Peptides are among the most common ingredients of anti-aging products for the skin. Naturally occurring substances in the body, peptides play a variety of roles. Some have hormonal activity, while others act as neurotransmitters. In regard to the skin, peptides can stimulate collagen and promote the synthesis of glycosaminoglycan, which is a component of connective tissue. Additionally, peptides stimulate capillary growth and repair, and encourage natural antioxidant activity.
Description
Peptides are essentially amino acids, which are the building blocks of the protein collagen. Your skin contains an abundance of collagen when you are young. As you age, however, your supply of collagen decreases, causing your skin to become thin and wrinkled.
Function
Putting on a peptide in cream form enhances your skin’s production of collagen, which helps give you a more youthful look. When collagen breaks down, it naturally forms specific peptides that signal the skin the create new collagen. By applying peptides topically, you are tricking your skin into making new collagen, according to the website Dermatology Blog.
Ingredients
If you want the benefits of an anti-aging product with peptides, check the label for certain active ingredients. According to the website Wrinkle Review, look for acetyl hexapeptide-3, which relaxes certain types of facial wrinkles; palmitoyl pentapeptide-3, which stimulates new collagen growth and helps skin heal; palmitoyl oligopeptide, which not only stimulates collagen production but also provides mild UV protection; and copper peptides.
Benefits
The tiny size of peptides gives them the ability to penetrate deep into the skin, which makes them a useful delivery method for other ingredients. Peptides are often combined with the ingredient copper, which research has shown to be useful in promoting skin healing. Copper and peptides together are thought to have an antioxidant effect, promoting the production of new collagen and removing damaged collagen.
Effectiveness
In a clinical test performed by Procter and Gamble, women between ages 35 and 60 who used Olay Regenerist, which contains an amino-peptide complex, for eight weeks observed a decrease in fine lines and wrinkles, and found their skin to be softer, smoother and better moisturized, according to BeautyBuzz.com. A high-concentration formulation of peptide was shown in another study to reduce wrinkles by up to 50 percent, according to the Melbourne Dermatology website. The results were similar to those achieved with retinol, but the peptides worked faster. A significant advantage of using peptides rather than retinol is that the unwanted side effects of retinol—dryness and irritation—can be avoided. Women whose skin cannot tolerate retinol can find the same anti-aging properties by using a cream containing peptides.
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