Peptides might be the very thing your skincare routine has been missing. However, you may have not even heard of them. So, what are peptides in skincare?
Your skin may be extremely over exfoliated. Given how popular chemical exfoliates have become in the past decade, it wouldn’t be surprising.
This is bad news for you skin barrier as these types of exfoliations, when over used, can ruin your skin’s integrity.
Therefore, your skin becomes worse at protecting you from external stressors. These can include pollution and UV. It can also lead to moisture loss, your skin’s no longer great at locking it in.
Peptides have the ability to help that.
So, what are peptides in skincare?
They are short chain amino acids, Exactly what they are in every other industry. Peptides are useful for us because they can support the skin.
These short chained amino acids have the ability to penetrate the upper layer of the skin (epidermis) and act as dispatchers capable of triggering specific functions, such as collagen support (1).
They do this in different ways and there are different kind’s of peptides. For example some peptides may be able to block neurotransmitters which prevent the hyperkinesia of the skin muscles (1). This means smoother skin.
Types of peptides in skincare
Signal peptides
These are the collagen enhancers. They act as messengers helping to trigger the synthesis of collagen by fibroblasts.
Carrier peptides
These do what they say on the tin. They carry things, namely copper. Copper is associated with many incredible activities which include the formation of new blood vessels and wound healing.
As you many imagine, these are important attributes for firm, youthful skin.
Neurotransmitter-inhibiting peptides
These types of peptides are mainly to soften fine lines and wrinkles. They do this by blocking neurotransmitters.
Names for these peptides include Argireline, Vialox and Leuphasyl.
References
Husein el Hadmed, H., & Castillo, R. F. (2016). Cosmeceuticals: peptides, proteins, and growth factors. Journal of cosmetic dermatology, 15(4), 514-519.
