The skin is the body's largest organ and the first line of defense against pathogens, so perhaps it should not be so surprising that improving the skin's barrier function reduces systemic inflammation.
A recent study found that when subjects applied a skin cream designed to improve barrier function (containing cholesterol, ceramides and free fatty acids) all over their body for 30 days they had reduced levels of three markers of inflammation in their blood (Il-1b, Il-6 and TNF alpha).
Unless you're me . I have that medium chain Acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency thing & caprylic/capric triglycerides are MCTs. I don't think it would cause systemic health problems, but I figure if anti-oxidants (e.g., vitamin C serum) make my skin look nice, then something that winds up essentially being pro-oxidant (the MCTs get transported into the mitochondria and since they can't be utilized, they just junk up the place) is probably not good.
Now that I'm thinking about it, free fatty acids aren't triglycerides, so that's one difference between the study cream and the CeraVe product.
CeraVe also has a healing ointment which is petrolatum based that includes cholesterol and ceramides as well as proline - which is a great topical ingredient for anti-aging; I've used it and it does a good job on new scars, chapped skin, etc.
My mother in law makes a cream based on comfrey, she suffered symptomatic MS and got all crampy and had pain thruout her body, but this stuff helped me early on in my PD diagnosis prior to medication, im not trying a sales pitch here but the cream isnt commercially made and it reduced her symptoms of MS and it hasn't got to the bad stuff in it (like heavy metals, etc) that might make things harder on you, My mother in law has an aboriginal heritage (we are in Australia) and the cream is based from that, look up Keelford Organaic Essentials on Facebook, if it can help you out
Glycerol, xylitol and niacinamide all improve skin barrier function among other things while glycerol and xylitol have synergy together and are likely to be additive to niacinamide. All three are easy to obtain, use and benefit from.I use all three in topicals that i make for friends and family and myself. There are many studies to confirm this. These three are likely to be beneficial in maintaining more youthful skin appearance also and they all three have anti-inflammatory properties.
It would be hard to say because I make quite a few different ones, but in using glycerol, xylitol and niacinamide, the studies have shown that 5% of each has shown itself to be effective at significantly improving transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and barrier function. A decrease in TEWL generally implies an increase in skin barrier function.
If I am trying to treat something involving "open skin" such as dermatitis or psoriasis, I might also include colloidal silver in the mix to try and control or neutralize excess pathogen entry through the non intact skin barrier. All of these can be added to a more basic lotion or cream. I frequently use Cetaphil, but it may have too many chemicals for some people in which case you may be able to find a more basic base cream at your local pharmacy. So based on ingredient weight, I might make a body lotion for myself based on these 3 main ingredients of niacinamide 5%, glycerol/glycerine 5% and xylitol 5%. Add into a basic lotion which makes up the remaining 85%. The xylitol and glycerol also act as humectants in that they can draw moisture from the air or from deeper in the skin toward the skin surface to help maintain or improve barrier function and appearance of the skin.
Many products in the Oil of Olay product lineup already contain niacinamide, but they don't tell you the percentage they contain. Many of their more expensive up line products also contain N Acetyl Glucosamine or NAG for short and it is also known to enhance skin barrier function and reduce TEWL while possibly being synergistic with niacinamide and I have included it in some of my mixes.
Thanks, Art, you have such vast knowledge on so many topics. Is there a basic lotion that you can add these ingredients that has the least amount of chemicals? I look on bottles and find tons of ingredients.
All three are water soluble so I imagine you could use water and dispense as a spray, but there is no form of preservative in such a mix so you would have to refrigerate it between uses and only make small batches. I have not tried water as the carrier, but I suspect it may not have the best feel on the skin and may leave a white film on the skin once it dries.
I know pharmacies carry very basic lotions with minimal chemicals in them, but not likely to be found on the shelves in the store itself, but behind the pharmacy counter.
This one has what appears to be reasonable ingredients that could potentially be additive and is available on Amazon, but I have never used it :
I've made home-made serums with niacinamide and glycerol in water and had no issue with residue or tackiness. I have not tried adding in xylitol (but I have some in my cupboard, to that's today's project).
Here is why glycerine and xylitol are good together for the skin and other things:
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. I have that medium chain Acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency thing & caprylic/capric triglycerides are MCTs. I don't think it would cause systemic health problems, but I figure if anti-oxidants (e.g., vitamin C serum) make my skin look nice, then something that winds up essentially being pro-oxidant (the MCTs get transported into the mitochondria and since they can't be utilized, they just junk up the place) is probably not good. 
The way to a patients head is through there stomach
