Biohacking is the practice of altering your own biology to help optimize your health, performance, longevity, and even your appearance! This scientific frontier uses cutting-edge technology and age-old wisdom which aims to help you live a happier, healthier life. While biohacking may sound radical or extreme, it usually entails simple changes to your daily routines that yield massive results.
Whether you’re a biohacking enthusiast looking to pursue the latest trends in human optimization or new to the world of biohacking, we’ve created this comprehensive guide to help you better understand what biohacking is and how to use biohacking to improve your life.
What Is Biohacking?
This term originated with writer and biohacking pioneer Dave Asprey. It refers to using information and technology from biology, neuroscience, nutrition, and genetics to change or adapt your mental and physical performance, improve your health, elevate your well-being, and even achieve weight loss goals. Of course, these factors all lead to the ultimate biohacking goal: longevity. Biohacking is, in essence, the practice of using science and technology aimed to alter your own biology to live a happier, healthier, and longer life.
Who Practices Biohacking
Biohacking might sound like a trend only used by health nuts or tech-savvy folks, but you’re probably already practicing biohacking without even knowing it! Some methods of biohacking have been highly popular since the 1980s, and most people practice some type of biohacking daily — like calorie restriction or drinking coffee.
What Are Some Common Biohacking Methods?
Biohacking methods range from common - like drinking coffee - to experimental and even controversial, like stem cell injections. Here are a few of the most common ways to biohack your body:
- Drinking coffee: Caffeine is considered a nootropic compound that is thought to support increased cognitive function and focus. Additionally, caffeine can help to suppress your appetite and enhance your metabolism, which may aid in weight loss or healthy weight maintenance.
- Wearing a smartwatch: Monitoring your heart rate, tracking your steps, and taking more interest in your biology is a biohack technique many people already use. Simply being aware of your steps, for example, typically helps you to make better health choices, which in turn helps with longevity.
- Cryotherapy and ice baths: Monitored exposure to cold has many benefits, including the possibility that it could improve your longevity. Ice baths, also called cold plunges, have gained mass popularity in recent years due to their health benefits like enhanced muscle recovery, improved circulation, boosted immune function, enhanced mood and alertness, and reduced inflammation.
These methods aim to improve the body’s ability to withstand aging, which starts in the body's cells. Targeting cellular health (whether it's with physical exercise, intermittent fasting, or taking certain supplements) can help support a healthier, longer life.
What Are the Different Types of Biohacking?
There are different sub-branches of biohacking — they include lifestyle changes, supplements, biological changes, and technological changes.
Lifestyle Changes
Biohacking lifestyle changes involve diet, exercise, breathwork, and meditation. These changes are the most accessible and the most common. For instance, if you begin running to improve your cardiovascular health, you’ve technically become a biohacker!
Supplements
Molecular changes involve dietary supplements that have some biological effect on the body, like metabolic support. This can range from taking a daily vitamin to using protein powder and even adding collagen to your smoothies.
Biological Changes
The most controversial area of biohacking involves biological interventions and enhancement, like stem cell injections, genetic engineering, and gene editing. Biological interventions usually aim to heal immune deficiencies or diseases, but some are focused on cosmetic changes - like facial rejuvenation. Most of these practices aren’t approved by the FDA and can have significant side effects.
Technological Changes
Technological changes can involve using devices (like wearable watches, heart monitors, or even blood sugar monitors) to collect data that can then be used to affect changes in the human body. This would also include blood testing to measure glucose levels and cholesterol or check for signs of heart disease.
It also includes using technologies that can help rejuvenate the body faster and help it heal more quickly. This type of biohacking technology is the primary focus of the skincare industry. Using technologies that have been respected in the medical community for decades, you can now manipulate the way your skin behaves and manage its appearance while you age.
What Are Some Skincare Biohacks?
From skincare formulated with super ingredients to infrared light therapy, there are several ways to approach biohacking in your skincare routine.
Skincare Ingredients
Skincare is often packed with biohacking ingredients to improve the health and appearance of skin. It’s likely that you’re already using some of these common biohacking skincare ingredients like peptides to enhance the firmness and elasticity of skin, niacinamide to soothe skin and reduce inflammation, ceramides to help rebuild the skin cell barrier, and even prebiotics and probiotics to enhance the skin’s microbiome.
Microcurrent Therapy
Microcurrent technology has been trusted in the medical community since the 1980s, and it is also a well-known biohacking solution to turn back the clock on skin. Microcurrent skincare devices use low-level electrical current to stimulate the skin and facial muscles to tone, lift, and contour. Unlike traditional skin care, which only treats the surface of the skin, microcurrent therapy targets superficial facial muscles which helps aid in achieving a more youthful appearance.
When using microcurrent technology to biohack the skin, it’s important to seek out a safe & effective tool to do the job. NuFACE® Microcurrent Devices are FDA-cleared and clinically proven. These simple-to-use devices are an easy way to biohack your skin, aiming to address signs of aging like wrinkles, loss of facial contour, and sagging skin.
How To Use NuFACE To Biohack Your Skin
Microcurrent therapy is painless, requires no downtime, and takes just minutes a day to achieve optimal results. Here’s a quick-start guide to lift and contour your skin with NuFACE:
Cleanse
The first step in any skincare routine is to cleanse the skin without stripping it or damaging the skin microbiome composed of healthy bacteria. NuFACE Prep-N-Glow® Facial Wipes offer gentle, oil-free cleansing and contain hyaluronic acid, a naturally found in the skin that can hold 1,000 times its weight in water to improve hydration levels.
Once you’ve cleansed your skin, spritz NuFACE Supercharged IonPlex® Facial Mist onto the skin to increase hydration and support microcurrent treatment. This nourishing facial mist is formulated with niacinamide and ceramides - two major biohacking skincare ingredients - which help to soothe the skin and repair the skin cell barrier.
Boost
Before you begin your microcurrent treatment, apply a small amount of your favorite NuFACE Ionized Super Booster to your fingertips and gently massage it into the skin. These boosters contain compounds like hyaluronic acid and IonPlex®, our proprietary blend of ionized glacial water that helps ensure proper microcurrent conduction. You can pick a formula that targets your unique skin goals, from brightening skin to protecting it from oxidative stress or enhancing skin radiance.
Activate and Lift
Before you begin your microcurrent treatment, apply a mask-like layer of your favorite NuFACE Activator on to your skin. Working in small sections, use your NuFACE Microcurrent Device to perform glides and holds on areas of the skin you’d like to refine and smooth.
For more detailed instructions, including how-to videos and step-by-step tutorials, download the NuFACE Smart App. The app provides guidance to help assist in achieving your skin biohacking goals, track your progress, and even get early access to NuFACE sales.
NuFACE is catching the attention of prominent doctors, like Jeannette Graf, a dermatologist and anti-aging expert, helping revolutionize the beauty industry by focusing on biohacking techniques. “Microcurrent stimulates the production of ATP,” says Graf. “Your skin’s metabolism and cellular metabolism is getting a boost.” Check out our full Instagram Live Q&A with Dr. Jeannette Graf to learn more about biohacking with microcurrent.
Biohack Your Life
Biohacking doesn’t have to be all-encompassing or experimental. Simple changes to your daily routine can improve your health, mental well-being, appearance, and even your longevity.
Regarding skincare, biohacking can help you approach your aging skin naturally, targeting the skin and facial structures that weaken and change as we age. Supporting those areas with skincare ingredients and treatments like microcurrent can provide attainable results in the comfort and convenience of your home.
Sources:
What Is Biohacking And How Does It Work? | Forbes Health
PLAYING GOD IN YOUR BASEMENT | The Washington Post
Cold Thermogenesis in Tibet & the Dangers of Biohacking | Dave Asprey
