Should I be using Peptides on my skin?

Being bombarded with new discoveries and beauty hype every day, it is difficult to know what is really good for your skin. Understanding the structure of the skin and how it is affected by aging and the environment helps us determine what we can do to preserve its youthfulness.

 

Why do you get wrinkles and lax skin? 

Collagen and Elastin make up 80% of your skin. These proteins are what keep your skin plump and flexible. Environmental factors such as the sun, pollution, smoking and eating sugar break down collagen fibres causing wrinkles and sagging skin. To make things worse, your body's ability to produce collagen fibres diminishes with age.

What helps rebuild collagen?

 Antioxidants are important, specially vitamin C and A. Vitamin A is probably the most important ingredient in a good skin care product. Vitamin A not only helps produce collagen, but also repairs the DNA of damaged cells allowing them to produce healthy collagen. Vitamin A also disperses melanin granules (the colour in our skin) so they don't group and form brown spots and pigmentation.

Other functions of vitamin A are the control of oil production; the reduction of acne; the exfoliation of dead skin cells; and because of its correction of the DNA, the prevention and reduction of skin cancers.


Hyaluronic acid is also very important for your skin. It is the filler between collagen fibres. It helps retain water in the skin, improving skin hydration, stimulating the production of collagen, and maintaining the skin's elasticity.

Some beauty treatments such as Skin Needling stimulate the production of collagen by causing micro injuries that prompt the body's natural healing responses. 

What are Peptides?

Peptides are short chains of amino acids.  The proteins in our bodies are made out of long chains of peptides. Peptides send messages to the cells and tell them what to do. 

By applying the right peptides to your skin you can tell the cells to produce more collagen, to protect the collagen, and even to relax the muscles, decreasing wrinkles such as the brow frown (a similar effect to Botox).

Beauty treatments such as IPL/Laser photorejuvenation and Radio Frequency treatments heat up the damaged collagen fibres breaking them down into peptides which signal the skin cells to produce more collagen.

Other things you should do to protect your skin's collagen

The sun is the major culprit when in comes to collagen damage. Always use a broad spectrum sunscreen, zinc or titanium dioxide are best. Remember to reapply every 2 hours, more often if you are swimming because it may rub off with the towel. Also wear a hat, try to keep out of the sun, and wear long sleeves.

The second culprit is eating sugar. Sugar in the bloodstream attaches to proteins creating AGEs (Advanced Glycation End-products). AGEs are harmful molecules that damage collagen and elastin in a domino-like effect. The more sugar you eat the more AGEs your body creates.

Smoking is also very harmful to the skin. The toxins in cigarette smoke damage your collagen causing deep lines around the mouth.

How to choose the best sunscreen

Wearing sunscreen should now be part of our daily routine before we go out. UV rays not only cause skin cancer, they are also responsible for most of the skin damage associated with premature aging.

Having become such an important factor in our lives it is imperative that we know how to choose the best sunscreen for us. There was a time when choosing a sunscreen was all about the SPF (Sun Protection Factor). New research and studies have made it far more complex.

UVB and UVA Rays

There are two types of UV rays: UVB and UVA. Both types of UV rays cause cellular damage and can cause skin cancer.

UVB rays are responsible for you getting a sunburn. SPF refers to this type of UV rays. When choosing a sunscreen make sure it is at least SPF 15. Active ingredients that protect against UVB rays are:

• Para-aminobenzoic Acid (PABA)
• Cinoxate
• Ensulizole
• Homosalate
• Octocrylene
• Octinoxate
• Octisalete
• Padimate O
• Trolamine Salicylate

UVA rays penetrate deep into the skin and cause premature aging such as wrinkles, lax skin and pigmentation. Sunscreens that protect against UVA rays say “Broad Spectrum”. Ingredients that protect against UVA rays are:

• Avobenzone
• Ecamsule (Mexoryl SX)
• Meradimate

Ingredients that offer both UVB and UVA protection are:

• Dioxybenzone
• Oxybenzone
• Sulisobenzone
• Titanium Dioxide
• Zinc Oxide

What SPF should I choose?

The SPF tells us how effective a sunscreen is in preventing sunburn. If you burn in 10 minutes an SPF 15 will protect you for 150 minutes (10x15) or 2 hours and a half, SPF 30 for 300 minutes or 5hours. This doesn't mean that you can be that long without reapplying, remember that rubbing, sweating, swimming, etc. will decrease its effectiveness.

SPF 15 filters out 93% of UVB rays, SPF 30 filters 97% and SPF 50 filters 98%, so the added protection after SPF 15 is not much.

Chemical vs Physical Sunscreens

Sunscreens can be further classified into Chemical or Physical depending on the ingredients they contain. Chemical sunscreens absorb the UV rays converting them into heat energy, while physical ones deflect and scatter the UV rays before they penetrate the skin.

Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide are physical sunscreens. These are the sunscreens that used to leave a white film over our skins. New manufacturing methods now break the molecules into micro-particles that penetrate the skin without leaving a white residue, beware the cheaper sunscreens may still leave you looking ghostly.

Physical sunscreens are better because they are gentler and less likely to cause an allergic reaction. They are better suited for babies and people with skin conditions such as eczema, and Rosacea.

Chemical sunscreens have also the disadvantage that when they absorb the UV rays they break down and produce free radicals. Free radicals can also damage our cells accelerating ageing. So, if you can, choose a sunscreen that contains Titanium Dioxide or Zinc Oxide.

Other factors to consider

When choosing the best sunscreen for you it is important to consider your skin type. Oily skins will benefit for a light formula, water based, rather than cream. Spray on sunscreens may be better for this type of skin. Ensulizole has a lighter consistency that other UVB filters. If you suffer from Acne and you are using Retinol or Roaccutane you should consider that these products make your skin more sensitive to the sun and take extra precautions, such as using a higher SPF, keeping in the shade and wearing a wide brimmed hat and long sleeves.

If your skin is dry, some sunscreens come with added moisturisers which will help maintain your skin balance.

If you have sensitive skin or suffer from eczema or Rosacea avoid sunscreens containing PABA or Oxybenzone as well as fragrances, alcohol and preservatives. The best sunscreens for sensitive skins are those containing Titanium Dioxide, Zinc Oxide, Trolamine Salicylate or Ecamsule

For babies and children it is also best to use a physical sunscreen because they are less likely to cause any skin reactions. Also, a spray on sunscreen may be easier to apply, just make sure you don’t spray directly onto their face, but rather on your hands and then rub it on the face.

How to use sunscreen correctly

Most of us don't know how to use sunscreen correctly. Here are some tips to make sure you are well protected at all times:

• Apply liberally. Most people don't apply enough or leave patches uncovered and thus don't get the level of protection stated in the package. It is recommended that you wait 10 minutes and reapply to make sure you have achieved the best coverage.
• Make sure you also apply sunscreen to the back of your neck, nose, tip of your ears, back of your legs, and feet.
• Reapply frequently. Sweating, water, rubbing off with clothing and towels, removes some of the sunscreen, so it is important to reapply every two hours.
• Wait at least 20 minutes before going under the sun. Sunscreen takes that long to be absorbed by the skin.
• If you are swimming or exercising you should buy a water resistant sunscreen. Water resistant sunscreens are good for 40-80 minutes in the water, so you need to reapply often.
• Apply sunscreen even if the day is cloudy or overcast. Remember, UV rays are not visible to the naked eye, and on a cloudy day up to 80% of the UV rays can get through.
• Just because the day is cold it doesn't mean you won't get damage from the sun. You may need less sunscreen during the winter months, but if you are having a day out in the sun, you still need to put on sunscreen.
• Sunscreen is not enough:
  • Try to avoid being under the sun between 10am and 4pm.
  • Keep to the shade
  • Wear a wide brimmed hat
  • Wear sunglasses
  • Wear long sleeves, and preferably dark clothes with tight woven fabric.

How to avoid lines and wrinkles around the lip area

Have you ever wondered why some people despite being only in their early 30's show a large amount of lines and wrinkles in the skin around the lips?

When you are talking to another person your eyes are drawn to movement and the mouth is one of the main focal points, second only to the eyes. In other words, if you have deep lines around the lips it will be the first thing the other person will notice about you, that is why it is so important to keep your mouth looking it's best.

There are many factors, all avoidable, that contribute to lines around the lips.

1.  The main culprit is smoking. Smoking cigarettes will damage your skin in two ways:
• The actual cigarette smoke contains many toxins that dry and kill the skin cells and the lips are the most exposed area. 
• Puckering the lips when inhaling makes your muscles overwork in the same expression creating wrinkles around the lips.


2. From about two decades ago, we are seeing carrying our water bottles around everywhere we go. Initially confined to the gym and excursions the water bottle has now become our constant companion, with the average person taking a sip every 5-10 minutes.
   
   You should be aware that this health icon is one of the worst habits that cause lines and wrinkles around the mouth. The constant puckering of the lips, dozens of times a day, cause deep lines over time. So, next time, when you sit at your desk with a water bottle, also grab a cup and drink from the cup instead.
   
   If you are out and about you can try squirting the water into your mouth or drinking with the whole lid off, rather than sucking it.


3.  Avoiding the sun whenever your can or using a broad spectrum sunscreen will prevent the formation of fine lines around the mouth. The sun causes premature aging causing the collagen in our skin to break down and the cells to dry increasing deep lines in the lip area and our face in general.
   


4. Drinking alcohol dehydrates our skin contributing to wrinkles around the mouth, so minimise alcohol intake.


5. Clean and moisturise your skin twice daily: morning and night. Don't use soap. Use a cleaning lotion that is gentle to the skin and will balance your PH. Follow it by applying a good moisturising cream that will hydrate your skin diminishing fine lines and wrinkles around the mouth and the whole face in general.


6. Drink plenty of water, specially during the summer months. Water will hydrate your skin keeping it supple thus diminishing unsightly deep lines.