Exactly what is the difference between someone in their twenties to someone in their fifties or older? Commonly, the answer is only skin-deep: it lies in the collagen.
Exactly what Is Collagen?
Collagen is protein that supports the area around skin cells. It is a structural aspect of skin. In young skin, there is an abundance of it. In older skin, there is much less. Abundance of collagen makes skin firm and taut while scarcity of collagen causes skin to sag and wrinkle.
Skin has an epidermis, or surface area, and a dermis layer, or deeper area. Collagen occurs and disintegrates in the dermis layer of the skin.
An Analogy: The Dermis Is Like a Mattress
One way to understand how the skin aging process works is to compare the layers of skin to the layers of a bed. The upper layer resembles the cover sheet, the lower skin area is like the bed mattress below the sheet. Collagen, meanwhile, is similar to mattress foam.
Over the years, the foam in the bed mattress has the tendency to break down in specific places. It gets flatter with creases. Likewise, aging skin sags and wrinkles as collagen breaks up and gets reduced in quantity.
The Biological Process of Collagen Loss
Skin ages through the following three steps:
First, the reactive oxygen stimulates the manufacture of an enzyme called collagenase.
Second, collagenase will cause collagen to break down.
Third, fibroblasts, which are cells responsible for healthy and firm skin, will lose their elasticity. As these cells break down, even more collagenase is produced. This, in turn, causes increased collagen loss.
Interrupting the Biological Mechanism of Aging
If left to run its course, this aging process will continue relentlessly. By the time a person reaches their 80s, their rate of collagen breakdown has reached an astonishing rate -- it is four-times more than somebody in their 20s. This can be quite noticeable -- the elderly, for example, often bruise more easily. They also experience splitting skin because their skin is thinner.
The solution to changing the biological system of aging is to initiate collagen-building.
Antiaging Research on Collagen Rebuilding
There are three clinically-tested means to reconstruct collagen: one way is by getting Restylane injections; another way is by utilizing skin care products with Retinol; and, yet another way is by using CO2 resurfacing laser treatments.
1. Restylane.
According to a 2007 study done to analyze the effects of Restylane, which is a dermal filler injected into the skin, collagen can be restored. Restylane caused fibroblasts to renew their flexibility. When this occurred, new collagen developed. Interestingly enough, Restylane also prevented collagenase creation, and this led to less collagen breakdown.
2. Retinol.
Another study done in 2007, examined the anti-aging benefits of retinol, a type of Vitamin A found in skin lotions. Again, the results showed that it was possible to rebuild collagen. Those who used skin care products with retinol had less wrinkles and smoother skin.
3. Laser Treatments.
Researchers also found some laser treatments like carbon dioxide resurfacing were effective in stimulating collagen production. The process removes aging dermis, resulting in a three week period of skin regrowth as a result of renewed collagen production.
Exactly what Is Collagen?
Collagen is protein that supports the area around skin cells. It is a structural aspect of skin. In young skin, there is an abundance of it. In older skin, there is much less. Abundance of collagen makes skin firm and taut while scarcity of collagen causes skin to sag and wrinkle.
Skin has an epidermis, or surface area, and a dermis layer, or deeper area. Collagen occurs and disintegrates in the dermis layer of the skin.
An Analogy: The Dermis Is Like a Mattress
One way to understand how the skin aging process works is to compare the layers of skin to the layers of a bed. The upper layer resembles the cover sheet, the lower skin area is like the bed mattress below the sheet. Collagen, meanwhile, is similar to mattress foam.
Over the years, the foam in the bed mattress has the tendency to break down in specific places. It gets flatter with creases. Likewise, aging skin sags and wrinkles as collagen breaks up and gets reduced in quantity.
The Biological Process of Collagen Loss
Skin ages through the following three steps:
First, the reactive oxygen stimulates the manufacture of an enzyme called collagenase.
Second, collagenase will cause collagen to break down.
Third, fibroblasts, which are cells responsible for healthy and firm skin, will lose their elasticity. As these cells break down, even more collagenase is produced. This, in turn, causes increased collagen loss.
Interrupting the Biological Mechanism of Aging
If left to run its course, this aging process will continue relentlessly. By the time a person reaches their 80s, their rate of collagen breakdown has reached an astonishing rate -- it is four-times more than somebody in their 20s. This can be quite noticeable -- the elderly, for example, often bruise more easily. They also experience splitting skin because their skin is thinner.
The solution to changing the biological system of aging is to initiate collagen-building.
Antiaging Research on Collagen Rebuilding
There are three clinically-tested means to reconstruct collagen: one way is by getting Restylane injections; another way is by utilizing skin care products with Retinol; and, yet another way is by using CO2 resurfacing laser treatments.
1. Restylane.
According to a 2007 study done to analyze the effects of Restylane, which is a dermal filler injected into the skin, collagen can be restored. Restylane caused fibroblasts to renew their flexibility. When this occurred, new collagen developed. Interestingly enough, Restylane also prevented collagenase creation, and this led to less collagen breakdown.
2. Retinol.
Another study done in 2007, examined the anti-aging benefits of retinol, a type of Vitamin A found in skin lotions. Again, the results showed that it was possible to rebuild collagen. Those who used skin care products with retinol had less wrinkles and smoother skin.
3. Laser Treatments.
Researchers also found some laser treatments like carbon dioxide resurfacing were effective in stimulating collagen production. The process removes aging dermis, resulting in a three week period of skin regrowth as a result of renewed collagen production.
About the Author:
Visit Cindy Seifried's website for more information about Fractional CO2 Resurfacing Skin Treatment.
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