Peptides – the anti-aging heroes, approved by scientists

One of the main reasons why we keep looking for new and effective skincare products is our desire to fight premature aging and its visible signs – wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, texture changes, and general sagginess. UV radiation, hormonal changes, and lifestyle elements are only a few reasons why our skin may start showing signs of aging earlier than we’d like it to. Still, well though-through skincare allows us to successfully fight them and help our skin recover and be more resilient. One group of the most popular skincare ingredients that can provide marvelous results in this area are peptides. Their benefits are well-researched, noticeable, and surprisingly versatile.

What are peptides and why do we need them? 

Peptides are short amino acid chains that differ from proteins according to their different lengths. Peptides contain of 50 amino acids and less while proteins are made of over 50 amino acids. Our bodies contain over 7000 peptides that perform various important physiological functions, such as hormone, neurotransmitter, growth factor regulation, etc. We can replenish our peptide resources with our diet (Peptides are found in soybeans, various seeds, milk, eggs, etc.), food supplements, or various peptide-enriched skincare products.

The world of dermatology has been familiar with peptides and their benefits for many years now. They have various benefits for the skin:

1) Peptides fight premature aging. When used topically, peptides act as messengers that tell the cells to perform certain functions, such as collagen and elastin production. That is why the skin can look and feel younger, the number of fine lines and wrinkles decreases, the skin becomes more even and bright.  

2) Peptides have an anti-inflammatory effect. Since peptides fight inflammation, they are admired by those who are battling acne, rosacea, or eczema since these are, first and foremost, inflammatory conditions. 

3) Peptides strengthen the protective barrier. Peptides boost the immunity of the skin and help to recover its protective barrier that gets weakened by many environmental factors. 

4) Peptides help to reduce UV radiation damage. Even though peptide-rich cosmetic products cannot replace sunscreen, it must be acknowledged that the melanin production stimulation that they provide may reduce the negative effects of UV rays. Since UV damage is one of the main culprits behind premature aging, skincare products with peptides might offer us double benefits. 

Peptides in skincare 

While navigating what the beauty industry has to offer, we will discover various products that contain peptides. Yet, their effectiveness and benefits differ. There are many peptide combinations that can be beneficial for the skin (but no single miracle combination, so don‘t get fooled) in many ways. Also, peptides have one more perk that is worth mentioning – since they are naturally found in our bodies, most of them are suitable for even the most sensitive skin.

When it comes to choosing the right products for your particular skin, you should definitely aim for products that stay on the skin for a longer period of time – creams, serums, and masks. Even though the market is filled with peptide cleansers, choosing them might not be the smartest decision because we rinse them off and peptides don‘t get enough time to do their magic. When used correctly, peptides can penetrate deep into the skin and do what they do best – help it on the deepest levels.

In order to achieve maximum results, you should use peptides along with other beneficial skincare ingredients. They work well with vitamin C, niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, green tea and Kakadu plum extracts, retinoids. Yet, you should be careful when it comes to AHAs (alpha hydroxy acids) since they might inhibit the potency of peptides. Yet, if you‘re using an AHA cleanser, you should be fine, since it‘s a rinse-off product.

Peptides in MATH Skincare products 

MATH Skincare moisturizer Cell Booster contains two types of peptides:

SYN-AKE. It is a synthetic peptide, created by using a patented mechanism. It mimics the effects of a very powerful peptide that is found in the venom of the temple viper(Waglerin-1). Waglerin-1 prevents the uptake of sodium by the muscles by working on the mnAchR receptor. Sodium uptake prevention inhibits the transmission of nerve impulses to the muscles, and the muscles stay relaxed. This relaxation of the muscles reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles that appear because of constant muscular movements repeating over the years. That is why Syn-Ake is so effective in battling fine lines and wrinkles.  

SYN-COLL. It is a patented peptide that mimics the processes that happen in the body that increase collagen production and prevent collagen degradation. According to scientific research, after only four weeks, the subjects noticed that the visible signs of photo-aging were reversed, the firmness of the skin increased by 7%, and its elasticity – by 5%. The general amount of wrinkles decreased by 12%.   

If you choose your peptides wisely and use them with other anti-aging superingredients, you will be able to achieve extraordinary results. Even though we cannot stop time, we can definitely look great in every period of our lives and enjoy healthy and glowing skin day in and day out.