What are Copper Peptides & How Do They Help Our Skin?

Copper has two key beneficial properties for improving the well-being of the skin. One is biocidal properties. Also, copper as a mineral is involved in many physiological and metabolic processes that are essential for the appropriate functioning of all the bodily tissues including the skin.

What Are Copper Peptides?

Copper peptides are microscopic copper oxide particles, which are most commonly used in topical cosmetics to improve the health and vitality of the skin.

Skin Benefits of Copper Peptides

Copper plays a vital role in the physiological processes responsible for maintaining healthy skin. Specifically speaking, copper is involved in the synthesis and stabilization of extracellular matrix skin proteins and angiogenesis. According to clinical studies, copper peptides demonstrate anti-microbial properties by effectively curing athlete’s foot and other skin infections. Other studies show copper peptides ability to improve skin elasticity, reducing fine line and wrinkles in the face. Additionally, copper peptides are known to accelerate wound healing. 1

Copper Peptides on Skin Aging

As the largest organ of the body; the skin is the most important barrier system for protecting our internal tissues from external toxins – i.e. chemical, physical, and microbial stressors. It also prevents the loss of water and other endogenous substances while acting as a detoxification organ, assisting in the elimination of any built up internal toxins. The skin is broken up into three categories the epidermis, dermis and subcutaneous layers. • The epidermis: The outer most layer, the epidermis, contains keratinocytes that overlay the membrane, melanocytes and langerhans cells, which together act protective barrier. • The dermis: Below the base membrane, consists of fibroblasts, nerves, hair follicles, sebaceous glands, sweat glands, lymphatic and blood vessels. The dermal layer gives the skin its shape, firmness, and sensation. • The subcutaneous: This layer consists mostly of adipose tissue, acting primarily as a heat insulator and cushion. As the body ages, the skin naturally undergoes many changes. It eventually becomes wrinkled and losing its firmness, elasticity, tone, texture, thickness, flexibility and moisture content. Skin aging is said to be caused by a number of physiological changes. One of the primary changes is in the dermal extracellular matrix (ECM), which is made up mostly of collagen, elastin and skin fibers. Collagen and elastin are secreted by what are called fibroblasts. The production of collagen and elastin are mostly stimulated by transforming growth factor- β (TGF-β). Another factor in the changes of collagen and elastin is the absence of lysyl oxidase (LOX), which can regulate proper cross-linking of proteins. During aging, the reduction of elastin and collagen production is a result of a decrease in dermal fibroblasts and alterations in LOX, which break down the collagen/elastin fibers. These conditions are accelerated by inflammation and oxidative stress and can be slowed down by preventing inflammation and oxidative stress. This is where copper comes into play. Copper is one of the nine essential minerals for good health. It plays a role in various physiological normal processes in healthy skin formation. Specifically, copper stimulates dermal fibroblasts proliferation, upregulates collagen (types I, II, and V) and elastin fibers by increasing the production of fibroblasts. Copper also serves as a cofactor of LOX, which is needed for efficient protein cross-linking. Also, copper serves as a cofactor of superoxide dismutase, one of the most potent antioxidant enzymes present in the skin. This is important for projecting the skin free radicals, thus inhibiting cellular oxidative stress that damages skin membranes.

In Conclusion

Due to the important role copper plays in the physiological processes for maintaining healthy skin, applied topical copper peptides can be an effective skin regeneration agent. The powerful antioxidant qualities, collagen production abilities, and other abilities, make copper a very attractive agent for the improvement of skin health. This science is the exact reasoning behind the use of copper compounds in The Alitura Gold Serum.