Sorry, I think I posted this in the wrong place...(new to this forum)

Question for Dr. Pickard (or any other expert!)

1. Copper peptides vs other peptides?

Jeff Dover wrote a book called "The Youth equation" where he discusses ways to improve your skins 'virtual age'. In it he discusses peptides as being great, but the summary I read comments only this: "Studies have shown two peptides-Matrixyl and Dermaxyl-are especially effective at making older skin appear young."

How do these compare to copper peptides in process and effectiveness?

2. Hydroxy acids around my eyes are too irritating, so for months I have been doing manual exfoliation with a fine 'buff puff' (along with my copper peptides). Is this equally good?

3. Does your squalene on top of the copper peptides serve the same purpose as the night cream moisturizers that combine with the amino peptides in something like Oil of Olay's version?

I do believe the combination of copper peptides and exfoliation has helped me to reverse the fine 'crows feet' that were just starting on one side, so thank you very much!

Copper peptides vs other peptides.

The basic copper peptide (gly-his-lys:copper 2+) exists in human blood. It is generated during tissue damage or normal tissue replacement.

The other peptides are not normally in the human body. Most of these are reported to act like TGF-beta-1, an inflammatory, scar forming protein. Such peptides put more collagen into the skin like a filler but do little else.

The copper peptides rebuild tissue. That is, they remove older tissue and replace it with normal tissue in a process called tissue remodeling.

The actions of copper peptides in humans and animals are:

1. In humans: Rebuilds aged skin (tightens skin, improves elasticity and firmness, reduces fine lines, wrinkles, photodamage, and hyperpigmentation). Stimulates wound healing. Improves human hair growth and hair transplant success. Act as anti-inflammatories on irritated skin.

2. In animals: Stimulate wound healing in numerous animal models, improves human hair growth and skin transplant success. Protects and repairs gastric and intestinal lining, accelerates bone repair, increases infection resistance. Lowers blood pressure by inducing vasodilation of blood vessels

3. Cellular actions on Stem Cells: Increases protein p63. This protein activates adult stem cells. The primary cause of human aging is a decline in organ function with time. Up to about age 20, tissue and organs are maintained in a very functional and healthy state. But with aging, repair slows and in time humans organs fail to fullfil their biological role. Adult stem cells in organs create new cells for repair and the key protein in activating and supporting stem cell function appears to be protein P63. Without adequate P63, skin ages rapidly as do other tissue of the body.

4. Cellular actions of Repair Cells: Increases the proliferation of fibroblasts, keratinocytes, chondrocytes, osteoblasts. Chemoattracts immune cells important in repair: Macrophages, mast cells, capillary cells.

5. Actions on Growth Factors: Increases vascular endothelial growth factor, fibroblast growth factor 2, nerve growth factor, neutrotropins 3 and 4, erythropoietin.

6. Actions on Proteins of the Extracellular matrix: Increases synthesis of collagen, elastin, proteoglycans, glycosoaminoglycans. Increases both metalloproteinases that remove older proteins and anti-proteases that block metalloproteinase action. The balance of these proteins governs the rate of remodeling.

7. Organ actions: Increases nerve outgrowth, blood vessel angiogenesis, density of subcutaneous fat cells, and hair follicle size.

8. Anti-Inflammatory Actions- Increases anti-inflammatory proteins (superoxide dismutase, decorin), blocks the release of oxidizing iron from ferritin, suppresses inflammatory cytokines (transforming growth factor beta-1, tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin 1), blocks cellular damage by oxygen free radicals and reactive carbonyl species, reduces protein glycation, improves fibroblast recovery after X-ray treatments, blocks ultraviolet damage to skin keratinocytes, increases and reduces thromboxane formation, protects hepatic tissue from tetrachloromethane poisoning, inhibits protein glycation.

Exfoliation

Your manual exfoliation is fine if your skin dislikes hydroxy acids.

Retinol/Squalane

This will push more copper peptides into the skin. The retinol increases skin oil in dry skin.

Dr. Pickard,

I did read multiple independent confirming studies on copper peptides before starting with your products over a year ago - then recently noticed other peptides products are jumping in...thanks so much for the clear delineation! Clearly repair is the way to go for a long term program, plus all the other benefits you posted...just what I needed to know.

New questions:

1. Risk of hair growth above lip from folligen use?

I am using your folligen spray for my eyebrows and eyelashes (I kept getting the cream in my eyes, so I apply the spray with a Q tip). I have noticed some eyebrow regrowth and a bit for my eyelashes already (still early). I do think the MSM you suggested for hair growth also helps the eyelashes to grow faster, and thus get longer before they fall out.

I am trying to avoid above lip wrinkles, but have been using retinA in that area instead of your tri-reduction cream because I had some electrolysis done there years ago -I have a little some fine, light, but unnoticeable hair there now - and I am worried that it will REGROW the hair there. Is this a legitimate concern? After all, it heals damaged hair follicles...

2. Above eye looseness and under eye looseness and wrinkles?
Your NightEyes cream and manual exfoliation got rid of the beginning crows feet on the side I sleep on (thanks!). But I still have slight looseness of skin under and above my eyes - enough that I have minor wrinkles/'folds' under my eyes. So I added your 'Two Time Toner' recently. Is there anything else I should add to help there, like hyaluronic acid serum, or moisturizing cream? I don't think I am supposed to use a stronger CP cream since it is my eyes area, correct? (I do use the stronger nighteyes, but beyond this my 'eyeballs' are super sensitive and get irritated easily).

3. NightEyes and sunlight ok?
I am giving NightEyes (and a fine buff puff) to 3 family members for Christmas. Just want to make sure that there is no specific sun sensitivity with it as with RetinA (of course sunscreen is good in general, but that's different from sun sensitivity). Also, one family member has loose neck skin - which CP version is best for that?

1. There are terminal long hair follicles and nearly invisible vellus follicles. If Folligen converted vellus hair to terminal hair, I would be living on a big yacht on Monaco.

2.Hyaluronic acid serum will wet your outer skin layer and slow the replacement of the outer skin. Not a good idea. The skin will tighten in time. Just use the CPs lightly and also take supplements that help skin rebuilding - 1 gram each of MSM, glucosamine, borage oil, and vitamin C.

3. There are no sun sensitivities to CPs. They also protect against UV damage. Look at www.suntanscience.com.

4. The breast cream works well on the neck for some reason.