Peptides Skin Care Products

• Along with antioxidants, hydroxy acids and retinoids, peptides are an excellent option for anti aging skin care
• Some anti aging care abilities of peptides include stimulating collagen production and stimulating the formation of capillaries

Antioxidants, hydroxy acids (fruit acids) and retinoids (Vitamin A derivatives) are known to be very effective in treating wrinkles and other skin problems. With the addition of peptides to the list, it is now very convenient to treat wrinkles and premature aging of skin. Peptides have a proven strong efficacy in treating and preventing premature aging of our skin.

Peptides are tiny protein fragments made up of amino acids. Protein peptides are very essential for skin care as they act as primary building blocks of all living tissue. Peptides can also act as messengers within our skin that allow smooth and efficient communication between the dermis and the epidermis layers of the skin.

There are different peptides in our skin and these produce different biological effects. One such effect works by directing cells to carry out various functions by triggering various receptors that can be found in the surface of the skin cells.

Peptides have varied functions in skin care and the major ones include:

• Stimulating collagen
• Promoting synthesis of glycosaminoglycan
• Stimulating the formation of capillaries as well as their repair
• Enhancing the defense mechanism by acting as natural antioxidants and detoxifiers.

Peptides act like keys on the surface of the cell of your skin, which is the lock. A peptide appropriate for a specific function will deliver positive results working on the cell’s lock (receptor), if a peptide is not needed it will not affect the receptor.

Wrinkle reduction by almost 50% is possible with the help of peptides in high-concentration, revealed a study at the World Congress of Dermatology, Paris. The study further revealed that it was possible to get rid of these wrinkles with the help of peptides, much faster than with that of retinol. Though the end results were similar, the peptide results occurred faster.

Peptides are being widely used these days because of their natural property of producing and enhancing very specific and desirable results with no known side effects, especially in improving collagen synthesis and health.

Collagen is the main ingredient of our skin and it happens to be the foundation of skin. Collagen allows the skin to be firm and supple and is the main supportive structure. Collagen content is usually high when a person is young, but with age it declines, and so does its effect. Aging skin with collagen degradation has problems like wrinkles, age spots and dark circles.

Collagen is also a form of protein and is composed of amino acid chains. These chains break down to 3 to 5 different forms of peptides.

With age, our skin tends to loose collagen and it is difficult to replace it. But with specific peptides, this problem can be avoided or reduced. Peptides are the best treatment to date for skin repair. Aging skin as a general problem and is only made worse with exposure to pollution, sun damage and other environmental concerns. These also hasten the breakdown of the skin. UV rays of the sun can also cause dryness in our skin and this can be treated as well with peptide based lotions for dry skin repair.

One particular chain of peptides effective for skin repair is Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-3, it has been proved in clinical research to diminish roughness of the skin by almost 13% and reduce the depth of wrinkles by almost 27% after 16 weeks of application.

Peptides also help in delivering copper into the skin. Certain peptides are very small and can more easily penetrate into the skin. If copper is attached to these, they can help the copper particles penetrate down in the skin’s living layers. Copper happens to be a very effective skin healing agent and is referred as a treatment for certain wounds and skin problems. Copper peptides also promote the production of collagen and also function as an antioxidant.

Peptides are now being used by many of the leading cosmetic companies and is a major ingredient of different skin repair products. Peptides are usually very expensive and if you are looking for cheap peptides, buyer beware as these often won’t be of much help. Peptides are probably the most exclusive active ingredients being used in the cosmeceutical skincare business. Several high-end and well known manufacturers offer peptide based skin repair creams, skin repair lotions and anti-aging creams.

Because there are so many to choose from, take time and research the various options to determine what best fits your needs.

The information supplied in this article is not to be considered as medical advice and is for educational purposes only.