magnesium, a mineral known for its anti-inflammatory benefits. It is therefore amazing for acne-prone and sensitive skin, as well as for those with inflammatory conditions like eczema, rosacea and psoriasis, as it can soothe the skin and calming down redness and irritation. Taken internally, it also helps to reduce inflammatory responses of the body, which in turn, reduces inflammatory issues on the skin.

Fights Free Radicals to Slow Aging

Free radicals damage the skin by triggering chronic inflammations, as well as breaking down the collagen and elastin fibers in the skin. Although invisible to the eyes, this gradually slows down our skin’s natural rejuvenation process, and appears on the skin in the form of dryness, dullness, loss of elasticity, wrinkles, pigmentation, redness, itchiness, and even chronic conditions like eczema, rosacea, and psoriasis. To neutralise and prevent the damages caused by such free radicals, antioxidants scavenges the free radicals and offer up one of their electrons, thereby preventing healthy cells and tissues from breaking down.

The abundant presence of antioxidants, including superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione, amino acids, minerals etc. in pearl powder has been demonstrated to increase total antioxidant capacity and antioxidant activity, thereby preventing cell damages and slowing the aging process of the skin.

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Other Benefits of Pearl Powder

Besides skin benefits, pearl powder can actually provide plenty of other health and medicinal benefits.

Stimulates Collagen & Elastin To Improve Bone, Muscle, Joints & Heart Health

As mentioned above, collagen is also the key to healthy bones, tendons, muscles, ligaments, connective tissues, and blood vessels, the conduction of piezoelectricity that facilitates cell communication, and the glue that holds your body together. Pearl powder, which can stimulate collagen synthesis, thus can help in relieving join pain, improving osteoarthritis and osteoporosis, preventing bone loss, boosting muscle mass, and promoting heart health.

Improves Sleep, Alleviates Depression & Anxiety

The magnesium in pearl powder can elevate gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) levels in the brain and body. GABA is a calming neurotransmitter that is often deficient in people with chronic stress and anxiety. It also stimulates various receptors in the body related to serotonin production which is very helpful for mood support. In other words, pearl powder can help alleviate depression, anxiety, and certain sleep disorders. Whilst, its calcium content can help to fix the aberrant gene expression and disrupted pathways induced by sleep deprivation, including the retrograde endocannabinoid signalling pathway and protein interactions implicated in Parkinson’s and Huntington’s diseases.

Reduces Oxidative Stress & Prevents Diseases

While mild oxidative stress may protect the body from infection and diseases, long-term oxidative stress damages the body’s cells, proteins, and DNA, resulting in issues including but not limited to chronic inflammation, neurodegenerative conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular conditions such as high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, and stroke, chronic fatigue syndrome, asthma, and male infertility.

As covered above, pearl powder contains an abundant amount of antioxidants, including superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione, amino acids, minerals etc. The results of both in vivo and in-vitro studies have shown that pearl powder is a potent antioxidant and and an help to neutralize the free radicals in the body, reduce oxidative stress, thereby preventing cell damages and multiple diseases and age-related degenerative issues. It also aids in DNA protection and repair, and helps to reverse many diseases.

What's better, the amino acids in pearl powder also provides a wide range of health benefits, including preventing vascular disease, treating high blood pressure, improving hepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatic coma, enhancing immune function, preventing endocrine, thyroid and gastrointestinal diseases etc, promoting the development and activation of the brain, and improving blood circulation.

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