The purpose of elastin is to give our skin the elasticity that makes it look plump and healthy. Elastin is one of the skin’s key proteins, and its structure allows the skin to stretch out like a rubber band, and bounce back into place, returning the skin’s tissues to their original shape.
Elastin provides resilience to the stretching forces of facial expressions and gravity. This means that skin that has plenty of elastin will be more supple and flexible, and will maintain its shape.
What are the benefits of having more elastin?
Thanks to elastin, we can convey our expressions without them leading to permanent stretching of the skin. However, over time the elastin content of our skin diminishes, especially as we get into mid life; and from our 40’s onwards we may start to notice that our expression lines, wrinkles and loose sagging skin are becoming more permanent features of our faces.
We can assess our own levels of elastin by pinching the back of our hand; If we have low levels of elastin it may take several seconds for the skin to shrink back.
What is Elastin?
Elastin is a complex stretchy protein structure made up of amino acids (proline, glycine, desmosine and isodesmosine), and grouped in short sequences. It is actively manufactured in the body until adolescence, when it makes up 2 – 4 % of the dry-weight of the dermis.
Our stretchy ligaments contain 50% dry-weight elastin, so the low amount of elastin in our skin might sound like only a very small percentage in comparison. Thankfully, elastin is a long-lived protein that degrades very slowly throughout our lives, only reaching its half-life when we are around 75yrs old.
This means we should have enough elastin to last us a lifetime, however we shouldn’t take elastin for granted, because it can get damaged, and if it does, it is difficult for the body to heal itself. Therefore, prevention and preventative treatments are key to maintaining healthy elastin levels.
What does elastin do?
Elastin’s main function is to provide flexibility to the supportive and protective Extracellular Matrix (ECM), which is the scaffolding that houses our cells. It allows repetitive and reversible stretching and recoil of the body’s tissues. It is particularly important in our most stretchy structures including arteries, lungs, cartilage, ligament and skin, allowing them to transform their shape and then spring back. More recently we have discovered that elastin fibres play a role in cell communications to adjust their function and growth.
How is elastin different from collagen?
Collagen provides the structure, strength and support of the dermis making up approximately 75% of its dry-weight. We often hear collagen and elastin being grouped together when they are spoken about. This is because they are the main structural proteins of the ECM (Extracellular Matrix). Collagen provides the skin’s strength and main structure, while the small but essential percentage of elastin provides elasticity and resilience.
The relationship between collagen and elastin is a bit like the fabric of your leggings; where the cotton is the main structural fabric, and the Lycra, although only a tiny percentage, provides the stretch that allows them to fit and not become baggy.
What weakens elastin?
We lose elastin because new production does not keep pace with its steady degradation throughout our lives. Our main elastin production occurs prior to adolescence and although we continue to manufacture small amounts this drastically reduces after middle age.
Internal factors associated with ageing and genetics start the process of degradation, which is then accelerated by external factors The main culprits are sun exposure, smoking and pollution. Once our elastin is damaged it is difficult to heal.
What can I do to preserve my elastin?
We can slow down elastin depletion by taking the following steps:
- Using broad spectrum sunscreen (min SPF30) every day throughout the year even indoors and in cloudy weather
- Eating healthily, including eating antioxidant, protein rich foods, (leafy greens, berries, nuts, and fish), to protect elastin and provide building blocks for continued production.
- By taking antioxidant supplements
- Regularly exercising to boost blood circulation and to help keep the skin nourished.
- Reducing stress levels
- Optimising sleep
- Avoiding smoking as nicotine and the chemicals in cigarette smoke and vapes accelerate ageing of the skin.
What type of skincare is good for elastin?
Establishing a well informed skin health routine can also help to preserve elastin.
As an example, in the morning use:
- Vitamin C serum
- Moisturiser
- SPF (factor 30 or above)
In the evening:
- Double cleanse to reduce the impact of pollution on the skin
- Moisturise
Products containing ferulic acid, and vitamins A,C, and E may also help prevent, and restore damaged cells.
Can I get more elastin?
Elastin is mostly laid down in early life and its production decreases steadily. In order to stimulate fresh new elastin, its production must be stimulated through the few medical treatments shown to be successful.
These techniques use regenerative medical treatments to wake up the fibroblasts and produce new elastin, usually in combination with collagen.
Treatments at Aesthetic Health to preserve elastin
At Aesthetic Health we use various treatments, often in carefully prescribed combinations, to switch on elastin production. We are also attentive to elastin preservation through our holistic approach.
We have developed innovative customised cocktails of Radiesse, coupled with unique Ultherapy protocols, which are evidenced to stimulate elastin and collagen production. Additionally we can slow degradation of elastin using Platelet Rich Plasma (aka PRP) and Polynucleotides.
Our multifaceted methods employ individualised combinations tailored to a patient’s unique needs, while our holistic approach considers underlying health factors which may contribute to the ageing process. We help you adopt 360° solutions to facilitate regeneration and slow degeneration.
References
Michelle Scarritt, Mark Murdock and Stephen F. Badylak. Biologic Scaffolds Composed of Extracellular Matrix for Regenerative Medicine. Principles of Regenerative Medicine Book, Pages 613-626, third edition,2019. Copyright Elsevier Inc.
S.S. Silva, E.M. Fernandes, S. Pina, J. Silva-Correia, S. Vieira, J.M. Oliveira, R.L. Reis.
Polymers of Biological Origin: Comprehensive Biomaterials, Volume 2, 2011, Pages 187-205
