Damage to the skin's protective barrier which produces excessive water loss through the skin, and
A decrease in the concentrations of the skin's water-holding sugars and proteins (proteoglycans and glycosaminoglycans).

Copper-peptides act by repairing the skin barrier and raising the level of proteoglycans and GAGs. Waxes and oils seal the skin's surface and prevent excessive water loss. Cosmetic moisturizers loosen the skin's protective barrier and hydrate (wet) the skin proteins but at the expense of further skin damage.

Methods of Skin Moisturization

Method	Copper Peptides
How It Works	Mimics the skin's natural repair mechanisms. Repairs the skin barrier and increases water-holding proteins, proteoglycans and glycosaminoglycans.
Time Needed for Effect	Two to three weeks.
Drawbacks	None.

Method	Waxes and Greases
How It Works	Heavy oils such as petrolatum seal the skin's surface against water loss.
Time Needed for Effect	Immediate.
Drawbacks	Greasy.

Method	Skin Oils
How It Works	Light oils such as sesame oil seal the skin's surface against water loss.
Time Needed for Effect	Immediate.
Drawbacks	Not as durable as waxes and greases.

Method	Cosmetic Moisturizers
How It Works	Mixtures of oils, water and surface active chemicals are used to open the skin barrier and hydrate the skin.
Time Needed for Effect	One day.
Drawbacks	Acts like a skin irritant. Loosens the protective skin barrier. Skin becomes more susceptible to infection.

Many Moisturizers and Emollients Damage Skin From Skin and Allergy News, April 1997. Many moisturizers and emollients sold by major skin care companies delay the healing of irritated and damaged skin and make the situation worse by inhibiting natural skin repair. According to Dr. Halker-Sorenson (Skandborg, Denmark), new computerized instruments have demonstrated that many popular moisturizers increase skin damage in methods similar to skin irritants. Nor are skin barrier creams an answer such as those containing petrolatum and lanolin. Dr. Charles Ellis (Ann Arbor, Michigan) commented, "In my experience and from what I can garner (from the literature), I don't think they work very well. What we need is to protect the skin surface and to heal the skin from within, by putting the skin in a situation in which normal skin repair can occur." Virtually all of popular moisturizers and emollients sold by skin care companies contain high concentrations of detergents and detergent-like chemicals - despite 40 years of scientific evidence that these detergents damage the skin and degrade the skin's natural protective function. Also damaging to skin are many of the dyes and optical diffusers used to give the appearance of healthy skin. Another, mistake is to add to skin creams certain lipids that occur naturally in the skin - hoping that this replenishes skin lipids and improves skin health. However, what recent research has found, is that adding natural skin fats and lipids to skin creams causes a reduction in the skin's natural biosynthesis of skin fats and lipids so that, in a few weeks, the skin is in worse condition than before.

Lipid Replenishment

Your Skin: pH and the Acid Mantle