Deeper than skin - CARING FOR YOUR BIGGEST ORGAN
Our skin is an ever-changing, protective layer without which we could not live. Delicate yet tough, soft yet protective, supple yet durable
– skin is the barrier that breathes with us and protects us.
With three main layers, skin is made up of the epidermis, the outer layer which acts like breathable water-proofing and repels harmful pathogens; the dermis, a network made up of collagen and elastin, plumping up the skin; and the hypodermis, containing our fat cells, larger blood vessels, hair follicles and other organelles.
Every one of us worries about our skin ageing – after all, it is the most obvious way that our body has of showing that we are getting older. As we age though, our skin makes less sebum, and the flow of blood to the surface reduces. The barrier function of the epidermis is disrupted, and the cellular matrix of the dermis becomes thinner and less flexible.
Although unavoidable, you no longer need to worry about ageing prematurely. Now you can have a huge impact on how fast your skin ages. Beauty and health can radiate through our skin given the right care. Nutrition and effective skin care are the fundamentals of ageless beauty.
Collagen has long been touted as the fix-all for skin, and has many properties that help to keep your skin looking healthy and clear. Collagens are the principle protein of connective tissue and include a family of proteins that reinforce and maintain tissue throughout the body, ncluding your skin, tendons, bones, and cartilage.
HOW CAN YOU SLOW DOWN THE PHYSICAL SIGNS OF AGING?
Collagen peptides contain amino acids which serve as the building blocks of keratin, which helps keep your hair and nails strong. The skin also uses amino acids to repair damage and replace skin cells and collagen tissue. Not only can the collagen peptide (short collagen proteins) in NSP increase levels of collagen in the skin, it also reduces the activity of the enzyme collagenase, which breaks down collagen in the space between cells.
Sheep and deer placenta are incredibly rich in collagen naturally, and is broken up into peptides during processing.
Writing in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry in 2009, Shigemura and associates stated that: “collagen peptide exhibits its effects on health and beauty through mechanisms unique to collagen peptide.”
In other words, the collagen peptide appears to be unlike most other peptides, in terms of improving skin quality and appearance.
