One of the most effective ingredients available in skincare products today used to treat, prevent, and slow the signs of aging is peptides.  Peptides are short polymers formed from linking certain types of amino acids in a specific sequence.  An important – if not the most important – factor in RSF Skincare is our high potency of peptides in all of our age-management skincare products.  While the closest competitor boasts a 17% peptide concentration, RSF products weigh-in at an impressive 50% concentration of peptides.

There are three key ways that peptides attack wrinkles, that are essential in understanding the potential for effectiveness of any cream or anti-aging product.

1. Peptides Sound the Signal to Your Skin, ‘Make More Collagen!’
As we get older, collagen is destroyed in the aging process, and unfortunately not replaced at anywhere near the rate at which it is depleted.  What was once smooth, young skin gets thinner and wrinkled.  An effective way to better the appearance of wrinkles is to replace lost collagen.  Specific peptides – that are formed when collagen breaks down – act as a signal to tell the skin there has been damage, and that it should immediately start making new collagen.  Topically applying peptides is a way to fool the skin into thinking there has been a greater loss of collagen than is actually occurring, tricking the skin into making more.

2. Peptides Give Your Skin a Good Dose of Copper
Peptides are small enough to penetrate the skin’s many layers, and get deep into the skin.  When copper attaches to a peptide, the peptide can take the copper to the thriving layers deep in the skin.  Why copper?  Certain research shows that copper is effective in healing the skin, not to mention it’s been used for decades to treat chronic wounds.  Copper peptides can act as an antioxidant, they’re necessary for the skin’s natural healing and regeneration, and they help to remove damaged collagen.

3. Neuropeptides Potentially Act Botox-like
While there is no confirming evidence one way or the other, some studies show that peptides might actually stop signal transmission from nerves to facial muscles.  A particular neuropeptide has been shown in labs to block the release of neurotransmitters from the nerves; therefore, in theory if it was absorbed through the skin and to the muscle, it has the potential to block muscle contraction.  This is how Botox works – by paralyzing the muscles to prevent the formation of wrinkles.

While peptides penetrating to the level of muscle paralyzing is debatable, there is still no shortage of reasons why peptides can be so beneficial to age management skincare routines.  Anything that continues to spur the skin to maintain or increase collagen production ultimately can have a major effect on the reduction of the appearance of wrinkles.