Informative Articles

The explanation may very well appear from understanding that the skin matrix is in charge of the skin's mechanical properties, including 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 mentioned. Yes, skin injured by stretch marks is identified by weakness, thinning, roughness, sagging, stiffness and decrease in the size of tissues, impaired cellular proliferation, and decreased function, also called atrophia.

The skin matrix is a precious resource which is both produced and consumed quite often during our lives. On one side, skin matrix is continuously synthesized by fibroblasts. On the other side, if it is damaged, malformed or worn out, skin matrix - especially the structural proteins collagen and elastin- is broken down into particles by gelattinase and collagenase enzymes, also named matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) and then reprocessed. By digesting 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 order: damaged or disfunctional matrix is degraded while the deficit is restored by the continuous biosynthesis. Unfortunately, this intricate balance gets disrupted because of hormonal imbalances, malnutrition, or and 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 important, 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 depend on the interaction between three factors. The first is the existence of active fibroblasts, which secrete the soluble precursor of elastin, tropoelastin. The second is the relative quantity of several skin matrix components within the skin also exuded 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 have any effect.

What is necessary is the biosynthesis and appropriate self-assembly of complex skin structures from within your body. The first step in elastic fiber formation is the manifestation of small cell surface-associated elastin globules (soluble tropoelastin) that enlarge 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 coordinated 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 newest stretch mark treatment 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 mode fails or falls short in most people bearing atrophic skin, apparently due to the particular chemistry of skin affected by such condition and an incapacity to answer to matrix synthesis boosters.

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

One, your body needs to be able to differentiate or identify scar tissue from the surrounding functional and healthy tissues in the skin matrix. Second, it must be able to degrade the proteins that those scars are made off and separate their component amino-acids to then eventually use them to create new skin matrix components.

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

Combined methods that include some form of abrading to physically break down some of the more superficial scarring, and a topical lotion that contains 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 produce significant improvements.

Such product can also effectively prevent stretch marks.

Please peruse our site to read more about how stretch marks can vanish with an effective stretch mark remedy that is safe for stretch mark treatment and prevention during pregnancy.