Why Peptides Are Perfect For Treating Wrinkles

Peptides’ popularity has never been higher, but you may still be asking, what’s the point of peptides? After all, there are a lot of skincare ingredients on the market for a person to keep track of. It can be difficult to remember which ones are worth your time (and money!). We’re here to make a case for the importance of peptides — particularly if wrinkles have become your number-one skin concern. Keep reading to find out why.

What are peptides?

Peptides are short chains of amino acids naturally present in the body where they form the basis of essential proteins like collagen and elastin. Peptides are the driver that spur your skin to make more of the plumping, lifting, filling collagen and elastin fibers we all hold so dear. As you get older, your natural production of peptides (and therefore, collagen and elastin) decreases. Peptides in topical skincare help pick up the slack by mimicking the cellular stimulation messages that the peptides already inside your body would send (if there were more of them). And in response, your body’s collagen factory keeps its production line firing on all cylinders, churning out fresh, new fibers to help keep your complexion bouncy. 

Why are peptides a great ingredient for wrinkles?

Did we mention their ability to increase collagen levels? There are many reasons skin develops wrinkles. But in the end, it all pretty much comes down to a lack of collagen — the “scaffold of skin,” responsible for giving tissue lift and structure. Without enough collagen for support, skin droops, folding on itself or settling into furrows. But if you’re regularly applying topical peptides via your skincare, you help your body make up the collagen deficit that’s largely responsible for your skin’s sagging appearance.

What are other skin benefits of using peptides?

There’s more than one upside to increasing collagen levels in skin. Beyond helping decrease the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, possessing a plethora of collagen will also aid the complexion in looking firmer, plumper, and more lifted. 

But peptides also have a secret superpower that doesn’t get as much airtime: They help strengthen skin’s moisture barrier. This is crucial because a healthy skin barrier is a necessary component to just about any positive outcome you want to have in relation to your skin’s appearance. A compromised skin barrier leaks moisture, lets in irritants, and generally degrades right before your very eyes.

At what age should you start applying peptides?

While it’s never too early (or late) to begin incorporating peptides into your daily skincare routine, the sweet spot for starting topical peptides is in your mid-20s to early 30s as that’s when the body’s natural collagen factory begins to slow, and skin responds by starting to show telltale signs of a collagen dip (think fine lines and a lack of elasticity).

Where can you find peptides in skincare?

Lucky for you, our new DermInfusions line is built around a multi-peptide blend that helps restore volume to depleted skin by stimulating the formation of fresh collagen. Select our Dr. Dennis Gross DermInfusions Fill + Repair Serum to give your complexion an overall boost in firmness and smoothness. Or reach for our Dr. Dennis Gross DermInfusions Plump + Repair Lip Treatment, if your focus is on fuller, softer lips. 

Unlike some other skincare ingredients that are a bit more finicky (we’re looking at you, vitamin C), peptides mix well with anything and everything. You can apply them as both a part of your morning skincare regimen, as well as during your nighttime one.

Learn More About Skincare From Dr. Dennis Gross