Beauty And The Blog

Yes, what about those peptides? I mentioned peptides and the importance of having peptides in your products in a previous post“Collagen Cream, Ya Think?” .

Peptides are short chains of amino acids, proteins. These have the ability to penetrate your skin and have a positive effect on your skin’s fibroblasts. Peptides communicate with the fibroblast regrading loss of youthful function and degraded DNA (also mentioned in the referenced post above). Like I said before, have a little chat, a pep talk. Wow~ I can’t believe I just typed that, a peptide pep talk? Cornyyy, but I’m leaving it. LOL.

Anyway~ Often lipids (fats) are added to this chain of amino acids to increase penetration into the skin, making them lipo-peptides. Nice little addition, huh?

The amount of peptides in any given product can vary greatly. Often a skin care manufacturer will add only a small and thus ineffective amount. But you know what? Just that small amount now gives them the legal right to claim anti-aging benefits on their packaging. What does that mean for you? Money spent on a product that won’t do what you want and it claims. Hmmm, that’s not what you want, now is it?

Look on the packaging and see just where in the list of ingredients that peptide is. The closer to the beginning of that list the better. Do your research, ladies. It’s worth it!

What do peptides do? A number of nice things.

Communicate (peptide pep talk) with those fibroblasts in the dermal layer of your skin. Wake up. Get to work. We want collagen, elastin, hydration!

Peptides increase the action of antioxidant enzymes that reduce free radical activity, in other words, damage. That’s what a free radical does, damage, to your skin cells.

Peptides speed cellular repair. They also increase wound healing in the skin.

Peptides can help to balance, or modulate, skin pigmentation.

Peptides can increase the action of anti-microbials, which kill bacteria in the skin.

So, peptides are absolutely something you need to have in your skin care product.