In the quest for better anti-aging skin-care ingredients, peptides have emerged as a popular way to prevent and reduce wrinkles. Wrinkles occur because as skin ages it loses collagen, the structural protein that provides firmness and support, and hyaluronic acid. Exposure to the sun and other environmental hazards can accelerate the natural aging process and cause or increase wrinkling of the skin.
Definition
Peptides are a type of protein made up of small chains of amino acids. Depending on the specific structure, peptides can carry out different functions in the skin. Peptides occur naturally in the body, but those used in skin care are synthetic variants.
Functions
Some peptides can stimulate collagen production, repairing wrinkled skin from the inside. Others promote the growth of glycosaminoglycans. Some peptides stimulate capillaries to grow, increasing the blood supply to the skin. Another function of some peptides is to boost the skin cells' defense mechanisms.
Types
There are a few different peptides used in in ant-aging skin-care products to reduce or prevent wrinkles. Palmitoyl pentapeptides are used in skin care to reduce the depth of wrinkles and repair skin. Copper peptides attach themselves to small molecules of copper, which they pull deep into the skin to stimulate the production of new collagen. Acetyl hexapeptide inhibits neurotransmitters in the skin and relaxes wrinkles in a manner similar to Botox. Palmitoyl oligopeptides stimulate the production of collagen and hyaluronic acid.
Product Styles
Anti-wrinkle products containing peptides come in a few different forms. Peptide creams generally contain a moisturizing component along with the peptide and can be used daily. Serums act as a targeted product that can be used in addition to your normal skin-care routine. Eye creams specifically operate on the sensitive area around the eyes.
Evidence
Evidence presented at the World Congress of Dermatology in Paris in July 2002 showed that peptides worked faster than Retinol and had similar results. According to the study, wrinkles were reduced by 50 percent using peptides.
Combining Care
Because of the skin repair properties of peptides, they are also good for wound healing. Because of this, peptides can also be used as post-procedure skin care after anti-wrinkle treatments such as microdermabrasion or laser therapy.
Warnings
Some unscrupulous manufacturers claim in their marketing to have products containing peptides, but they are at too low a concentration to work on wrinkles. Generally, this tactic is used by manufacturers of cheaper skin-care lines to ride the trend of using peptides. In reality, peptides are expensive to create, which means that products with a significant level of peptides will be fairly expensive compared to other anti-wrinkle products.
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