Buying peptides for your skin, do or not?
Buying peptides is one of the best things you can do for your skin. Peptides are one of the most effective active ingredients available to reduce wrinkles and restore firmness to the skin. Here's everything you need to know before including this collagen-boosting ingredient in your skincare routine.
Imagine having a direct connection to your skin cells. “Hey, I'm starting to see some lines between my eyebrows,” you might tell them. “Can we double collagen production this week?”
But because direct contact with your skin cells will probably take forever, you might consider doing so in the meantime use skin care products containing peptides. Peptides communicate with our skin cells as small packets, so they can communicate with each other more efficiently and fight and slow down wrinkles and lines.
With that in mind, peptides are one of the strongest substances we have for reducing wrinkles and firming the skin. If your interest is sparked, read on to learn how peptides work, and how you can reap their benefits.
What are Peptides?
Peptides are short chains of amino acids, where the amino acids are the smallest building blocks of a protein. And proteins in the form of elastin, keratin and collagen – give the skin its structure and resilience.
Because peptides are amino acids and not proteins per se, they can penetrate the skin – unlike collagen, for example – when applied topically. There is a limit to the size of a particle to be absorbed by the stratum corneum – which is the top layer of our skin, the epidermis – and then used in a biological way in the skin.
Different lengths and arrangements of these tiny amino acid chains result in different types of peptides being created. And although they all communicate with our skin cells, not all of them convey their messages identically.
How do you get more peptides into your skin?
When it comes to improving the skin, we recommend getting peptides from skin care products. Pay attention to the formulation of the product: the stability of the ingredients and the ability to penetrate the skin barrier. This is where an appointment with the skin specialist may be important. NB! Most cheap products have poor stability and do not penetrate the skin well
Choosing the right type of product can also help a lot. There is little point in choosing a peptide-enriched cleanser as you rinse it straight from the skin. Choose a peptide cream or even better a peptide serum. Copper peptides help produce collagen, but also maintain the collagen produced and strengthen existing collagen.
Once you have found the right peptide cream or serum, apply it to clean skin twice a day before applying your makeup and SPF.
What types of peptides are used in cosmetics?
The main peptides used in skin care can be divided into a few categories (signal, carrier, enzyme inhibitor and neurotransmitter inhibitor), and depend on how they work.
Signal Peptides
Signal peptides activate mechanisms that influence wound healing. This in turn activates fibroblasts in response to broken chains of elastin and collagen. These types of peptides trick your skin cells into believing that there has been trauma. Your body then enters the recovery phase and activates the production of elastin and collagen - resulting in firmer, fuller skin.
Copper Peptides
Copper peptides are the most common type of carrier peptides, which contribute to the delivery of trace minerals to the skin. Copper in particular “helps with active wound healing”, which in turn promotes collagen production. There is also evidence that copper peptides have an antioxidant effect, meaning they help neutralize skin-damaging free radicals.
Enzyme inhibitory peptides
Enzyme inhibitor peptides are perhaps the most advanced: They work on the enzymes in your body that break down collagen over time. For most of us, this starts happening around the age of 20.
Neurotransmitter inhibitory peptides
Finally, neurotransmitter inhibitory peptides block the release of some chemical messengers that help muscles contract, thus producing a muscle relaxing effect theoretically similar to that of botulinum toxin.
Botulinum toxin is, as is known, the scientific name for Botox. But to compete with an injection, a superficial cream or serum must penetrate the epidermis, dermis and fat layer to actually relax the muscle. And while we know that peptides are small enough to penetrate the top layer of our skin, more scientific research is needed to develop neurotransmitter-inhibiting peptides that can penetrate even deeper.
That said, there are endless options when it comes to peptides, with many different labs having their own bioengineering and brands – which is why it's hard to say to look for one type in particular.
How can you use peptides in your facial care routine?
We hope we have now got an idea of how effective peptides can be, especially if you want to increase the firmness of your skin. But like any other skin care ingredient, results can only be achieved with long-term and consistent use.
You usually encounter peptides in products such as moisturizers and serums. Most products that have a peptide complex will be labeled as such on the packaging, but you can also search the ingredients list for terms like “dipeptide,” “tripeptide,” and “hexapeptide” if you're unsure. Many product formulas use multiple forms of peptides to enhance the collagen-boosting effect, or combine peptides with other ingredients that contribute to a healthy skin barrier. And the good news is that there are plenty of options on the market.
Buy peptide cream or serum
We love it La Colline Cellular Absolute Radiance Eye Cream for the tired area around the eyes that combines peptides with the CMage complex for extra hydration and anti-aging effect.
We recommend for dry skin Muruad Nutrient Charged Water gel with no fewer than 5 different peptides, combined with 5 minerals and 5 vitamins.
Our best anti-aging serum for men with peptides is La Colline Cellular Revitalizing Rich Care for Men, specially developed for men's skin that keeps the skin soft even after shaving.
Collagen Peptides Supplements
We recommend working on the skin from the inside Laviesage Boost & Lift, this product combines elastin peptides with fish collagen triptides (Collagen hydrolyzate peptides), hylaronic acid and Vitamin C for the best approach from within.
Peptides question and answer
According to dermatologists and skin care experts, peptides in skin care help prevent signs of premature aging and keep the skin soft, supple and youthful.
Peptides are proteins. Proteins are the building blocks of our skin and our skin needs them to remain firm and intact. As we age, the bonds between these proteins loosen, causing us to lose firmness and elasticity. Peptides in skin care help hold these bonds together, but remember that peptides need other ingredients to maximize their benefits, such as antioxidants.
You apply the product with the smaller molecules first. If Peptides are used in cream form, Retinol serums or other serums are usually applied first. Cream always comes after the serum!
Peptides work perfectly together with other anti-aging ingredients for the skin such as retinol, vitamin C and niacinamide.
Hyperpigmentation occurs when areas of the skin produce too much melanin, or pigment. This is a common problem for many women and men. Certain peptides can help brighten and even skin tone affected by pigmentation problems. But tackling hyperpigmentation is not possible without being treated, read more about this treat pigment spots
When looking for peptides in skin care products, look for words that end with “peptide” or start with “palmitoyl.” You will also see prefixes like -di, -tri, -hexa, -oligo, etc. to indicate how many amino acids the peptide consists of.
Retinol helps to accelerate cell renewal, Petiden improves, among other things, collagen and hyaluronic acid in the skin. There is not one better, they do something different in the skin.
Peptides do not cause irritation, redness or dryness of the skin and are therefore safe to use on all skin types. However, potential users should be aware that peptide skin care products may contain other ingredients that may cause irritation or inflammation.
Supplements such as Laviesage Skin Boost & Lift contain collagen–peptides (we call this hydrolyzed collagen). This is collagen, but then broken down into different amino acids. This allows our body to absorb it better and faster.
For all skin types
Around the age of 25, collagen decreases by approximately 1% every year. Collagen also deteriorates in quality as you get older. So it is good to think early on about supporting your collagen levels through: peptides to prevent premature skin aging.
