The Skincare Ingredient that Will Make You Age Youthfully

by Wendy Kim on Sep 13, 2017

So what is your biggest skin concern? Acne? Dry patches? Dark Circles? Pores? Blackheads? Well, the list can go on and on. But! Most of the skincare concerns on the list are curable if you have the right skincare regimen.BUT, what is one skincare that we can’t forcefully stop? Yes, it’s skin aging. We can’t stop time and therefore we can’t stop aging from happening (simple, an unalterable law of gravity..) But would you be surprised if I tell you that there is a way to slow the process of skin aging? Or should I say that there is actually a way to age youthfully?It only takes ‘one’ to keep your skin youthfully on the journey of aging. And it’s something called “peptide”. But before we go deep into this pleasant ingredient, we have to know the basics of our skin structure and how aging works on our skin.

1. KNOW YOUR SKIN STRUCTURE FIRST

When we say skin structure, it sounds too complex and multi-layered like one of those delicious crepes. However, you’ll be surprised to find out that it’s actually not too complicated but rather simple. And we can mainly divide them into epidermis and dermis.Epidermis (=epithelium) : the epidermis contains skin cells, melanin, protein, and functions to protect the skin and maintain moisture levels. Dermis : the dermis contains blood vessels, nerves, hair follicles, sebaceous glands and other important apparatus are present. It delivers nutrients to the epidermis, and functions to maintain the skin’s health and elasticity. It is largely comprised of collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid, which are brought together by strong tissues that don’t easily get damaged by external stress.

2. WHAT EXACTLY AGES OUR SKIN?

Now that you know how the skin is structured like, let’s see how aging takes place on our skin. The pass of time of course, but it’s not the sole reason why our skin age. There are other factors that accelerate the speed of skin aging and it happens on a daily basis. There are mainly two different types of aging; intrinsic aging and extrinsic aging.Intrinsic Aging (Aging regardless of external factors)This is the aging that happens naturally according to the pass of time. Once over the age of 25, the rate of deterioration of collagen becomes faster than the rate it is produced in our skin and yes I know it’s sad but it’s true. The amount of collagen produced in the mid teens is said to be 100, 70 during our 20s and 35 when we hit 40s and this speed up the process of aging. Not only that, as we age, we tend to produce less hyaluronic acid, elastin, fibronectin, collagen and other components that are responsible for the radiance and elasticity of our skin.Extrinsic AgingThis aging all starts with UV rays, cigarette smoke, and other external environmental factors. UV rays in particular not only cause skin cancer, freckles, sun spots, and pigmentation but also damage skin’s collagen and elastin causing the skin to sag and age. It speeds up the process of skin aging. There are two different types of UV rays; UVB rays and UVA rays. UVB rays cause burns to the epidermis and even dermis which leads to skin pigmentation and discoloration 2-3 days after sun exposure. On the other hand, UVA rays penetrate down until the dermis. This not only damages the skin’s stem cells but also the skin’s collagen, elastin, and fibronectin. With just 30 minutes of exposure, your skin will be damaged until the derma cells and you’ll see immediate pigmentation as well.

3. WHY THE ‘PEPTIDE’ CRAZE?

So now we know that one of the deadly impacts of skin aging is the loss of collagen which ultimately creates wrinkles and makes the skin dull. But now here’s something interesting. As collagen deteriorates, it produces this friend called “peptide“. This sends a message to the skin that it has lost collagen and that it needs to generate more collagen. That is why with the application of skin care products that has peptide, you can successfully minimize wrinkles and give your skin a more youthful appearance. And peptide is comprised of two different components called EGF & bFGF which is also called dual-peptide. Well, it sounds complicated, but don’t worry, I’ll put it simply.EGF & bFGF- EGFEpidermal Growth Factor, works on the epidermis of the skin to promote skin regeneration. It is highly effective on the fine lines and wrinkles that form during the 20-30s. EGF is actually naturally present in the body, but rapidly deteriorates starting from the mid-20s. Replenishing the skin’s EGF with skincare regulates the skin turnover cycles to not only make skin regeneration faster, and strengthen the skin’s outer barrier, it also makes the skin plump and quickly improves the skin’s fine lines.- bFGFFibroblast Growth Factor, works deep in the skin (dermis). Not only cures skin damage caused by UVA rays, promotes production of collagen, hyaluronic acid, fibronectin, and other bodily components that were diminished by UVA damage, and improves the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, it also improves moisture and radiance levels of the skin, and has great effects on the deep wrinkles that start to form from the mid to late 30s.

4. PEPTIDE IN YOUR 1ST STEP OF SKINCARE

Now that you know what peptide does to your skin, you now know that it’s not just about removing wrinkles and making you look younger than your age. It’s about recovering your damaged skin, generating key ingredients that keep your skin in the healthiest condition and ultimately help you age youthfully. There are many anti-aging products (especially a lot of cream type products) out there that included the ingredient, peptide, so take a nice look and go for it.

[KLAIRS] Midnight Blue Youth Activating Drop

If it’s your first time hearing about peptide and you feel like cream products that carry anti-aging properties, here is a great recommendation. With just 10 simple ingredients with dual peptides in the forefront, it delivers the most effective key factors deep into your skin. Just add it into your very first step of skincare routine and within just 2-3 weeks, you will see a difference.