Here's what I'm doing now and what I wish I'd known earlier in life... 🧵
When I started Blueprint, my skin was in the 98th percentile for damage on some markers, with an average skin age of 64.
Now, my skin age has improved to between 37 and 42.
The image below, using multispectral imaging, shows my accumulated UV damage from excessive sun exposure.
Here are a few basics to maintain healthy skin:
+ Exercise.
+ Prioritize your sleep.
+ Eat a healthy, Blueprint-like diet.
+ Consider getting sun earlier in the day and later in the evenings when the UV index is lower.
+ Avoid junk/fried/highly processed foods, cigarettes and vaping
+ The sun is good for you but not too much and not too little. Just the right amount will do.
+ If you’re getting direct sun exposure when the UV index is high (10 am - 4 pm), you can protect your skin with options such as clothing, a UV umbrella, a hat and or mineral sunscreen.
My daily protocol:
Face wash morning & night.
+ Sunscreen (mineral)
+ Moisturize (Body and Face)
+ Creams - can start with the basics such as niacinamide (morning and night), vitamin C (morning), hyaluronic acid (as desired), and tretinoin (at night, an Rx).
Spot endocrine disruptors in skin care products:
Endocrine disruptors are natural or man-made chemicals that may mimic or interfere with the body’s hormones, known as the endocrine system. These chemicals are linked with many health problems in both wildlife and humans.
Use these apps to see how your products score:
Next, here are some supplements to support skin health:
+ Collagen (20-30g daily) Pair with Vitamin C (to boost collagen synthesis) (Blueprint collagen available in December 2024)
+ Niacinamide (15 mg in Blueprint Essential Capsules)
+ Hyaluronic acid (120 mg in Blueprint Longevity Mix)
Check out our Blueprint Essential Capsules and Blueprint Longevity Mix here:
Here are some pro tips:
+ UV-tinted windows to block 99% of damaging UV rays
+ A UV umbrella during high UV index times
+ Microdosing Accutane (40mg weekly) for blemish-free skin. Alternatives include over-the-counter retinols.
+ Red light therapy 3x per week
Note, if you don’t have easy access to red light therapy, don’t worry. The basics are a great place to start.
To track my progress, we routinely measure the biological age of my skin using multispectral imaging (in the U.S.,aka Visia).
It provides detailed views of skin health including:
+ UV damage
+ Pore size
+ Dark spots
+ And many other indicators.
Some wellness clinics offer this service. You can search locally to find one.
Finally, here are a few advanced therapies I've been experimenting with to target collagen production, skin firmness, and overall skin health:
+ Tixel for improved collagen and elastin.
+ Sofwave for improved collagen and elastin.
+ Sculptra to boost natural collagen production (injected in the face)
If you want to learn more about the science of skin aging, how to optimize your skincare routine, and stay up to date on what we learn through trial and error, here's where I keep all of it updated: blueprint.bryanjohnson.com/pages/blueprin…
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Clinical trials in humans show promise for brain health.
Animal studies show minimal to no efficacy in lifespan extension.
The potential: mitochondrial function and energy. 🧵
0/ Methylene blue health effects are not yet well-researched, especially as it relates to fitness, performance, and longevity potential.
But it’s intriguing for mitochondrial function and energy enhancement, particularly for brain health in the context of neurodegenerative diseases.
Research indicates these benefits are plausible
+ Mitochondrial improvement and more efficient energy production
+ Boosting cognitive and brain health
+ Enhancing physical performance and exercise capacity (animal experiments)
+ Cellular longevity and senescence prevention (early evidence)
1/ My methylene blue protocol
+ 25 mg/day of methylene blue orally
+ 5 days a week
+ Keeping a 2-day weekly clearance break to prevent accumulation, especially in the brain
I paused Metformin.
A longevity staple in my protocol for 5+ years.
But its effects on my body were shocking.
It built up my energy capacity,
but limited my ability to use 90% of it.
Here’s what we found. 🧵
Our hypothesis:
+ Metformin pushes the cells to recycle, repair, and build new mitochondria (mitochondria are the power plants of the cells).
+ Long-term use kept my cells locked in mitochondria build up mode (I had 3x more mitochondria than normal) but Metformin blocked this optimized mitochondria from being used.
Pausing Metformin unleashed my mitochondria’s full energy potential (spike in power came with more oxidative stress though).
We’re now cycling Metformin, which should give me the best of both worlds, mitochondrial build-up and optimal use.
Results so far
7 weeks off Metformin: new peaks in energy output.
My avg cycling power improved 25.6% over my previous personal best.
+ alternates low and high oxygen
+ igniting mitochondria and boosting cellular energy
+ raising red blood cells and repairing vessels
+ accelerating recovery and improving cognition
+ slowing speed of aging
1/ My protocol
I will be using MitoVit system.
MitoVit utilizes a biofeedback mechanism to adjust the oxygen percentage in the delivered air, targeting specific blood oxygen saturation (SpO2%) levels.
As the protocol progresses, lower SpO2% values are targeted for a gradual and safe advancement towards maximum efficacy.
2/ Here is my IHHT protocol:
+ 35 days total
+ 26 biofeedback training sessions
+ 3:1 rhythm: three training sessions,one recovery
I work hard on my RHR for sleep. It's also an important health marker.
Last night it was 39 bpm.
My 30 day ave is 44 bpm.
Here's data that puts RHR in context. 🧵
1/ My 39 RHR is slower than 99.97% of the population based upon a study analyzing sleep RHR data over 35 weeks from 92,457 individuals (aged 18-89 across all 50 US states).
+ my RHR is 22 bpm lower than the average male in their 20s.
+ and 22 bpm lower than individuals with elite BMIs and elite sleep durations.
2/ My 30-day RHR average is 44 bpm, which is:
+ Lower than 99.7% of the male population, according to the same study.
+ Lower than the range for 20-39 male athletes, according to WHOOP user data.
This achievement aligns with recent personal bests in blood pressure, vascular function and elasticity, blood flow, and HRV.
Experiment #1:
+ sauna icing the boys improved fertility markers
Experiment #2:
+ no ice devastated fertility markers
Experiment #3:
+ icing again is healing the harm
My results explained and what to do🧵
0/ The testicles are located “outside” the body in the scrotum specifically to maintain a temperature 2-4 °C below core body temperature, essential for optimal sperm production and storage (in the epididymis) .
Heat is known to multiple steps of spermatogenesis by disrupting the development of germ cells and triggering DNA damage, oxidative stress and cell death.
This applies to heat exposure in sauna as well.
A single sauna session (20 min at 85°C) reduced sperm counts, full recovery took up to 5 weeks.
Continuous sauna for 3 to 6 months reduced the sperms with epigenetic structure and DNA packaging, and mitochondrial function all essential for fertilization.
My results starkly confirm this
1/ Beyond protecting my sperm, icing with sauna boosted all my sperm markers.
27 daily sauna sessions with ice on balls
+ total motile count ↑ 57%
+ concentration ↑ 26%
+ motility ↑ 16%,
+ normal morphology ↑ 15%
This is likely due to systemic sauna benefits, including improved blood flow and unparalleled detox effects, and possibly due to the direct effect of the daily cooling itself.
Weekly nightmares might predict premature death and speed up aging.
A study found that weekly nightmares made people 3x more likely to die prematurely (before the age of 75).
Here’s what they found and how to prevent premature death by nightmares. 🧵
1/ The study is based on 4196 adults (age 26-74, 18-years of follow-up). Beyond increasing risk of premature death before 75, the findings showed that weekly nightmares accelerated aging, based on 3 epigenetic clocks:
+ Speed of aging (DunedinPACE)
+ Time until death prediction (GrimAge)
+ How old your body behaves physiologically (PhenoAge)
Nightmares are scary for your health.
They cause nocturnal stress on your body:
+ Resting heart rate jumps by up to 10bpm
+ Heart rate variability falls (bad for recovery)
+ Cortisol spikes, sympathetic activation, and accelerated breathing
Nightmares are more common during periods of high stress, in those with anxiety disorders, and in anyone with trauma‐related conditions like PTSD.
2/ Reduce nightmare frequency by treating root causes and following a good sleep protocol.