Importance of Elastin and What You Can Do to Increase Its Amount

"Elastin" is a word you'd have come across repeatedly if you are someone who takes special interest in beauty topics. It is a crucial factor in ensuring you maintain a youthful and attractive appearance. Appearance of wrinkles and other signs you notice on your skin as you get older have a connection to this substance. Learn more about how it is vital to your skin and what you can do to make sure you have enough.

What is Elastin?

Also known as ELN, elastin is an important protein in connective tissues. It is found in different parts of the body, but people more commonly associate it with the skin. The most amount of the substance can be found in the middle layer of your skin known as the dermis.

As you may be able to guess from its name, elastin is responsible for the elasticity of your skin. It is the reason your largest organ can easily return to its original state after being stretched, pinched, or contracted. Without it, your skin will have an awkward look, and remain so, after some kind of pressure is applied.

A protein known as tropoelastin is the precursor of elastin. This is what your body uses to build this important structural protein. Elastin comprises principally of an amorphous component and a fibrillar component. These are made up of amino acids, including glycine, valine, and proline. To form elastin, the enzyme lysyl oxidase catalyzes a reaction that bundles numerous tropoelastin molecules together.

Elastin also plays a vital role in arteries, regulating pressure needed to facilitate blood flow. It is, in particular, present in large quantity in large blood vessels, such as the aorta. The protein is also vital in the lungs and the bladder as well as in cartilage and ligaments.

When it comes to its function in the skin, it is common for people to talk of elastin together with collagen. The two are practically inseparable. They work together to promote healthy, younger looking skin. While one provides strength and firmness, the other promotes resilience.

Elastin and Skin Aging

It is well known that certain changes take place in the body as people get older. These include reduction in the amounts of vital natural substances in the body. Unfortunately, elastin happens to be one of those whose levels aging impacts.

Your body starts to produce less and less amounts of this protein as you get older. Some say the decline could set in as early as your 20s. And by the time you reach middle age, you may hardly be producing elastin anymore. Your skin loses its elasticity, as a result, and you will begin to notice sagging and wrinkling.

Your genes determine how soon you are likely to start losing elastin. Ultraviolet rays from the sun are also a major cause of loss. In fact, experts suggest that as much as 85 percent of skin aging is the direct result of sun exposure.

Toxins, chemicals and pollutants are also among the environmental factors that can make you look older than your age. These are not only bad because of the direct harmful effect they produce on the skin. They also promote aging from within by encouraging activity of free radicals.

What Can You Do to Boost Elastin for Younger Looking Skin?

Thankfully, you do not have to accept elastin loss as something you can do absolutely nothing about. There are certain actions you can take to make sure you have sufficient amount for youthful appearance. Let's take a look at some of these.

Apply sunscreen

Given the immense impact photo damage has on accelerated skin aging, you need to take steps to guard against ultraviolet rays. These can not only break down elastin, but also collagen. You should, therefore, spend less time in the sun. But this may not be enough or impractical, depending on your daily schedule.

So, you need to apply sunscreen regularly – every day. A product with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 35 is often advised. Apply it about half an hour before you step into the sun. You should apply afresh every couple of hours, depending on exposure.

Use Vitamin C

The use of oral or topical vitamin C can help to support elastin production. This helps to protect the structural integrity of your skin, while also guarding against free radical damage. Creams containing vitamin C can help to get rid of dead skin cells for fresher looking skin.

As you probably know, pills and topical solutions aren't the only source of this vitamin. You can also get it in foods, particularly fruits and vegetables. Good examples include berries, citrus fruits, broccoli, and guavas.

Increase lean Protein Intake

As we noted previously, elastin comes from amino acids. These compounds are the building blocks of protein – just as the latter is the building block of the body. You can get these amino acids from foods rich in lean proteins.

A good example of the kinds of food to include in your diet is soybean. Also known as Glycine max, soy is a rich source of glycine. This amino acid is an important component of elastin. This food also offers several other important amino acids, including proline, valine and alanine.

Cottage cheese, nuts, seeds, chicken, eggs and tofu are some other good sources of lean protein.

Consume More Vegetables

These also offer a potent means of boosting your elastin levels. Dark green vegetables such as broccoli, kale and spinach contain a substance known as lutein. This boosts elastin levels and enhances skin elasticity. It hydrates the skin and helps to keep wrinkles at bay.

Consider Phytoestrogens

Estrogen has also been linked to the loss of elastin. This is one of the hormones whose amounts drop as people get older. It is mainly a factor in the appearance of wrinkles among older women. The substance helps to keep elastin and collagen from being broken down while also encouraging synthesis.

For this reason, you may benefit from the use of phytoestrogens, which are estrogens of plant origin. These work in similar way as the naturally occurring hormone in the body. This is why they are thought useful for combating elastin loss linked to the decline in estrogen levels.

Experts say there are more than 300 foods that offer these plant-based estrogens. These appear to provide three main types of phytoestrogens, namely: isoflavonoids, lignans, and coumestans. Examples of these foods are different types of beans, including soybean and pinto beans, flaxseeds, and alfalfa.

Get Sufficient Omega-3 Fatty Acids

You can create conditions favorable to elastin production by ensuring you have adequate amounts of Omega-3 fatty acids in your diet. This is a major reason these substances are often suggested for promoting youthful appearance. You can get these polyunsaturated fats from both plant and animal sources. Foods that provide them include herring, salmon, sardines, flaxseeds, cashews and pecans.

Exfoliate

Exfoliation is a common integral part of beauty regimens. It helps to do away with dead cells on the skin's outermost layer. This enables ingredients in skincare products to penetrate well into the skin to deliver expected benefits.

But what does this have to do with building elastin? You may ask. It is thought that the scrubbing action can encourage the production of the structural protein.

Human Growth Hormone

A beauty secret of many celebrities, growth hormone (also known as GH or HGH) is believed to play a role in both elastin and collagen loss. Like estrogen and some other hormones, its levels drop as people get older. This is what makes some to think that it may be a factor in skin aging.

Since collagen and elastin fall along with HGH, this means you may be able to improve their levels by increasing the amount of the hormone. Several studies have observed improved skin elasticity and thickness from growth hormone therapy. The findings therefore suggest that HGH helps to build elastin.

Although research showing HGH benefits for the skin mostly uses synthetic hormone, you are better off with a potent HGH supplement, such as GenF20 Plus. It is illegal to use HGH injections to promote youthful appearance, at least in the United States. They are expensive and you require a prescription to get them. By contrast, HGH supplements are cheaper, safer, legal and available over the counter.

Elastin obviously has a critical role to play in ensuring you have a skin that dazzles. Its decline occurs somewhat simultaneously with that of collagen. A good number of steps you take to increase elastin production will also benefit collagen. These proteins together improve the firmness, texture and elasticity of your skin.