The Cosmogene Genetic Test can help identify if you are a carrier of key genetic variations associated with accelerated collagen loss – even before the signs have become visible.
ABOUT THIS CATEGORY
ARE YOU GENETICALLY PREDISPOSED TO PREMATURE COLLAGEN BREAKDOWN?
Keeping the skin firm, plump and wrinkle-free, collagen is the principle structural protein of the skin. Throughout your life, Collagen undergoes continuous reproduction and turnover.
When you are younger, your body makes more collagen than it loses, but after about the age of 40, collagen loss accelerates, leading to a decline in the appearance of your skin.
WHAT YOUR GENETICS HAVE TO DO WITH IT
Our genetic predispositions play a big role in determining both the speed of collagen production and breakdown/turnover.
Key variations in this genetic category can identify if the rise and fall of collagen is in balance, or if the breakdown of collagen predominates, which can result in the appearance of premature wrinkling, aging and sagging of the skin.
Collagen Balance
In youthful skin, the production and degradation of collagen is in balance.
Collagen Imbalance
Genetic abnormalities can lead to an increased rate of collagen breakdown.
In healthy, youthful skin, the synthesis and degradation of Collagen is in balance: damaged or redundant Collagen is degraded while the deficit is replenished by the ongoing synthesis.
Unfortunately, this intricate balance gets disrupted when there is an oversupply of MMP1: too little of the matrix is synthesized and too much is degraded. The more this occurs the more winkles, roughness and sagginess one tends to have. MMP levels are known to increase with age as a result of photo aging as well as natural aging.
The genes in this category are involved in slowing the breakdown and degradation of Collagen Fibers found in the extracellular matrix of human tissue. Key variations tested in this category can identify if the synthesis and degradation process of Collagen is in balance, or if the degradation predominates (increased MMP levels) that can result in the appearance of premature wrinkling, loss of youthful looks and other ageing skin traits.
Genes Tested
GENE MMP-1 & CYP1A2
GENE MMP-1
COLLAGEN BREAKDOWN
Collagen consists of long, flexible fibres that accumulate in the skin and give it firmness. Since collagen is crucial for the proper function of the skin, there are mechanisms which break down and remove old collagen from the skin.
A special enzyme in the skin performs this task. It is named MMP1 and is a collagenase. The removal of old collagen keeps the collagen fresh and functional, and allows the skin to remain firm even with increasing age. The building instructions for the MMP1 enzyme is encoded in the MMP1 gene. This gene controls how the enzyme has to be made and how much of the enzyme should be produced.
Keeping the skin firm, plump and wrinkle-free, Collagen is the principle structural protein of the skin. Our genetic predispositions play a big role in determining both the speed of collagen production and breakdown.
GENE CYP1A2
COLLAGEN PRODUCTION
Collagen is important for the tensile strength of the skin and must be constantly re-produced in order to keep the skin young. The enzyme prolidase produces the raw material (proline) for collagen production. If prolidase is disturbed for some reason, the skin begins to break down collagen. Caffeine is an example of a disruptive factor that prevents prolidase from producing the collagen raw material.
However, caffeine also has a circulation-promoting effect on the skin and is therefore often used in beauty products. Your body has a gene (called CYP1A2), which has the task of identifying and degrading caffeine. If this gene works normally, it breaks down enough caffeine to avoid the prolidase-interfering effect. Prolidase can then generate proline without interference, which is then processed to form large amounts of collagen in the skin.
Not sure what some words mean?
Collagen is just one of thousands of different proteins in the body. The most abundant protein is collagen. In fact, collagen makes up more than one third of all protein in the body and about 75% of the skin.
Protein enables the body to function properly. They are used in all sorts of ways: to transport nutrients and oxygen to vital organs including the skin, and are essential tools needed for cellular repair.