Thomas Pesquet probably didn’t say enough about it: according to Mashable, space travel makes the skin dry and dull. It must be said that stays in space have an impact on the genetic code of astronauts, and that they tend to accelerate the aging process.
Something to interest cosmetics specialists, such as Colgate-Palmolive, which is preparing to use the International Space Station (ISS) as a new research laboratory for its future anti-aging products.
The status of the space station allows NASA to regularly invite private companies to work with her, says Mashable. And so it was that on February 21, 2022, Colgate-Palmolive took advantage of the refueling mission led by the space company Northrop Grumman to ship skin samples to ISS to study molecular and cellular changes.
Equivalent samples, from the same individuals, were also placed for observation on our planet in order to be able to determine how the difference in environment influences the quality of the skin.
Less thickness, more collagen
In the long term, the avowed objective is to exploit these results in order to develop new treatments to treat and care for the skin.
This is not the first time that the relationship between space and epidermis has been closely studied. In 2015, a study conducted on mice having spent three months in space had provided impressive results: if the thickness of their skin had indeed decreased by 15%, they had on the other hand produced 42% more collagen compared to their colleagues who remained on terra firma .
In addition, NASA closely monitors the skin of its astronauts and other astronauts, in whom inflammations, infections and other dermatitis are legion.
No less than thirty-three cases of carcinoma (the most common skin cancers) were detected out of a total of 312 astronauts, which represents 10.6% of affected individuals. A figure to put into perspective with the twenty-seven carcinomas identified within the sample of 912 men and women who remained on Earth (i.e. only 2.9% of the total).
The skin samples sent by Colgate were placed on porous surfaces that mimic the structure of human skin. During the experiment, at regular intervals, some samples will be frozen at -80°C and then stored.
The goal is that once all the pieces of skin have been sent back to Earth, scientists can obtain different photographs taken at different times, and thus better understand how the skin has evolved in space.
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