Firm , resilient , youthful skin is always in . But there are many processes at play that can sabotage even our best efforts towards this goal .
One such process is glycation . In fact , glycation is one of the major contributing factors to collagen breakdown and sagging skin . Glycation affects our body ’ s most prominent anti-aging protein , collagen . Fortunately , aesthetic professionals know about combating glycation and preserving youthful looking skin .
Glycation and Aging : The Breakdown of Collagen
Glycation is the chemical process in which a sugar attaches to a protein . This sounds simple but damages collagen , leading to signs of aging .
Collagen is found in the joints , blood vessels , eyes , and especially the skin . It is best known for giving the skin its firmness , resilience , and elasticity . When a collagen protein becomes glycated , the sugar attachment makes the protein stiff . It can no longer perform its normal function and eventually breaks down .
Glycated collagen is damaged collagen . Since the body is eager to remove and replace any damaged tissue , it tries to make quick work of clearing out these damaged proteins . To do so , a special enzyme called collagenase digests the collagen so it can be reabsorbed by the body . Unfortunately , when collagenase is activated , it
When collagen is damaged and cleared by collagenase , fibroblasts are activated and begin to make more collagen .
does not always differentiate between damaged collagen and healthy collagen – so healthy collagen is sometimes digested as well .
Like inflammation and many other processes in the body , this breakdown is necessary and helpful in moderation , but can be damaging when excessive .
Repairing the Damage : Fibroblasts
To heal the damage from glycation and collagenase , fibroblasts are called upon to restore and replace collagen . Fibroblasts are cells found in the dermis that create collagen , elastin , and something called ground substance . Ground substance is a jelly-like mix-
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