Thursday, February 6, 2014

What THE HECK are PEPTIDES? and why is everyone talking about them?

Have you heard the commercials and beauty buzz about Peptides in skin care and wondered to yourself, “What are peptides and why are they important?”.
 
In the simplest terminology, there are only 20 different amino acids in the human body. They are the building blocks of life.
 
When protein is broken down, amino acids are left. Your body uses these amino acids to make more proteins which grow and repair body tissue..
 
Different peptides and proteins in the body are comprised of different combinations and sequences of amino acids. When a chain of amino acids is over 50 acids long, it is usually called a protein, when it contains less than 50 amino acids in the chain it is a peptide. So, a peptide is a portion, (why we call them building blocks) of a protein.
 
All peptides influence or direct the cells of the body in some way. Different types of peptides influence different types of cells.
 
The most effective peptides in skin care work to mimic the appearance of broken down collagen, causing your skin to naturally react by producing more collagen. In a nutshell, when you apply a topical peptide-as it penetrates- each skin cell sends a message the one underneath it (and so on and so on)that your body has had a breakdown in collagen. Thereby triggering your body into 'healing mode' to produce more collagen!.
 
It's GENIUS, right?! This mechanism of tricking the skin to do what we want is very effective and the cornerstone of the most cutting edge procedures and technologies.
 
Peptide complexes also work to effectively increase lymphatic drainage and microcirculation by strengthening veins and capillaries, leading to a dramatic reduction in discoloration & swelling around the eyes.
 
By protecting the integrity of elastin & collagen bundles (two essential elements of the skin), and minimizing the impact of free radical damage, powerful peptides work to improve skin firmness and elasticity.
 
The Dermal-Epidermal Juncture (DEJ), responsible for the structural and functional integrity of the skin, begins to lose functionality around the age of 30. Therefore, peptides are a crucial part of your anti-aging regime which should also include a growth factor and anti-oxidants.
 
Now that we have that boring science stuff out of the way **YAWN** … All you need to know is USE IT!.
 
But how do you pick the right product with all these pushy sales people and larger than life commercial claims?
 
It’s overwhelming. If I were the average skin care consumer I would be at a total loss!!! Even now, I run through the skin care dept of high end mall stores with the skill of an NFL wide receiver… dodging, ducking and weaving, baby!
 
However, on the rare occasion a sales girl corners me with her gravitational tractor beam… I let her give me her pitch then bust out some fancy terminology and scientific data contradicting what she just said. Then, as her eyeballs spin for a minute, I can make a mad dash for the door. Salespeople can be very persuasive. They should be! They have a quota and a commission check to make!
 
Which is why we started this website!! We are tired of seeing patients dump hundreds of hard earned dollars into worthless skincare having no clue what these products were suppose to do or why and how to use them.
 
So, let me help you out..
 
I AM ABOUT TO LET YOU IN ON A HUGE SECRET!
 
Here is the honest truth and this is what I tell my patients on a daily basis.
 
The FDA regulates the amount of active ingredients that can be sold over the counter. So, whether you are paying $18 at Wal-type-Store or $180 at a high end department store…No OTC product can contain any more effective ingredients than is allowed by the FDA.
 
You are smart enough to pick up what I’m laying down here.
 
I have no problem with some OTC products. I regularly write up skin care regimes with Cetaphil and Aveeno cleansers and moisturizers. They are just as good as long as you use the right product for your skin type.
 
However, there are some integral components in your skin care regime that cannot be substituted with OTC.
 
When it comes to anti-aging products like peptides-get the most bang for your buck. Invest in a pharmaceutical grade peptide (pharmaceutical meaning CANNOT be sold OTC. Usually sold exclusively through your physician.
 
.These have more efficacy and are molecularly small enough to ACTUALLY penetrate the skin and reach the targeted area to reverse damage and repair cellular DNA.
 
My absolute favorite Peptide serum is Essential Serum by SkinMedica.
 
Essential Serum contains Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Silk peptides, and 7 Antioxidant--including EGT-a “Super-Antioxidant”.
 
Essential Serum also includes the best human growth factor serum on the market --TNS Recovery Complex as well as Vitamin C, Vitamin E and many other essential ingredients needed for more youthful skin.
 
It is also THE MOST effective product I have seen to help rebuild and stimulate the collagen matrix in the skin. SkinMedica is owned by Allergan (makers of Botox) and there is serious science behind this product.
 
This product retails for about $260 and one bottle, used 1 pump AM and PM, will last about 45 days. Keep in mind-when we are talking about collagen stimulation and cellular DNA repair-it takes about 90 days to see the changes. There is no way to speed that up.
 
Just like working out at the gym. It’s easy to get frustrated if you don't see results in a few days but just remember..
 
.NOTHING happens overnight. There is great stuff going on underneath the surface!
 
Be consistent and commit yourself to at least 90 days. It’s worth it!
 
 
As always,
 
.
 
HOW OLD YOU ARE IS YOUR BUSINESS,
 
HOW OLD YOU LOOK IS OURS!
 
 
Stay Golden, Pony Boy!
 
 
Michelle, Nancy and Laurie
 
THE SKIN GURUS

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