Why Elastin?
Elastin is a remarkable human protein. It can be stretched to over eight times its original length and snaps back without any deformation. This remarkable natural elasticity underpins its contribution to the suppleness and resilience of young skin, allowing it to return to its original shape after being pinched, poked or stretched.
Elastin is built up from multiple cross-linked molecules of the protein tropoelastin. This cross-linked structure is incredibly durable and is formed into fibers that are distributed across the extracellular space in a variety of tissues, including the lungs, arteries and skin.
Together with Collagen (the scaffold) and Hyaluronic Acid (for moisture retention), Elastin (for elasticity) completes the trio of molecules associated with youthful skin.
At birth Elastin is plentiful, enabling youthful skin to be supple and resilient to the touch. However, Elastin is progressively depleted from the skin with age, sun exposure, and following injury, resulting in a gradual loss of elasticity.
This progressive loss of elasticity is one of the principle changes seen in the skin during the ageing process. The skin sags and forms wrinkles, becomes taut where it should be supple and loose, and bunched where it should hug the fleshy tissues underneath. Damaged and scarred tissue may also have depleted levels of Elastin, dramatically reducing its resilience and flexibility relative to surrounding skin.
Treatments that allow levels of Elastin in skin to be restored may reverse some of these effects in both cosmetic applications such as skin augmentation and therapeutic interventions to help repair damaged and scarred tissue.
What the Experts Say
| Feb ’11 | The Science of Elastin |