Issue link: https://www.ascpskindeepdigital.com/i/942738
www.ascpskincare.com 45 Copper peptides, for example, really do have an anti-inflammatory effect by suppressing inflammatory cytokines. I have used copper peptides during topical procedures where they only stay on the skin for a certain amount of time. With the recent research about how too much copper in the epidermis can create contraindications, I would rather be safe than sorry. Copper peptides have helpful benefits, but again, they are not a primary energy source but more of a good support vehicle. COMPLEX BUT SIMPLE Whenever I see a particular ingredient endowed with too many attributes (collagen enhancing, promotes elastin and glycosaminoglycans, etc.), I chuckle and think of those old Western movies where the man is waving a bottle called "Dr. Smith's Magical Elixir" that cures all ills! There are many complex molecular activities that keep the marvelous organic computer that we call our body in repair—and most of the essential (outside) tools required are simple and singular, not multifaceted. For example, the peptide combo that makes up Argireline does seem to have a positive effect on skin. When formulated into a good transepidermal delivery system, there is 20–30 percent less muscle contraction at the site of application. The effects seem to be cumulative and maintainable. But, Argireline is certainly not a substitute for medical Botox or Dysport. Claims that these peptide serums or creams "go beyond" these medical esthetic innovations are absurd, and are marketed with the fear factor and expense of medical esthetics in mind. Argireline in a thin water-in-oil formulation, in fact, is a very good follow-up to treatments such as Botox, and will help maintain the precise and dramatic effects of these injections. My contention with adding isolated peptides to formulas that Many ingredients naturally contain peptides—vitamin C, retinoids, and other co-enzymes—so adding expensive peptides may be superfluous. already contain peptide action in other primary ingredients is that on their own, they are very small, fragile amino acids. The synthesized models seem more durable than the biologically natural ones, but we have no real parameters on how long they will survive in a product. Will they stay active enough to even get into the skin? My personal take is that there are ways to build better worker bees, keeping them under the Dalton Rule, thus easy to administer topically. The Dalton Rule states that anything under 500 Daltons (a unit used in expressing the molecular weight of proteins) can penetrate the epidermis (but many times are more unstable) and anything above 500 Daltons is not directly permeable into the epidermis. Many products contain active ingredients with extremely high frequencies that do create activity and changes in the epidermis— mimicking the natural functions of the skin at its best. Slapping a new and popular peptide into this product would not necessarily make it better or more efficient. Yet, back this up with a big marketing campaign and a few pseudo-scientific phrases lifted from Google and the product flies off the shelf. Don't be fooled: for now, ingredients that naturally contain peptides, and the tried- and-true Argireline doing its one little job, is what we can take to the bank as effective.