A clinical research study compared the effect on the skin's production of collagen after using creams containing copper-peptides, vitamin C, or retinoic acid (Retin-A) was published by researchers in the Dermatology Department at UMDNJ - Robert Wood Johnson Medical School1. Twenty volunteers applied the various creams to their thighs daily for one month. New collagen production was determined by studying skin biopsy samples using immunohistological techniques.

The study found, that after one month, copper-peptides had the most significant effect on collagen production. Significant increases in collagen production were found in 70% of the persons treated with copper-peptide creams, 50% of the persons treated with the vitamin C cream, and 40% of the persons treated with retinoic acid.

Significant wrinkle reduction is still difficult. Many products are sold for the reduction of wrinkles but effects are temporary. Keep in mind that a piece of tape on your skin for a day will produce a temporary wrinkle reduction. There have been several successful studies on significant reduction of major wrinkles with retinoic acid. Procyte and Neutrogena have announced successful studies on wrinkle reduction with copper-peptides. There are no published studies on significant wrinkle reduction with vitamin C despite heavy sales of the product for seven years.

Comparison of Skin Renewal with
Biologically Effective Copper-Peptides, Retin-A, and Vitamin C

Skin Effect	Copper Peptides	Retinoic acid (Retin-A, Renova)	Vitamin C
Reducing wrinkles	Yes, two recent unpublished studies	Several positive studies published	Minor improvements
Skin color tone	Very good tone "glow"	Often reddish, leathery appearance	Fair tone
New collagen	Yes, significant in 70% of users in one month	Yes, significant in 40% of users in one month	Yes, significant in 50% of users in one month
New elastin	Yes	Yes	Minor improvement
Increase water-holding proteoglycans and glycosaminoglycans	Yes	Yes	No
Repair skin barrier	Yes	No, actually degrades skin barrier	No
Improve capillary circulation	Yes	Yes	No
Activate metalloproteinases to remove damaged proteins	Yes	No, Actually increases production of scar forming factor TGF-beta	No
Causes irritation	No	Yes, strong irritant	No
Anti-inflammatory	Yes	No	No
Anti-oxidant	Yes, activates superoxide dismutase in skin	No	Yes, vitamin C acts as anti-oxidant
Used for clinical skin repair	Yes, for wound healing and dermatological skin repair	Yes, for skin renewal and anti-acne	No, effects are too minor

Other Skin Remodeling Copper Peptides ProCyte's Neova and Neutrogena's Visibly Firm

ProCyte Corporation sells a number of gels and creams for skin treatment after laser resurfacing, dermabrasion, and chemical peels such as Neova, Complex Cu3™ Intensive Tissue Repair Creme, Complex Cu3™ Hydrating Gel, and Complex Cu3™ Gentle Face Cleanser. These products are based on the Iamin skin healing technology discovered by Dr. Loren Pickart (who also founded ProCyte Corporation in 1985). This type of product has been shown to have positive effects on collagen deposition, skin tensile strength, angiogenesis, and superoxide dismutase activity.

These products are sold to enhance healing, reduce skin crusting after repair procedures, and help minimize discomfort. The products are applied during the first 24 hours post surgery, and then as needed for the first 10-14 days post procedure.

Neutrogena sells a Visibly Firm product line based on GHK-copper. Neutrogena presented several papers on these creams at the American Academy of Dermatology in 2002. Most of these results were known and published in 1988 by Pickart and colleagues.

Neova Night Therapy (ProCyte) sold for $62.95 for 2 ounces is an excellent cream that promotes healthier, younger looking skin while minimizing fine lines and wrinkles.

Neutrogena's Active Copper line has been tested in a number of recent studies and found to reverse many effects of aging. These products run in the $20 range.

Retin-A/Retinol

Methods that use controlled skin damage to trigger skin renewal are skin exfoliation, laser resurfacing, chemical peels, dermabrasion, and scar removal by subcision. Retinoic acid (Retin-A) may act in a somewhat more complex way, but a key part of its action is the skin irritation that it causes.

Vitamin A/Retinol helps to remove wrinkles mainly by reducing collagen/elastin degradation. A protein complex called AP-1 produces the enzymes that break apart and degrade collagen and elastin, the major structural materials in skin. While a balance of biosynthesis and breakdown is essential for healthy skin, as we age, the balance is shifted toward excessive breakdown and harmful biochemical changes.

The application to the skin of retinol or retinoic acid helps restore a more normal (younger) balance between the skin's structural protein biosynthesis and breakdown, and also keeps a normal balance between healthy and dying skin cells. The applied vitamin A binds to receptors in the skin which then transfer genetic instructions from DNA to the cell's protein producing machinery which restores the characteristic proteins needed for healthy skin cells.

Creams with Retinol, in general, work very well for people over age 45, and for many people over age 25. But the retinol can cause increased acne in person from 18 to 25. Paradoxical, retinol creams can often stop severe chronic cystic acne in some people between 25 and 40. When using retinol creams it is best to start slow and work up to increased amounts of cream.

Confusion over Retin-A and Retinol

Retin-A and Retinol are two very similar and natural compounds. Retinol is naturally converted into Retin-A (retinoic acid) in the skin. But they have opposite effects on skin oil. In biochemistry, two very similar compounds having opposite effects is very common. The difference between Retin-A and Retinol is like one compound (retinol) is a key that opens a biological lock and increases skin oil production while the other compound (retinoic acid) jams the lock and reduces skin oil production.

	Retinoic Acid	Retinol
Chemical name	Retinoic acid	Retinyl alcohol
Common name	Vitamin A acid	Vitamin A alcohol
Prescription drugs	Retin-A Renova	Not a drug
Effect on skin oil	Reduces skin oil Reduces acne	Increases skin oil May cause acne
Effect on wrinkles	Strong wrinkle reduction	Mild effect on wrinkle reduction

Vitamin C Serums and Patches

Vitamin C based creams were researched and introduced in 1992 by Prof. of Dermatology Sheldon Pinnell, M.D. (Photograph to the left) of the Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, who has researched the relationship between vitamin-C (L-ascorbic acid) and collagen. Vitamin C is critical in the cross-linking of collagen using an enzyme called Lysyl Hydroxylase. Pinnell was instrumental in the development of Cellex-C and later founded Skinceuticals.

Prof. Pinnell has published studies showing that vitamin C, applied according to his instructions, does improve the quality of collagen in the skin but this is only one aspect of skin health and beauty. Moreover, published studies on positive effects of vitamin C on the skin are very scanty. And if these effects were more significant, vitamin C products would be used clinically on slow healing wounds and skin ulcers where inadequate collagen synthesis is a serious problem.

Dr. Pinnell has stated that to get positive effects on the skin's collagen with vitamin C, the vitamin C must be at least 10% in solution and at a low pH of 2.5 or lower. He also states that only vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) is effective and that many vitamin C derivatives used in cosmetics such as esters and analogs of ascorbic acid cannot be absorbed by the skin and converted into active vitamin C in any meaningful amount. Such unsatisfactory derivatives include ascorbic acid sulfate, ascorbic acid magnesium phosphate, ascorbyl stearate, ascorbyl palmitate and ascorbyl dipalmitate.

However, despite the emphasis on vitamin C and collagen production, in the only comparison study between vitamin C and copper-peptides, the copper-peptides were more potent than vitamin C on improving collagen production (Abulghani et al 1998). It should be also remembered that copper-peptides have many other positive effects on skin besides effects on collagen production.

So expect a positive effect of vitamin C on skin if you stick to Pinnell's formulas which are available from a company he founded called Skinceuticals, which can be found on the Internet. Many other companies sell various solutions and vitamin C patches, but few are formulated according to Pinnell's recipe.

Caution: Do not mix vitamin C products with copper-peptide skin regeneration creams. The copper breaks down the vitamin C. If you wish to use both, use them on alternate days.

Alpha Lipoic Acid

Alpha lipoic acid is a molecule that functions in fat metabolism. It is also a key anti-oxidant that is both lipid and water soluble. Its anti-oxidant properties give it some anti-inflammation qualities. While most aging effects are due to innate genetic programs, some aging effects are due to the generation of free radicals within the cell which activate a cellular messenger called nuclear factor kappa-B. Nuclear factor kappa-B then enters the nucleus of the cell and causes the DNA to produce proteins that can cause cellular damage. Alpha lipoic acid (and other anti-oxidants) can block the development of nuclear factor kappa-B and protect the cell from damage. Alpha lipoic acid also acts synergistically with other anti-oxidants such as vitamin E and vitamin C.

In animal studies, alpha lipoic acid has remarkable success in blocking the development of degenerative diseases. It is the most effective protective anti-oxidant supplement.

Alpha lipoic acid also helps aging cells increase their energy production. This enhances their ability to repair cellular damage and expel cellular waste products. Because of this action, alpha lipoic acid, as a 1% lotion, has been used as a skin treatment for aged skin.

William Holman Hunt - The Awakening Conscience

Copper Peptides Cream Proven Superior to Kinerase and Kinetin

Kinerase™ and Kinetin™ are based on a plant chemical called Furfuryladenine. In one published clinical research study, such creams have been shown to improve skin texture, reduces blotchiness, and reduce fine wrinkles while being none irritating. However, their effects are not as fast as effective as copper peptide creams. This comparison is from product literature supplied by by Procyte Corporation entitled "NEOVA - Copper Peptide Therapies".

User Assessment of Comparison of
Copper Peptide Creams and Furfuryladenine Creams

(Percent of subjects in top two response categories)

	Improvement in skin texture	Reduction in blotchiness	Reduction in fine wrinkles	Source of data
Copper-peptide creams	89% positive in 8 weeks	57% reduction in 8 weeks	60% decrease in 8 weeks	Data published by Procyte Corporation
Furfuryladenine creams	56% positive in 24 weeks	37% reduction in 24 weeks	38% decrease in 24 weeks	J. L. McCullough, in Development of topical Skin Treatments. Skin & Allergy News Supplement 1999.

Purchase
Super Cop

$49.95

Purchase
TriReduction
with Retinol

$27.95

Purchase
Protect & Restore
Classic Cream

$24.95

Skin Collagen Production and Wrinkle Reduction with Copper-Peptides, Retin-A, and Vitamin C

Comparison of Skin Renewal with Biologically Effective Copper-Peptides, Retin-A, and Vitamin C