3rd May 2015

The Beauty of Peptides

Chances are you have heard the word ‘Peptides’ thrown around in skincare advertising campaigns or even been confused as to why footballers have been in trouble for using peptides…Are they an illicit substance? Am I allowed to use them? These are all valid questions.

So what exactly are peptides?

Simply put, peptides are short chains of amino acids. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. Our skin is primarily made of protein such as collagen.

In the case of Footballers, they use peptides in a number of ways both orally and possibly intravenously to aid muscle recovery and to release growth hormones for bulk and strength. Growth hormone releasing peptides are on the banned substance list for footballers.

Peptides also act like cell messengers and hence assist with cellular communication. Basically they help all the different cells within the skin to communicate more effectively and therefore function optimally.

The application of topical peptides can trigger a number of responses in the skin.

Due to their small size peptides can be utilized as a delivery vehicle for getting other active ingredients such as copper into the skin. Copper stimulates the production of collagen and assists in the repair of wounds.

Pentapeptides such as Matrixyl can trigger the skin to produce more collagen and hyaluronic acid that will give a firmer more youthful appearance to the skin with an increase in its natural moisture levels.

Certain neuropeptides like Argireline can actually block nerve transmissions that create muscle contractions. This can act as a relaxant and have the effect of a smoother less wrinkled skin.

Anti microbial peptides can be used to regulate such skin conditions as eczema psoriasis and dermatitis as these conditions are often a result of imbalances in our natural peptide production.

Melanocytes, our pigment producing cells, have been shown to be regulated by melanocortin peptides. Topical application can aid in the prevention and treatment of certain pigmentation disorders.

When using skincare that states peptides as being an active ingredient it is important to make sure that these peptides are ‘bioactive’ meaning they have an effect on living tissue.

Peptides also need to be included in a specific concentration within the formulation to be beneficial.

Our favourite Peptide based product is Dermaquest’s Peptide Facial Booster which contains 10 different bioactive peptides at over 60% concentration. This makes it one of the most active peptide products on the market today and well worth the addition to your skincare routine.