More than one kind of skin cell units are located within the basal layer of the human skin matrix. One of these types of cells is a 'slow cycling cell', designated as a stem cell that gives way to the more rapid cells. The second type of cell is a 'quick cycling cell', which is designated as a transit amplifying cell. This second type of cell is meant to undergo terminal differentiation and leave the basal layer after a few rounds of mitosis. 'Keratinocytes' have the highest capacity contained by a single cell to reproduce independently. These form a colony in the human follicle, located in the region directly under the bulge (the complete permanent section of the follicle, under the sebaceous glands).

Although it is thought that stem cells divide infrequently in an undamaged epidermis, they are the cells that are capable of sustained proliferation, in response to a stimulus such as wounding.

Glycoconjugates: Help achieve the correct equilibrium between the synthesis and degradation of important structural elements such as collagen and elastin, working toward a cure for damaged skin.

Collagenase: Enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of collagen and gelatin.

Gelatinase activity: A protease that begins the hydrolytic breakdown of proteins, normally by splitting them into polypeptide chains. These are required in early tissue repair and in extensive tissue remodeling. Several types of matrix metalloproteinases (collagenase and gelatinase enzymes) are specifically expressed or activated at various stages of the skin regeneration process. These variations determine the presence or absence of aberrant scars, like keloids or hypertrophic scars.

The matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) are a group of zinc-dependent enzymes, which eliminate varying components of the extracellular skin matrix in both healthy and diseased skin cells. The skin matrix is a framework that keeps the skin together and consists essentially of inter-meshed polymers such as collagen and elastin. The skin matrix is responsible for the skin's mechanical properties, including strength and suppleness. The weaker and less regulated the matrix, the more wrinkles, roughness, and sag one tends to have over time. Whenever skin is damaged, malformed or worn out, the skin matrix is broken down by the MMP enzymes, and then synthesized by fibroblasts. Therefore, MMP enzymes play a critical role in dermal physiology.

Cosmetic Solutions to Skin Care Problems

The latest approach to skin care is maintaining a healthy equilibrium of these enzymes.

In healthy, youthful skin, the synthesis and degradation of the matrix have achieved a certain equilibrium; a damaged or redundant matrix is degraded, while deficit qualities are replenished by the ongoing synthesis. Unluckily, this intricate balance gets altered as one ages - too little of the matrix is synthesized and too much is degraded. MMP levels rise exaggeratedly the older one gets.

Research shows that a reversal of MMP levels to normal youthful levels in aged sufferers is an efficient method to eliminate the damaged matrix and preserve the healthy one. For this reason, the use of MMP inhibitors in the form of chemicals drugs, cosmetic formulations, and lifestyle changes is the new cure for skin care concerns. At home, natural remedies for acne and other skin problems are effective, daily treatments that improve the skin's condition over time.