What is collagen that is made daily in the body and what is its function? What are the dermal stem cells that are the source of skin firmness? What will happen to the skin when collagen, which maintains skin firmness, saccharifies?
We will thoroughly explain the genuine technology that support's Shiseido's “beauty. We will introduce the research information about Shiseido's collagen with the movie below.
A true scientific movie that elucidates the role of collagen that is made daily in the body
20% of the human body is composed of proteins. Of the total protein, 30% is “collagen”. Further, 40% of the collagen is present in the skin.
There are in total 29 types of collagen in the body. 9 of them are found in the skin and each plays an important role.
Among them, Shiseido is focusing on three types of collagen: type I, type IV and type II. These are necessary to maintain skin firmness and elasticity. To have beautiful skin, it is important that they are close to the basement membrane* in the correct structure.
*A layer that exists at the boundary between the epidermis and dermis
●How much collagen is in the body?
Even if being told about collagen in the body, there are people who have no idea what it is.
Let's put it in a way that is easier to understand by imagining its amount.
●At this instant, is collagen decreasing!?
Among all the collagen in the body, collagen in the skin is essential for beautiful skin.
However, its quantity and quality will gradually worsen if left alone.
Shiseido is conducting various researches to protect collagen that is important for us.
There are fibroblasts in our body that make collagen. However, their functions decrease with age. In other words, the ability to generate collagen gradually weakens, and as a result, it becomes difficult to maintain the firmness of the skin.
When the mechanism of such skin changes was examined, we found “dermal stem cells”, which can be called the mother cells of fibroblasts. By effectively approaching these dermal stem cells, we determined that when fibroblasts are kept healthy, high quality collagen would be produced continuously.
In order to activate the cells that can produce collagen, we had a new idea to use dermal stem cells, which can be called the source for that purpose. Shiseido's collagen research will continue to evolve further.
Collagen too! Hyaluronic acid too! Even elastin!! Dermal stem cells that are the source of skin firmness.
●What exactly are stem cells?
Stem cells are cells that have the function of “self-replication ability” to divide and reproduce their own copy, and also the function of “differential ability” to produce various cells that are different from themselves.
Health maintenance of the body and wound healing are all due to the function of stem cells.
In the medical field, research on “regenerative medicine” where diseased or injured organs and tissues are repaired by the power of stem cells has been active in recent years.
The iPS cells, which were awarded the Nobel Prize of Medicine and Physiology, are also one of the stem cells.
●Two types of stem cells exist in the skin
There are two types of stem cells, “dermal stem cells” and “epidermal stem cells”, in the skin and they each have different functions.
Topics
[Skin composition]
- ●Collagen:
- The main protein that makes up the fibers of dermis and plays an important role in maintaining structure and elasticity.
- ●Elastin:
- The main protein that makes up elastic fibers that are important for maintaining skin elasticity.
- ●Hyaluronic acid:
- A component that plays an important role in maintaining skin moisture.
In order to activate the cells that can produce collagen, we had a new idea to use dermal stem cells, which can be called the source for that purpose. Shiseido's collagen research will continue to evolve further
Although dermal stem cells are the source of skin's firmness, precisely where they exist, their characteristics, and even their relationship with aging had not been the subject of research.
Shiseido began their research on dermal stem cells in 2004. Through extensive research, we have discovered new facts that lead to anti-aging solutions.
Location
Dermal stem cells present stably around blood vessels.
The image on the right was taken to examine the cross section of inside the skin with a microscope. The green lines are blood vessels and the red dots pointed by the arrows are dermal stem cells. From this image, it can be understood that dermal stem cells are distributed around blood vessels.
Characteristics
Growth factors are important for dermal stem cells to stably exist around blood vessels.
*Growth factor is a generic term for biological substances that regulate cell proliferation and differentiation.
The image on the left was taken to examine the cross section of inside the skin with a microscope. The green lines are blood vessels, but they look entirely red as they are covered by growth factors indicated in red right outside the blood vessels. From this image, it can be understood that growth factors are distributed around blood vessels.
Relation to aging
Dermal stem cells and growth factors have been shown to decrease with age.
Based on these new findings, Shiseido is conducting research on the expression of growth factors that decrease with age and is working on developing anti-aging solutions that will increase the ability to regenerate and repair the dermis. We will soon be welcoming the age where firm skin can be realized by the dermis.
Collagen that protects skin firmness. What happens to the skin when collagen saccharifies!?
When we speak of skin firmness and elasticity, collagen immediately comes into mind! It is widely known, and it is one of the proteins that make up human skin. It accounts for about 30% of the protein in the entire body and also constitutes bones together with calcium and phosphorus.
The ability to produce collagen normally declines with age and decreases.
Though sugar is known as the energy source for the body, a part of it changes in nature due to aging, UV rays, stress, etc. The changed sugar reacts with normal collagen and it becomes “saccharified collagen”. Once collagen is saccharified, it loses its original spring-like structure leading to the reduction in skin's vital firmness and elasticity.
A cause of skin aging is the saccharification of collagen.
Shiseido is focusing on the saccharafication of collagen. In addition to the effects of “supplementing collagen” and “producing collagen” that we have been looking at up to now, we will also realize a brand new effect of “preventing the reaction between collagen and sugar”.
The new cutting-edge research of collagen will enable skin that is bouncy and firm and allow you to maintain a youthful skin from within.
