CBD products for the skin

Cannabinoid extracts from the hemp plant are said to help reduce anxiety and even have analgesic effects. But can they also offer benefits to the skin itself? Skin health and innovations company Dermaquest says yes. Today they announced the availability of their full line of CBD skincare and wellness products.

“CBD has shown anti-inflammatory effects when topically applied. It can reduce the symptoms of psoriasis, eczema and other inflammatory skin disorders,” says Sam Dhatt, Founder and CEO of Dermaquest, in a CBD Q&A provided by the company.

The third-party tested skincare line includes products for both skin health and pain relief including a healing balm, therapeutic massage cream, pain relief cream, replenishing eye cream, blue light defense moisturizer and blue light defense SPF. They’ve got a.m. and p.m. sublingual tinctures too.

While Dhatt acknowledges the lack of concrete evidence currently available for CBD in the scientific community, like so many others, he’s got faith in the existing anecdotal evidence.

“CBD was considered a schedule 1 drug for decades, making it incredibly difficult for scientists to conduct studies on it in the U.S.,” he says. “The recent legalization has opened the door for researchers to study the compound’s effects on the human body and conduct clinical studies. Research into CBD is flourishing, and concrete results are expected soon. In the meantime, we can turn to the multitude of testimonials that speak to the positive effects of CBD.”

In a recent blog post, Peter Grinspoon, M.D., points out that the strongest evidence of CBD efficacy is as an antiseizure medication for children with certain medication-resistant epilepsy syndromes. Studies also suggest that CBD may help with inflammation and pain.

“We need more research,” he explains. “But CBD may prove to be an option for managing anxiety, insomnia and chronic pain.”

It’s this connection to inflammation that has skincare companies like Dermaquest adding CBD to their formulations.

“CBD’s unique anti-inflammatory profile allows it to work in tandem with other ingredients to address concerns such as early aging and overall inflammation,” according to Dhatt. “One of the drivers of premature aging, for example, is inflammation, which creates small cracks in the outer layers of the skin that can compound with time and other stresses.”

Notably, CBD also has side effects that may include nausea, fatigue and irritability, and perhaps of particular concern, can increase the thinning effect of coumadin in the blood. How? It operates by the same mechanism as grapefruit juice, according to Dr. Grinspoon.

And questions remain about efficacious CBD dosing levels and, as an unregulated supplement, how to know what’s really inside the products you’re using.

According to Dermaquest, its hemp is 99.7% pure THC-free CBD isolate. Their isolate is sourced from Nevada and full-spectrum CBD comes from organic farms in Oregon.

CBD isolate is the crystalline (powdered) form derived directly from the hemp plant. Full spectrum CBD refers to a product that includes multiple cannabinoid compounds.

“We maintain exceptional clarity and transparency in our documentation as well as a clear chain of custody that allows us to follow each batch to the ground it was grown on,” Dhatt asserts.

The Dermaquest CBD line of products is available for physician dispension. For more information visit www.CBDDermaquest.com.

References:

Grinspoon, Peter. Cannabidiol (CBD) - What we know and what we don’t. Harvard Health Blog. Accessed November 21, 2019. Available at: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/cannabidiol-cbd-what-we-know-and-what-we-dont-2018082414476