Causes of Facial Wrinkling
One of the most striking signs of skin ageing is increased wrinkles of the face. This can occur naturally over time and is attributed by certain biochemical, histological and physiological changes, and that are enhanced by environmental exposure. There are other secondary factors that can cause characteristic folds, furrows and creases of the face. One of it being repeated facial movements caused by the contraction of the muscles of facial expression. Recent studies clearly establish that these changes can be significantly reduced by inhibiting the SNARE complex formation – vital membrane proteins that mediate neuronal exocytosis. Their inhibition by short synthetic peptides can decrease facial wrinkle formation, and thereby reverse the appearance of ageing.
IN VIVO: SKIN TOPOGRAPHIC EFFECT OF ACETYL HEXAPEPTIDE-8 ON WRINKLE DEPTH
An independent study1 of the effect of Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 on the elasticity of the skin was performed. Using silicone facial replicas and confocal microscopic analysis, the researchers measured changes in the depth of skin wrinkles. The skin replicas (Figure 5.) show the improvement in facial smoothness at 15 and 30 days post-Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 treatment, compared with the results obtained on the control. The researchers concluded that Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 reduced the depth of wrinkles by 17% on average after 15 days, and by 27% on average, following 30 days of treatment.
IN VIVO: PROFILOMETRY OF ACETYL HEXAPEPTIDE-8 ON WRINKLE DEPTH
Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 in cream format was applied twice daily around the eyes of 14 volunteers, aged 39 to 64, for 28 days. Silicon imprints of the treated areas were obtained before the test and after 28 days, and roughness was measured by confocal profilometry. A decrease of up to –31.80% in wrinkle depth was observed.
