Loss of elasticity is one of the most recognizable signs of skin aging. As skin becomes less firm and slower to return to its original shape, declining levels of collagen and elastin are often considered the primary causes.
Idunn’s Apple proposes that the problem may involve more than the gradual loss of these structural proteins. Changes in epigenetic regulation may also affect how efficiently skin cells produce, organize, and maintain collagen and elastin.
Epigenetics and Skin Aging
Epigenetics refers to biological processes that influence how genes are used without changing the underlying DNA sequence. These processes help determine which genes are active in different cells and may shift in response to aging, environmental exposure, and cellular stress.
One important epigenetic mechanism is DNA methylation, in which chemical tags called methyl groups are added to DNA. Depending on where these marks occur, they can influence whether nearby genes are more or less active.
The proposed approach focuses on DNA hydroxylation, a related process in which TET enzymes convert 5-methylcytosine, or 5mC, into 5-hydroxymethylcytosine, or 5hmC. This conversion helps modify DNA methylation patterns and may influence gene activity.
What Is SEHI?
The company uses the term Skin Epigenetic Hydroxylation Incompetence, or SEHI, to describe a proposed decline in the skin’s ability to maintain hydroxylation-related epigenetic activity.
Within this framework, SEHI may interfere with the regulation of genes involved in collagen production, elastin formation, fibroblast activity, and tissue repair. Fibroblasts are cells in the dermis that produce many of the structural materials responsible for skin firmness, strength, and flexibility.
Declining elasticity may therefore involve more than having less collagen or elastin. It may also reflect a reduced ability of skin cells to activate the biological processes needed to produce, organize, and maintain these proteins.
A broader explanation of this proposed mechanism can be found in Skin Epigenetic Hydroxylation: A New Epigenetic View of Skin Aging.
Supporting Elasticity From Within
Rather than focusing only on temporary surface-tightening effects, this approach aims to support the cellular processes involved in maintaining skin structure.
It highlights a combination of alpha-ketoglutarate, ascorbic acid, and gallic acid, referred to as Golden Triple Actives. These ingredients are proposed to support hydroxylation enzymes, fibroblast function, and the biological pathways involved in maintaining collagen and elastin.
SEHI and Golden Triple Actives are terms developed by Idunn’s Apple rather than established medical classifications. Further research would be needed to determine how SEHI can be measured and how directly it influences elasticity in human skin.
Still, the concept reflects growing interest in looking beyond visible signs of aging to examine the gene-regulatory processes that may influence skin structure, resilience, and repair.
It also connects with the idea of accelerated skin aging, in which environmental and biological stressors may cause skin to age faster than expected.
Source: Idunn’s Apple. SEHI-Targeted Elasticity Boost: How to Bring Back Your Skin’s Natural Bounce from Within, November 3, 2025.
