Have you ever wondered what COLLAGEN is and why there is so much talk about it in skincare?
Well, without getting too technical, collagen is a protein which is formed by amino acids. As I have mentioned before, more collagen is what we ALL want as we age. Collagen provides the support for the skin and keeps the wrinkles away and keeps the skin firm!
We had plenty of collagen when we were young, but as we get older, collagen formation definitely slows down. And, when collagen slows down, wrinkles occur, skin sagginess happens and our skin tone loses its brightness!
That’s where the importance of PEPTIDES comes in! Peptides are pre-cursers to the proteins of collagen and play an important part in the foundation of collagen formation.
There are many types of peptides, but two that I really love for my skin are called Matrixyl 3000 (which is actually two peptides called palmitoyl tetrapeptide and palmitoyl oligopeptide) and Argireline (acetyl hexapeptide). A wonderful serum that I use has BOTH of these peptides and Vitamin C (which is an excellent antioxident for the skin). It is made by Asterwood Naturals.
Matrixyl 3000 is known to help the skin form new collagen by tricking the skin into thinking that there is a breakdown of collagen, which in turn creates new collagen synthesis.
Argireline is sometimes referred to as "nature’s botox". It works by relaxing facial muscles, which in turn relaxes the skin and wrinkles.
I LOVE this serum, and I use it morning and night. A really effective trick I found is to MIX the peptide serum in my hand with a few drops of the EMU oil (See Tip # 18). Since the Emu Oil acts as a trans-dermal carrier, it helps to take the peptide serum down to the dermal layer where collagen is formed. This mixture makes it SUPER effective in fighting wrinkles and firming the skin!
