Ask a Dermatologist: Should I Incorporate Arnica Into My Anti-Aging Skincare Routine?

When it comes to deciding which anti-aging ingredient to incorporate into your skincare routine, it’s important to first understand how the skin ages over time.

It’s natural for our skin to change through time due to both intrinsic and extrinsic factors–think damaging UV rays, pollution, and other environmental stress damage accumulating. The level of proteins that make up the skin’s structural support like collagen and elastin decreases, leading to a loss of elasticity, increased fine lines and wrinkles, more pronounced pores, and skin that becomes increasingly thin and crepey. 

The natural aging process also leads to weaker skin barriers, resulting in skin that is more sensitive, dry, eczema-prone, and more easily irritated as we age. The skin is more prone to redness and irritation as a result. In addition, we’re also seeing an increase of compromised skin barriers due to the overuse of anti-aging ingredients like retinol and AHAs (alpha hydroxy acids). 

While retinols and AHAs help promote collagen production and skin cell turnover, thereby helping address fine lines and wrinkles, skin texture, and hyperpigmentation, it’s important to look for ingredients that address other causes of skin aging. Namely, look for ingredients that fight oxidative stress, deliver moisture and nutrients to the skin, and promote healing.

That’s where Arnica comes in, particularly Arnica Montana. 

This perennial plant, found throughout mountainous regions of Eastern Europe, has long been used in herbal medicine for its anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving, and bruise-resolving properties. As an anti-aging ingredient, Arnica is used for the following benefits:

• Anti-inflammatory effects: Arnica contains helenalin, a compound known for its anti-inflammatory properties, which can help reduce redness and calm irritated skin.
• Skin soothing: Arnica is often used to soothe and relieve skin irritation, making it helpful in addressing redness caused by various factors such as environmental stressors or skin sensitivities.
• Circulation improvement: Arnica (and more specifically, thymol an active ingredient found in the root of arnica montana plants) may support more blood flow in the skin through opening up of blood vessels or vasodilation, which may aid in reducing redness and promoting a more even skin tone.
• Antioxidant benefits: Due to its high phenolic acids and flavonoids content, including ferulic acid and quercetin, Arnica helps ward off oxidative damage that leads to skin aging. It’s been shown to even protect fibroblasts from oxidative damage. 

With its ability to revitalize bruised and fragile skin , Arnica Montana pairs well with other anti-aging ingredients like Vitamin C, retinol, glycolic acid, lactic acid, and others AHAs in an anti-aging skincare routine. In addition, mature skin prone to bruising will find creams with Arnica to be double beneficial–soothing the skin while improving the appearance of bruised skin.

Skintensive Daily Moisturizing Cream

 Ideal as a daily moisturizer to hydrate and restore the skin. Loaded with skin nourishing ingredients like Coconut Oil, Arnica Montana Extract, Vitamin C, and Retinyl Palmitate, this cream helps leave the skin feeling softer, smoother, and more resilient.

Skintensive Bruise Cream 

This deeply moisturizing cream was developed by Harvard-trained board-certified dermatologists and Skintensive co-founders to address the appearance of chronic bruising called actinic and solar purpura. However, it’s rich, nourishing texture has people using Skintensive Bruise cream as part of their anti-aging skincare routine. With a proprietary formula powered by Arnica Montana, Vitamin K, Vitamin E, Vitamin C, in a soothing Coconut Oil base, Skintensive Bruise cream helps hydrate and revitalize fragile, bruised, and maturing skin.

Disclaimer:
The content in this article is not medical advice, but rather informational content.  As a service to our readers, Skintensive provides access to our library of archived blog content. Please note the date of last review or update on all articles.  No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other medical professional.