What Is Involved in Peptide Skin Care?

Peptides are short threads of amino acids used in a variety of commercial and over-the-counter anti-wrinkle creams and conditioners. These protein-like chemical messengers reportedly help increase moisture and circulation in the skin by stimulating the natural production of elastin and collagen. To use peptide skin care is to naturally maximize the cellular conditions for as wrinkle-free a body as possible.

Several types of peptides are used in skin care, each beneficial for when shortages are experienced later in life. As people age, the skin produces less collagen and elastin. This is largely due to a shortage of peptide building blocks, which chemically trigger the skin to make more collagen and elastin. This inevitably leads to deeper wrinkles in some places and saggier skin in others as life progresses. Supplementing this shortage with a peptide skin care product reputedly helps to counter the body's shortages.

Several types of peptides and polypeptides are employed in dozens of products, often in concert with other effective ingredients like minerals and vitamins. Neuropeptides restrict the release of the skin's neurotransmitters, allegedly creating an effect similar to a Botox application. Other products feature oligopeptides and pentapeptides, which clump together five or several more diverse peptide units to directly stimulate collagen and elastin production.

Copper molecules, medically proven to spur the healing of wounds, is reportedly effective when linked with peptide strains. The peptides carry the healing copper deep into the skin, where more collagen production is spurred to reduce the appearance of wrinkles. Neutrogena Visible Firm&reg products and Osmotics are a few brands that utilize this copper-peptide bond.

Using peptide skin care could be costly, but perhaps that is because it is reported by scientists to work. According to a 2002 report to the World Congress of Dermatology (WCD), about half of a person's wrinkles could be diminished with heavy and regular peptide skin care. The WCD also has noted stark improvements with retinol skin care products.

Finding a peptide skin care product that is best-suited for each unique type of skin could be tricky. Many brands exist, with varying concentrations of peptides. Some common brands are Regenerist by Olay&reg, Recover-E by Jan Marini&reg, Youth Complex by IS Clinical&reg, Eye Cream by SkinCeuticals&reg, and even some creams marketed specifically for breast-firming, such as Endo or Macro 2000.