Articles - Snippits

The explanation may very well appear from understanding that the skin matrix is in charge of the skin's mechanical properties, like firmness, strength, suppleness, and elasticity. Stretch marks are tears in a skin matrix affected by atrophy, a condition characterized by exactly the opposite of those just described. Yes, skin affected by stretch marks is characterized by thinning, weakness, sagging, stiffness, roughness and decrease in the size of tissues, diminished cellular proliferation, and loss of functions, also called atrophia.

The skin matrix is a precious resource which is both produced and consumed quite frequently during our lives. On one hand, skin matrix is regularly synthesized by fibroblasts. On the other hand, if it is damaged, malformed or worn out, skin matrix - especially the structural proteins collagen and elastin- is broken down into fragments by collagenase and gelatinase enzymes, also named matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) and then recycled. By digesting or chopping up key matrix proteins, such as collagen and elastin, MMP enzymes play an underappreciated yet critical function in skin physiology.

In healthy or youthful skin, the synthesis and degradation of the matrix are in balance: damaged or disfunctional matrix is degraded while the deficit is restored by the progressing biosynthesis. Unfortunately, this difficult balance gets interfered with because of hormonal imbalances, malnutrition, or as we age, too little of the matrix is synthesized and too much is degraded. As with any supply-demand imbalance, it can be bettered by either augmenting supply (boosting biosynthesis of the matrix) or reducing demand (inhibiting the breakdown).

In particular, the synthesis of elastin is physiologically crucial, although elastin is only 2% of the total protein in the dermis. These skin fibers provide the flexibility of skin. Elastin synthesis and the regulation of the quantity of cross-linked insoluble collagen and elastin fibers depends on the interdependence between three factors. The first is the presence of active fibroblasts, which exude the soluble precursor of elastin, tropoelastin. The second is the relative amount of several skin matrix components within the skin also secreted by fibroblasts. The third are enzymes that are in charge of both the cell degradation progressions that allows the breakdown of dead cells into their component amino-acids and their renewal for the creation of new proteins (amino-acid chains).

So be careful of creams that contain soluble collagen and/or elastin, they will NOT do the trick.

What is necessary is the biosynthesis and appropriate self-assembly of complex skin structures from inside out your body. The first step in elastic fiber formation is the manifestation of small cell surface-associated elastin globules (soluble tropoelastin) that augment in size with time (microassembly). The elastin globules are afterwards transferred to pre-existing elastic fibers in the skin matrix where, through an intricate and organized biological process, they integrate into bigger structures (macroassembly) and become crosslinked funtional fiber-like polymers with changeable deformation and high resilience.

Collagen and Elastin Synthesis Boosters May Fail or Fall Short in People Affected by Atrophic Skin.

The latest stretch mark treatments and prevention products are focused on restoring skin matrix by stimulating the biosynthesis of collagen or elastin (e.g. ascorbic acid, copper peptides, palmitoyl pentapeptide, oligopeptides and other|synthetic copper peptides, ascorbic acid, oligopeptides, palmitoyl pentapeptide, and other). Unfortunately, this method fails or falls short in most people affected by atrophic skin, probably due to the peculiar chemistry of skin affected by such condition and an inability to respond to matrix synthesis boosters.

Their failure to affect existing stretch marks is most likely due to something important ingredient missing in those products; an element that would help your skin to get rid of scar tissues and stretch marks. In fact, your body needs two things to accomplish this.

One, your body needs to be able to distinguish or identify scar tissue from the adjacent functional and healthy tissues in the skin matrix. Second, it must be able to degrade the proteins that those scar tissues are made off and divide their component amino-acids to then eventually use them to generate new skin matrix elements.

This can only be accomplished by the action of two types of ingredients that act together. One is messenger molecules able to connect communication between cells and allow them to distinguish scar tissues from functional and/ or healthy tissues and trigger fibroblast proliferation. The other crucial ingredient is enzymes that dissolve the non functional, worn out, or damaged tissues that were identified by the messenger molecules.

Combined methods that introduce some form of abrading to physically break down some of the more superficial scarring, and a topical product that has not just moisturizer enhancers or collagen biosynthesis boosters, but also cell communicating ingredients, enzymes that 'dissolve' injured cells and scar proteins and skin regenerating activators can provide significant improvements.

Such product can also effectively prevent stretch marks.