Growth Factor For Younger Looking Skin

When purchasing new skincare products, I tend to pay more attention to the ingredients that are listed. I started noticing growth factors have been showing up as an ingredient in skincare products more abundantly. It is marketed as an anti-aging ingredient, but do you know what it is or what it does? I didn’t until I did a little research of my own. Here’s what I found.

What Are Growth Factors?

Growth factors are proteins in the body that stimulates the cells to renew, heal, and grow. When skin gets damaged, growth factors communicate with the surrounding cells that repair is needed. Cells naturally secrete growth factors that keep cells healthy and stimulate them to divide. Unfortunately, as we age, growth factors decrease, resulting in the skin not being able to repair itself from damage. The inability to repair itself causes aging, leaving the skin less resilient and firm.

What Does It Do In Skincare?

When growth factors are applied topically, it communicates with cells to generate more collagen and elastin. Collagen is what keeps our skin from sagging, giving the plump, youthful look. Some growth factors used in skincare include Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF) to accelerate healing, Fibroblast Growth Factor (FGF) to stimulate fibroblast production, Insulin-like Growth Factor (IGF) to promote cell growth, Keratinocyte Growth Factor (KGF) to stimulate epithelial cell growth, Platelet-Derived Growth Factor (PDGF) to regulate cell growth, and Transforming Growth Factor-Beta (TGF-β) to stimulate collagen secretion.