The role of Elastin in skin elasticity

Elastin, the protein responsible for skin elasticity and youthfulness, begins to deplete in humans as early as 20 years of age, and the more Elastin you lose, the more wrinkles your skin will start to develop. In fact, the changes that occur in your skin are directly associated with how much Elastin you have left in your skin – some researchers even claim that there is no such thing as anti-aging creams but rather Elastin creams!

What is Elastin?

Elastin is a protein with a peculiar fibre conformation present in the extracellular spaces (outside the cells) of many body tissues, including the skin. Elastin derives its name from its ability to act like an elastic band, stretching and recoiling with transient force. That is why it is responsible for skin elasticity. Elastin is one of the most critical proteins contributing to the shape and structure of the skin. Multiple factors contribute to the quality and quantity of Elastin in the skin such as family or genetic, nutrition and sun exposure. A healthy and balanced diet is essential to keep up with the high rate of skin cell renewal, also protection from the damage caused by UV are both preventive measures that can help to maintain the normal function of Elastin in the skin [1-3].

What happens when you age?

As you age, the amount and quality of Elastin in your skin starts to reduce. The cause of these changes isn’t fully understood, but many factors leading to decreased Elastin have already been identified. For example, it is known that the keratinocytes (skin cells) produce less and less Elastin as they age. Additionally, enzymes such as Matrix Metalloproteinases (MMP), which degrade collagen and Elastin, are known to increase their activity in the skin as we age. Consequently, the rate at which Elastin is degraded increases, combined with less Elastin production by keratinocytes, results in the skin having less Elastin as we get older, and is one of the reasons why skin elasticity and firmness decreases over time [4-6].

“The changes that occur in your skin are directly associated with how much Elastin you have left in your skin ”

How NERINE Anti-aging treatment helps restore Elastin?

Now that we know the central role Elastin plays in skin elasticity and firmness, it becomes obvious that an anti-ageing cream needs to increase Elastin in the skin to achieve a desirable result. The strategy is simple, increase Elastin production and reduce its degradation. However, achieving either has proved to be a challenging task. Fortunately, recently, a series of scientific studies have identified many natural compounds capable of doing precisely that, and we have carefully formulated them into our anti-ageing cream. For example, Resveratrol, a potent natural antioxidant, has also been found to increase Elastin synthesis by skin keratinocytes while inhibiting the very same oxidative processes that induce inflammation and activate the enzymes responsible for degrading Elastin [7, 8]. Similarly, several studies show that Vitamin A and Vitamin E and Vitamin C induce the expression of Elastin, among other proteins of the skin, which is supported by the observation that deficiency in Vitamin A leads to a loss of Elastin fibre in the skin [9, 10]. In addition, Asiaticoside, a triterpene extracted from Centella asiatica with known anti-inflammatory properties, is capable of inducing Collagen and Elastin synthesis effectively and of promoting natural skin healing [9-14]. Furthermore, Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), an abundant polyphenol present in green tea – and known as an antioxidant polyphenol, has been shown to repair and strengthen Elastin fibres [15]. Finally, we have incorporated Quercetin; a natural flavonoid widely studied as an antioxidant but also known to reduce the presence of the enzymes that cleave and weaken the Elastin structural network [15]. All in all, NERINE anti-ageing cream has no match in the way that it has been scientifically and comprehensively formulated to address declining Elastin and its effect in ageing.

Because the formulation has been designed to reach the deepest layers of the skin, the combined action of the different components in the NERINE anti-ageing formulation manages to restore and repair Elastin in the skin while minimizing its degradation. This effect of replenishing skin Elastin is one of the main reasons our anti-ageing cream has such an outstanding impact on restoring the skin’s firmness and elasticity, minimizing the signs of ageing..

Diagram of a section of the skin showing the changes in the amount and quality of Elastin as we get older, which causes the skin to decrease its elasticity and firmness, partly responsible for wrinkles.

Further Readings

1.         Godwin ARF, Singh M, Lockhart-Cairns MP, Alanazi YF, Cain SA, Baldock C. The role of fibrillin and microfibril binding proteins in elastin and elastic fibre assembly. Matrix Biol. 2019 Nov;84:17-30.

2.         Schmelzer CEH, Hedtke T, Heinz A. Unique molecular networks: Formation and role of elastin cross-links. IUBMB Life. 2020 May;72(5):842-54.

3.         Halper J. Basic Components of Connective Tissues and Extracellular Matrix: Fibronectin, Fibrinogen, Laminin, Elastin, Fibrillins, Fibulins, Matrilins, Tenascins and Thrombospondins. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2021;1348:105-26.

4.         Van Doren SR. Matrix metalloproteinase interactions with collagen and elastin. Matrix Biol. 2015 May-Jul;44-46:224-31.

5.         Philips N, Chalensouk-Khaosaat J, Gonzalez S. Simulation of the Elastin and Fibrillin in Non-Irradiated or UVA Radiated Fibroblasts, and Direct Inhibition of Elastase or Matrix Metalloptoteinases Activity by Nicotinamide or Its Derivatives. J Cosmet Sci. 2018 Jan/Feb;69(1):47-56.

6.         Miekus N, Luise C, Sippl W, Baczek T, Schmelzer CEH, Heinz A. MMP-14 degrades tropoelastin and elastin. Biochimie. 2019 Oct;165:32-9.

7.         Wen S, Zhang J, Yang B, Elias PM, Man MQ. Role of Resveratrol in Regulating Cutaneous Functions. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2020;2020:2416837.

Please click here for more information and ordering

Product label description

8.         Lephart ED, Andrus MB. Human skin gene expression: Natural (trans) resveratrol versus five resveratrol analogs for dermal applications. Exp Biol Med (Maywood). 2017 Sep;242(15):1482-9.

9.         Rossetti D, Kielmanowicz MG, Vigodman S, Hu YP, Chen N, Nkengne A, et al. A novel anti-ageing mechanism for retinol: induction of dermal elastin synthesis and elastin fibre formation. Int J Cosmet Sci. 2011 Feb;33(1):62-9.

10.       Barber T, Esteban-Pretel G, Marin MP, Timoneda J. Vitamin a deficiency and alterations in the extracellular matrix. Nutrients. 2014 Nov 10;6(11):4984-5017.

11.       Liu L, Ding Z, Yang Y, Zhang Z, Lu Q, Kaplan DL. Asiaticoside-laden silk nanofiber hydrogels to regulate inflammation and angiogenesis for scarless skin regeneration. Biomater Sci. 2021 Jul 27;9(15):5227-36.

12.       Nie X, Zhang H, Shi X, Zhao J, Chen Y, Wu F, et al. Asiaticoside nitric oxide gel accelerates diabetic cutaneous ulcers healing by activating Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway. Int Immunopharmacol. 2020 Feb;79:106109.

13.       Verma N, Kumari U, Mittal S, Mittal AK. Effect of asiaticoside on the healing of skin wounds in the carp Cirrhinus mrigala: An immunohistochemical investigation. Tissue Cell. 2017 Dec;49(6):734-45.

14.       Lee JH, Kim HL, Lee MH, You KE, Kwon BJ, Seo HJ, et al. Asiaticoside enhances normal human skin cell migration, attachment and growth in vitro wound healing model. Phytomedicine. 2012 Oct 15;19(13):1223-7.

15.       Lei Y, Yang L, Guo G, Wang Y. EGCG and enzymatic cross-linking combined treatments for improving elastin stability and reducing calcification in bioprosthetic heart valves. J Biomed Mater Res B Appl Biomater. 2019 Jul;107(5):1551-9.