Over time, the most used muscles and thence the most experienced emotions become etched in the lines of our faces. Montaigne once said that by the age of thirty-five we are responsible for our face. Members of preliterate societies recognized this face and regarded the skin as a tableau of a life. The faces of Geronimo and Sitting Bull still paint a picture to us of great suffering and nobility. We grant faint tribute to these makes of courage or weakness as “character lines.” But in other cultures at other times, facial lines carried immense symbolic value…In Western society we venerate the tabula rasa of the youthful countenance and abhor wrinkles.”
– Marc Lappe, PhD, The Body’s Edge: Our Cultural Obsession with Skin
Keeping it all together, and youthful…What these structures do:
Collagen and Elastin are the key components of our appearance. Without elastin, our skin and tissues would sag, and without collagen, our body would dissolve. This may sound exaggerated, but it is most definitely true! Collagen and Elastin are found in our tendons, ligaments, liver, lungs, blood vessels, and skin (just to name a FEW.) Our skin is made up of 70% Collagen and 3% Elastin. So, how do they hold everything together? Think of them as woven fibers of protein made up by amino acids that give skin its firmness and elasticity. Both of these fibers are made by the Fibroblast cell.
Fibroblasts
This cell lives between 3-14 days and is responsible for the formation of Collagen, the precursor to Elastin (Tropoelastin), among other Extra Cellular Matrix-rich connective tissues throughout the body. These cells have an immune response that will produce collagen to heal the skin upon wounding. The Fibroblast is a complex cell that deserves its own article. If you are interested in more about this cell, this study goes into detail: Fibroblasts: origins, definitions, and functions in health and disease. Below is a picture showing just how important of a role that fibroblasts play in the body.
photo is linked to source and listed in resources below
Collagen Vs. Elastin, and how they work together:
Our skin is made up of 70% Collagen and 3% Elastin. These fibers work together to add support and resiliency to the skin, but are very different.
Elastin is a stretchy protein that resembles a rubber band. One thousand times stretchier than collage, Elastin can stretch and return to its original size, giving a “snap” to the skin (and making it easier for your heart to pump blood and your lungs to stretch while breathing!). Fibroblasts secrete Tropoelastin, the building block of Elastin. Elastin does continuously degrade and rebuild itself like collagen, however, it has a very slow turnover rate, the average life of one Elastin fiber is 70 years! We can safely say that protecting our Elastin and keeping it healthy is the main focus.
Collagen is not flexible, and it provides structure, support, and strength to the skin and other organs of the body. It is often referred to as the “glue” that holds our body together. Think of collagen as a connective tissue that pulls everything together, binding it into a solid structure. Collagen degrades much earlier than Elastin. At 30, we start to lose 1% of collagen, or more in those with thinner skin, each year. Creating the building blocks for collagen is essential to maintaining firm and youthful skin as we age.
Collagen and Elastin are different fibers, but they intertwine together in the skin to give resiliency, firmness, and bounce to the skin.
Collagen Vs. Elastin, and How these structures break down & the signs: they work together:
“ In spite of our best efforts to stymie its natural course, all facial skin progresses inexorably to a qizened, wrinkled, and blemished state. While much of this decay is an inevitable consequence of biology, most of the visible signs of aging are a result of environmental exposure. Being at the forefront of our battle with the environment, the skin is often the first to flag and suffer. Natural forces of wind, cold, and sunlight waste it.”
– Marc Lappe, PhD, The Body’s Edge: Our Cultural Obsession with Skin
Let’s start with chronological aging. Collagen production starts to dwindle in our late 20s. Our skin cells simply get tired, and it takes them more energy to do the same things they used to when they were younger. Elastin is quite different, since it has a longer expectancy, we stop producing it after puberty. From the age of 30 our Elastin starts to degrade faster, and by age 70, our Elastin is depleted. The only way to get Elastin to induce Tropoelastin synthesis. Collagen is constantly degrading and rebuilding itself, and both do this as part of our wound-healing process. This is how we can create change in the look of skin with wrinkles, loss of firmness, acne scars, and more with chemical peels, lasers, and micro/nano needling, with great results.
In my opinion, the breakdown of these structures is a lack of sun safety. As much as the sun can brighten our mood, it is not our friend. Ultraviolet (UV) exposure is the leading cause of degradation in the skin. It can alter DNA within our skin cells, create free radicals that cause degradation to structures like Collagen and Elastin, and damage our Melanocytes (pigment-making cells). Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States. Protecting ourselves from UV is essential to living a long life, and we will look better doing it!
Chronic irritation by UV, smoking, and inflammation creates free radicals in the skin. This causes our skin to produce enzymes like elastase and collagenase, among others. These enzymes break down Collagen and Elastin Fibers. Collagen fibers are replaced almost identically to their previous, but Elastin is not replaced with the same elasticity and can also be replaced by collagen if it is not repaired. This is why we see the loss of snap to the skin in older individuals and is the main reason why I like to focus on Collagen production, and keeping current Elastin healthy as part of your skincare routine.
Prevention & Smart Aging:
Unprotected skin shows two times the amount of skin damage than protected skin. Reducing the amount of time exposed to direct sunlight, wearing sunscreen, UPF clothing and hats, and eating a healthy diet rich in antioxidants is recommended. Here are a few examples:
Collagen Powder Opinion
Drinking collagen powder is not going to have any effect on your skin, however, it is great for other body structures like bone density, muscle mass, joint health, and hydration. A small amount may get to our skin, however, it is going to be less than we think.
Devices
For the current loving skincare connoisseur, devices like NuFace, Foreo, Droplette, Ziip, and TheraFace are great devices to maintain the integrity and health of your skin through Microcurrent. Some are multi-taskers and include LED, Nano, and percussion. The Droplette helps with hydration and product absorption. These all require extra time and daily use for noticeable results and then can be maintained by using 2-3 times per week. Along with the financial investment, time is your biggest investment with devices.
Routines
First, having a morning and evening routine will be beneficial for smart aging. Our body, and skin, work in Circadian Rhythms. We want to mimic these in our skincare too by protecting our skin during the day while its only focus is protecting us and giving it topical nutrients to work with during its repair cycle at night.
Soybean Oil-based cleanser like Vitamin Veil naturally inhibits elastase. It is even better to use this time to give yourself a facial massage to encourage lymphatic drainage. This cleanser removes makeup and is a great first cleanse to your nightly routine.
Mindfulness plays a big role in smart aging, as well as overall health. Thinking about a healthy diet, practicing yoga, working out, taking a walk, drinking water, and limiting junk food, alcohol, and not smoking will help you live a healthier and longer life.
Treatments
I define Smart Aging as actively living a healthy lifestyle so that you can feel confident in your body and skin, no matter your age. I have many clients who are 65+ that live with this same intention, they move, look, and act so much younger! We simply cannot look like we are 25 again, but we can have healthy resilient skin that will look younger than we are with our self-care habits.
All of my treatments are customized for your skin, and focus on keeping your skin barrier healthy, which will maintain your skin’s moisture levels, increasing ATP (energy) so that your skin cells are functioning optimally, and lymphatic drainage to aid in detoxification. All of these are necessary to correct skin concerns like fine lines, wrinkles, pigmentation, acne scarring, blemishes, rosacea, eczema, and more. Here is a breakdown of what service to choose for the best results.
The treatments (aside from The Peel) are meant to seamlessly work with your home maintenance and have little to no downtime so that you can live your life without having to be a hermit for 2 weeks or more. With this said, some corrections require a chemical peel, or a referral to a MedSpa for more invasive treatments. This will also be something discussed at your appointment if needed.
For Prevention: The European, The Oxygen Rx, The Hydrofacial
For Rejuvenation: The Everything, The SWiCH, The Luxury Lift & Peel, The Peel
For Correction: The Corrective, The Oxygen Rx, The Peel, The SWiCH
For Rosacea, Redness, & Broken Capillaries: The Rosie’s Only, The Oxygen Rx
For Post-Treatment Series Maintenance: The SWiCH (Maintenance every 6 Months), The Corrective, The Everything, The Oxygen Rx, The Hydrofacial
This is a broad look at what these treatments ultimately focus on. During your consultation, we will go over your concerns and goals and decide on a treatment plan that will meet your expectations. I offer different levels of support in and out of the studio. Whether you are treating yourself to a relaxing facial, silent facials, facials with no treatment plan or concerns, total skin rejuvenation, preparing skin for cosmetic surgery and procedures, pigmentation and acne scar corrections, and maintenance plans. You can also choose the level of education you want during treatment and how you want to receive support between treatments (if you want silent facials with no skincare advice, if you don’t care about the science part and just want the recommendations, or if you are all in and want all the support you can, including a comprehensive look at your treatments and plan in emails after your appointment.)Your skincare is ultimately your decision, whatever plan you choose, you’re in good hands.
More Science:
This isn’t enough for you!? Just kidding! I went down a rabbit hole this month while researching Fibroblasts, Collagen, and Elastin. It is an interesting subject that I have only grazed the surface of these structures in this article. I highly encourage you to look through my resources, as there is so much more to learn.
Definitions:
Extra Cellular Matrix: The extracellular matrix (ECM) is an intricate network composed of an array of multidomain macromolecules organized in a cell/tissue-specific manner. Components of the ECM link together to form a structurally stable composite, contributing to the mechanical properties of tissues. The ECM is also a reservoir of growth factors and bioactive molecules. It is a highly dynamic entity that is of vital importance, determining and controlling the most fundamental behaviors and characteristics of cells such as proliferation, adhesion, migration, polarity, differentiation, and apoptosis.
Fibroblast: A fibroblast is a type of cell that contributes to the formation of connective tissue, a fibrous cellular material that supports and connects other tissues or organs in the body. Fibroblasts secrete collagen proteins that help maintain the structural framework of tissues.
Collagen: the main structural protein found in skin and other connective tissues.
Elastin: the main structural protein found in skin and other connective tissues.
Elastase: a pancreatic enzyme that digests elastin.
Collagenase: any of a group of proteolytic enzymes that decompose collagen and gelatin.
Resources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8566693/
Maksim V. Plikus,1,2,3,4,# Xiaojie Wang,1,2,3,* Sarthak Sinha,5,* Elvira Forte,6,7,* Sean M. Thompson,8,* Erica L. Herzog,9,# Ryan R. Driskell,8,10,# Nadia Rosenthal,6,7,# Jeff Biernaskie,5,11,12,13,# and Valerie Horsley14,15,#, Fibroblasts: origins, definitions, and functions in health and disease, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8566693/
National Human Genome Research Institute – Fibroblast – January 24, 2024 – Ellen Sidransky M.D., https://www.genome.gov/genetics-glossary/Fibroblast#:~:text=A%20fibroblast%20is%20a%20type,the%20structural%20framework%20of%20tissues.
Beatrice Yue, PhDBiology of the Extracellular Matrix: An Overview, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4185430/#:~:text=The%20extracellular%20matrix%20(ECM)%20is,the%20mechanical%20properties%20of%20tissues.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Oxford Dictionary
Peter T. Pugliese, Physiology of the Skin II, 2001, Allred Publishing Corporation
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/22482-elastin
Baumann, Bernstein, Ewiss, Bates, Humphrey, Silberberg, Daniels, Clinical Relevance of Elastin in the Structure and Function of Skin, National Library of Medicine, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8239663/#:~:text=Elastin%20in%20Aging%20Skin&text=Elastin%20is%20particularly%20vulnerable%20for,similar%20to%20the%20human%20lifespan!
Mark Lees, Skincare Beyond the Basics, 20021, Milady
Marc Lappe, PhD, The Body’s Edge: Our Cultural Obsession with Skin, 1996, Henry Holt and Company, Inc
Douglas B. Light, How the Human Body Works: Cells, Tissues, and Skin, 2009, Infobase Publishing
Alicia Ramella, Elastin: What to know, WebMD.com, https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/elastin-what-to-know