There are two ways to measure glycation in the body — directly, or through blood proxies. Direct measurement (skin autofluorescence) is available in research settings but not yet at consumer scale. The clinically-available approach uses three blood tests that together give you a well-supported picture.
Direct measurement. Skin autofluorescence is a non-invasive technique that measures advanced glycation end products (AGEs) accumulated in the dermis by shining a specific wavelength of light and reading the fluorescent signal. It's used in research and some specialty clinics but hasn't yet been rolled out at consumer scale (Meerwaldt, 2004).
Clinical proxy measurement — the three-test approach:
- HbA1c — glycated hemoglobin, reflecting your 90-day glucose average. The strongest single proxy for cumulative glycation load. Long-term chronic elevation is the most reliable predictor of AGE accumulation in tissues like collagen (Monnier, 1990; Selvin, 2010).
- Fasting glucose — today's snapshot. Elevated fasting glucose combined with normal HbA1c suggests recent change; both elevated suggests chronic pattern.
- Fasting insulin — shifts earlier than either glucose measure, often years before HbA1c rises. Elevated insulin with normal glucose signals metabolic strain that hasn't yet manifested as glycation but is heading there (DiNicolantonio, 2017).
Interpreting the three together: if all three are on the low end of clinical normal, your glycation load is low. If HbA1c is climbing but insulin is normal, you're getting information on trajectory. If insulin is elevated but glucose isn't, you're seeing early metabolic strain and should intervene before glycation increases.
All three markers are on the JenSkin panel.