What are Peptides in Skin Care: Everything You Need to Know
Peptides: we hear so much about them, but do we really know how they actually work on our skin? Nowadays, there are so many skincare ingredients that we hear about every day. All of them promise to make drastic changes to the skin. Is that really true? Well, some ingredients create more hype than they should, but others like peptides, are definitely those you don’t want to miss.
What are Peptides in Skin Care?
Peptides, also called polypeptides are short chains of amino acids and blocks of proteins (keratin, elastin, collagen). They are naturally occurring in the body and skin, but many skin care products include peptides, and for a good cause. Since collagen makes your skin look wrinkle-free, using peptides in skin care means your skin will look plumped, well hydrated, and bright.
Photo by Humphrey Muleba on Unsplash
Benefits of Peptides in Skin Care
Incorporating peptides in your skin care can have multiple effects. They are able to absorb very quickly into the skin, so your body can benefit as well. These are some of the benefits that you get once you start using peptides in skin care
Reduces Wrinkles
Since peptides are build from protein blocks, collagen is one of the main reasons why your skin looks plumped and even. When you start using peptides in skin care products, your face will become firmer, while the wrinkles and fine lines will be less visible.
Repairing Skin Barrier
The skin barrier is the body’s line of defense against bacteria, pollution, different toxins, and of course the ultraviolet sun rays. That is why it is crucial to protect it, repair it, and straighten it with skin care products.
Unfortunately, the skin barrier can be easily destroyed with over-exfoliation and pollution exposure. Products with peptides can help build up a strong skin barrier.
Eases Inflammation
Antioxidants in peptides can help your skin to calm and soothe, due to the inflammation process. Peptides repair damaged skin and even skin tone.
Locks in Hydratation
Since collagen production decreases with age, your skin might become dehydrated. Peptides boost collagen production, so they lock in hydration, making it look softer and plumper.
Make Skin Firmer
Peptides signal your skin to make more collagen, which makes your skin firmer. According to some dermatologists, it is like having a topical botox.
Side Effects of Using Peptides
Even though peptides are now more present in skin care products than ever, there are still some side effects you should be aware of.
First of all, products with peptides are often very expensive. There just has not been scientific proof that peptides can really smooth out the wrinkles and fine lines, just like Botox. For instance, there is more evidence that AHAs and retinol can lead to wrinkle-free skin, but the research is developing.
According to a dermatologist, not all peptides will have the same effect on your skin. Consulting with your dermatologist might be the safest way to find out what skin care products will be the most efficient for your skin concerns.
How to Use Peptides
This trending ingredient has already found its way to the drugstore shelves where you can find it in a form of face washes, tonics, serums, creams, masks, etc. As a rule of thumb, you should use peptides twice a day. The effects definitely depend on the frequency of usage, but this is the recommended, safe amount per day.
If you have decided to try peptides and what effect they will have on your skin, then don’t waste your money on products like cleansers or masks. They will rinse off almost instantly, and you won’t see any effects. Instead, go for serums and creams that have smaller molecule sizes, so they penetrate deep into the skin.
Conclusion
All in all, peptides are the ingredient of the hour. You can find many different products enriched with polypeptides, but there is no scientific evidence that they work miracles, just yet. Since research is developing, we will have more evidence about how peptides can affect your skin concerns.
However, if you decide to shop for peptides, definitely expect to see firmer, brighter, and even skin.
