kathy taylor-brewinwrites
‘body building’ for the skin
Kathy Taylor-Brewin discusses the science behind peptides
Peptides are tiny protein fragments which aremade up of chains of amino acids, found naturally in the skin, that improve cell communication.
When you think of protein what do you think of?Meat, fish, dairy? Protein supports many of the body’s critical functions and is vital to keep the body healthy. Protein is the most abundantmolecule in the body aside fromwater and is a key component to muscle, ligaments and skin to give strength to the body and produce collagen which is responsible for keeping the skin plump and youthful.
Collagenmakes up for 25-35%of the whole body’s protein content. To date, 29 different types of collagen have been identified that contribute to various tasks in the skin, and a variety of peptides are required to keep these collagens intact and healthy. As we age, the body loses 1%of collagen every year and thinning of ageing skin occurs at the rate of about 6%every 10 years! Collagen production is crucial to healthy skin, so think of peptides like ‘body building’ but for the skin.
peptides performa variety of functions
So, how exactly do protein fragments and amino acid chains improve the look and general health of the skin? Peptides already exist naturally in the body (combinations of amino-acids); protein is ingested through the diet, allowing people to obtain these essential amino-acids. Amino acids then combine in specific sequences that result in peptides that performa variety of functions – one function is producing collagen.
Each collagenmolecule ismade up of 1,050 amino acids and creates a triple helix, where three protein chains are twisted together in a
Topically applied peptides support natural collagen boosting processes in the skin so that it looks and acts younger.
specific shape to forma stable protein strand. These different strands of collagen then forma network within the body and skin, giving it its structure.
Topically applied peptides support these natural collagen boosting processes in the skin so that it looks and acts younger. They help to fill the gap that exists due the natural ageing process – repointing a brick wall is a good analogy.
Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-3 (AKAMatrixyl) – a signal peptide – was the first peptide that offered an alternative to retinol for anti- ageing because of its outstanding performance on all skin types, including sensitive skins. Research has shown this first generation peptide reactivated the signal for collagen I and IV, which restored the skin’s thickness, without the same sensitivity.
Second, third and even fourth generation peptides are now captivating the industry. HydroPeptide skin care offersmany kinds of these peptides such as Syn-Ake, which is known as a Botox®
-type peptide because of
its wrinkle relaxing properties. Syn-Ake (dipeptide) blocks uptake of Na+ (post synapse) thus relaxingmuscle contractions
by 82%after two hours and reducing wrinkles by 52%after 28
days.Myoxinol (hydrolyzed hibiscus) inhibitsmuscle contractions (pre-synapse) for up to 254 hours and reduced wrinkles by 25%after three weeks.
These technologically advanced peptides are more complex chains of amino acids and have the ability once again to address a broad range of ageing concerns butmore efficiently. One of these areas is the Dermal Epidermal Junction (DEJ). The DEJ holds the skin together, improving its compactness, firmness and elasticity. It maintains skin cohesion and anchors the epidermis to the dermis. Imagine the skin as plates held together by a series of chain links. If one of these links becomes weak and breaks, the plates will slip. As the protein composed links, such as laminin and integrin becomes weak within the DEJ, the skin begins to sag, and loses elasticity eventually forming a line or wrinkle.
The role proteins play within the body correlates with the actions of four categories of peptides. They are Signal peptides, which have the ability to send signals for collagen and elastin production; Neurotransmiter
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