The use of minerals for medicinal purposes has been recorded since the times of the ancient Egyptians and Greeks when mineral-rich earths were used for their anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties. Hippocrates and Aristotle produced classifications of medicinal earth, which were mostly clays. In this article, we discover the benefits of magnesium for your skin.

Why Magnesium is Magical for your skin

The mastery behind healthy, optimally functioning skin is minerals, helping to strengthen, tone, boost collagen production, decrease inflammation, boost healing, maintain moisture levels and detoxify the skin. Minerals allow cells to maximize the application of vitamins and antioxidants to encourage strong, healthy and resilient skin. When used in skincare, the benefits of magnesium for your skin are:

• Reduce the occurrence of acne
• Calm sensitive skin
• Soothe Rosacea
• Improve the appearance of the skin

Why Magnesium is Helpful for your overall health

Magnesium (Mg) – A stress-busting nutrient, that helps to reduce stress and relax muscles helps with good quality sleep also helps to maintain moisture levels. This mineral is involved in over 300 enzyme systems necessary for:

• Protein synthesis
• Muscle contraction
• Nerve function
• Blood glucose control
• Hormone receptor binding
• Blood pressure regulation
• Cardiac excitability
• Transmembrane ion flux
• Gating of calcium channels

Magnesium is involved in energy production:

• Crucial for ATP metabolism (adenylate cyclase)
• Oxidative phosphorylation
• Glycolysis

Nucleic acid synthesis:

• Synthesis of RNA and DNA (essential molecules)

→ Pregnancy

As Magnesium deficiency is a common event in pregnancy, consequences of gestational deficiency are beginning to be observed. Preliminary evidence suggests that Mg deficiency is a determinant of pregnancy outcomes as well as the long-term health of the child. Oral Magnesium supplementation taken before the 25th week of gestation compared with a placebo, is associated with a lower frequency of preterm births, low birth weight infants, and fewer small for gestational age newborns. 

→ Migraine

A review shows Magnesium as one of the strongly recommended treatments for migraine headaches. Oral Magnesium supplementation reduces the frequency, duration, and intensity of migraines by 41% compared to placebo at 15.8%. 

→ Sleep

It is estimated that 50% of older adults have insomnia. Magnesium has a natural biochemical action causing a relaxant effect and helping to facilitate sleep. Magnesium supplementation (500 mg) shows significant improvement in insomnia resulting in better sleep time, sleep efficiency and melatonin.

→ Depression

As far back as 1921, magnesium sulphate has been successfully used in agitated depression. This mineral is required as a coenzyme to convert tryptophan to serotonin, a neurotransmitter recognised as a major determinant of mental health and mood. A systematic review suggests that Magnesium supplementation may prevent depression and may be useful as an additional therapy. 

→ Skin Conditions

Children with atopic dermatitis, have lower levels of magnesium and zinc than in controls. Magnesium salts enhance skin hydration, dermal permeability, and barrier repair and facilitate epidermal proliferation and differentiation, thus reducing inflammation. A double-blind controlled trial with a cream containing Magnesium along with ceramides (a family of waxy lipid molecules found in high concentrations within the cell membrane) to treat mild-to-moderate atopic dermatitis was found to be superior to hydrocortisone creams.

→ Premenstrual Syndrome

A randomised control trial using Magnesium pyrrolidone carboxylic acid (360 mg, 3 times a day) for two cycles resulted in a significantly reduced score on the menstrual distress questionnaire with diminished pain and fewer mood changes in the supplemented group.

3 FAST FACTS

1. Magnesium is present in every organ in the human body
2. Magnesium is utilised by the body in more than 300 reactions that regulate health and wellness
3. Magnesium is an abundant element on Planet Earth

Magnesium Deficiency

Magnesium is the fourth most common mineral in the human body after calcium, sodium, and potassium and is the second most common intracellular cation after potassium. Within the frame of a 70 kg individual, there is an average of 25 grams of Magnesium in reserve:

• 53% in bone
• 27% in muscle
• 19% in soft tissues
• 1% in the serum and red blood cells

It is estimated that between 56 – 68% of Americans do not obtain enough magnesium in their diet on a daily basis to meet the recommended daily allowance. Widespread magnesium intake is reducing for the following reasons:

1. Processed foods along with many nonorganic foods, sold in grocery stores have diminished levels of Magnesium.
2. Common staples such as meat (18–29 mg/100 gm), sugar (0 mg/100 gm), and white flour (20–25 mg/100 gm) contribute less than 20% of the daily requirements of Magnesium
3. Cooking and boiling of produce result in a significant decline in the food’s Magnesium content
4. Reduced gastrointestinal absorption of Magnesium occurs in the face of vitamin D deficiency, a common problem in Western cultures
5. Medications in common usage (e.g., some antibiotics, antacids, and hypertensive drugs) diminish the absorption of Magnesium
6. Some commonly used pesticides have the propensity to chelate minerals [potentially decreasing the content of Magnesium in soil and some crops]
7. There is excess excretion of Magnesium with alcohol use and the presence of type 1 or type 2 diabetes
8. Smoking cigarettes reduces [plasma] Magnesium concentration
9. Evidence demonstrates increasing soil depletion of certain essential nutrients, resulting from a change in modern fertilisation techniques. The result is soil that does not provide the full spectrum of required minerals
10. There has been an expansion of agricultural techniques that tend to consume and deplete specific nutrients
11. The natural aging process reduces Magnesium absorption by as much as 30%.

Eat Magnesium Rich Foods

Magnesium is a macro-mineral involved in a wide range of bodily processes and plays a key role in hundreds of enzyme reactions that support muscle health, heart health and nervous system function.

• Oats
• Leafy Greens
• Coffee
• Nuts and Seeds
• Okra
• Kiwi
• Brussel Spouts
• Broccoli
• Quinoa
• Wild caught Salmon
• Wild Rice
• Avacado
• Legumes
• Cacao
• Buckwheat

Magnesium for SkinCare

At FIFTY7KIND we focus on natural, bio-available plant ingredients — they are similar to the compounds we carry in our bodies, and are easily recognised and used by the skin. In studies, it was noted that magnesium breaks apart different fats and oils and, therefore helps to reduce skin oiliness.

A quick and easy way to add magnesium into your skincare routine:

• Mineral Baths – Soaking in magnesium chloride (diluted in hot water) salts from freshwater lakes, and the Dead Sea.
• Foot Soaks – Soak feet or legs in water Soaking in magnesium chloride (diluted in hot water) salts from Freshwater Lakes, and the Dead Sea.

PLANT OILS THAT ARE RICH IN MAGNESIUM

• Avocado Fruit Oil
• Tamanu Oil
• Almond Nut Oil
• Prickly Pear Seed Oil
• Goji Berry Extract
• Sunflower Seed Oil
• Flax Seed Oil
• Brazil Nut Oil
• Milk Thistle Seed Oil
• Pumpkin Kernal Oil
• Amaranth Seed Oil
• Hemp Seed Oil
• Borage Seed Oil
• Kiwi Seed Oil
• Pomegranate Seed oil
• Papaya Seed Oil
• Red Raspberry Seed Oil
• Walnut Oil

My preference is Certified Organic, Bio-Dynamic and or Wildcrafted food sources and personal care products to gain the maximum antioxidants and minerals and to lessen exposure to harmful fertilisation techniques used by conventional farming practices. Farming practices have removed magnesium from the soil, therefore it’s not in vegetables, and animals don’t get it from the plants they eat. I take a daily supplement of magnesium, choose magnesium-rich foods to add to my daily diet and add magnesium salts to a weekly bath. This ‘holistic approach’ has all the bases covered.

At FIFTY7KIND we understand the benefits of magnesium for your skin. Each of our products begins with our unique Artisan-Fusion Process, this is a very time-intensive way in which we capture the Minerals, Vitamins and all the lipid-soluble plant compounds, this is the nutrient-dense foundation of LUCA, TANU, ZUCI and NADI, plant nutrition for your skin!

NB: It is worth noting oral magnesium products can have a laxative effect for some people, just something to be aware of and always read the label as to the recommended dosage.

Until next time, be human, be kind be you.

REFERENCES:

• Nutrients For healthy skin- Inside Out http://www.webmd.com/beauty/features/nutrients-for-healthy-skin-inside-out
• Schwalfenberg GK, Genuis SJ. The Importance of Magnesium in Clinical Healthcare. Scientifica. 2017;2017:4179326. doi:10.1155/2017/4179326.
  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29093983
• Separation of wax esters from steryl esters by chromatography on magnesium hydroxide – Stewart ME, Downing DT.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7253843
• Magnesium Uses
  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7253843