All bodily processes and functions, including skin maintenance and renewal, depend on peptides, or short-chain amino acids that can form into larger protein molecules.
As a board-certified anti-aging expert who specializes in holistic skin rejuvenation, Jennylle Zanzi, FNP-C, and our expert team at RVA Regenerative Wellness are here to explain what makes these “small proteins” so important, and how you can harness their benefits to turn back the hands of time.
Proteins are the foundation of good health and normal function. At least 10,000 different proteins are hard at work in your body at any given time. Some of these large, complex molecules have enzyme, antibody, or signal-transmitting functions. Others give cells and tissues their structure, strength, and stability.
Essentially, proteins make you what you are and keep you that way.
Your body makes the proteins it needs by modifying other proteins or building them from scratch using about 20 different building blocks called amino acids. Several amino acids are “nonessential,” meaning your body can make them; you obtain “essential” amino acids from your diet.
If amino acids are the building block of proteins, and proteins are the building blocks of your body, then peptides emerge in the middle of this spectrum.
A peptide is a short chain of amino acids that either forms to carry out a specific function or combines with other peptides to create a long-chain protein. For instance, your pancreas produces insulin, a blood-sugar-regulating “peptide hormone” made of 51 amino acids linked together.
Present in every cell and tissue, these small proteins play pivotal roles in a vast array of bodily processes, ranging from immune system function, metabolism, and sleep function to muscle repair, wound healing, memory, and much more. Many peptides that act as hormones also act as neurotransmitters (neuropeptides).
Peptides are either endogenous or exogenous. Endogenous peptides are made by your body, while exogenous peptides enter your body from external sources like food, dietary supplements, medication, and skin care products.
Exogenous peptides from non-food sources are synthetic, or made by humans. The first human-made exogenous peptide, insulin, was created about a century ago in 1923.
Your body makes thousands of distinct peptides that work in concert to keep you healthy. Unfortunately, ordinary factors like illness, stress, and aging can diminish peptide synthesis and undermine various aspects of your well-being.
Luckily, we can harness the power of peptides to address a range of common concerns — including damaged or aging skin. Peptides play a critical role in skin health, and when it comes to repairing your epidermal structures and rejuvenating your complexion, peptide treatments are an all-natural skin-renewing powerhouse. They can help:
Peptide treatment provides these skin benefits by stimulating the renewed production of collagen and elastin, the two “building block” proteins that keep your skin strong, smooth, resilient, and healthy. Antimicrobial peptides can also help clear acne breakouts.
At RVA Regenerative Wellness, we combine peptide therapy with another potent skin renewal treatment — microneedling with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) — to help you attain optimal skin revitalization results.
Also known as collagen induction therapy, microneedling uses a special pen-like device with tiny, sterile needles to create microchannels across your skin. On their own, these minor “injuries'' prompt intensive collagen remodeling. They also provide an excellent way to deliver skin-renewing serums straight to your deepest epidermal layer.
After we’ve created the microchannels, we smooth PRP — a concentration of platelets derived from your own blood sample — across the tiny openings in your skin surface. PRP is rich in powerful regenerative cells called growth factors.
We enhance the skin-boosting benefits of PRP by blending it with UltraMint, our proprietary mixture of peptides, growth factors, and hyaluronic acid that magnify the effects of PRP to take your skin renewal results to the next level. Our synthetic collagen peptides match the exact biostructure, potency, and purity of your skin’s own natural collagen peptides.
Ready to put peptides to work for your skin? We can help. Give us a call at 786-224-6878 today, or use our online booking feature to schedule a visit at RVA Regenerative Wellness in Midlothian, Virginia, anytime.
