Do you know what the 'extracellular matrix' is? You may think that it came out of a science fiction movie, wouldn't you? What about collagen? Elastin? Laminin? Do you know anything about these things besides the fact that they are found in some shower gels? If you are worried about premature aging skin, it is a really good idea to understand how your skin works and how we can help it be even more efficient.

All animal tissues have a 'matrix', which their cells are immersed in. This serves various important functions. These include healing our wounds, making sure our skin has structure, and facilitating the growth of new cells. This important substance is called the extracellular matrix. Inside this matrix we have many different components that help our skin to look soft, flexible and radiant. The function of some of these components is to maintain the strength or durability of the skin, and others to keep it moisturized. One of the substances found here, and one of the strongest proteins in nature is collagen. Since collagen is so strong, it strengthens our skin and gives it durability. It happens to be the most abundant protein found in the body. Another significant protein chain is elastin. Elastin is a more stretchable protein (not as strong as collagen) that helps our skin stretch, move, and then regain its original shape again. Besides collagen and elastin, there are also substances in the body that help keep our skin moist and soft. These are glycosoaminoglycans (or GAGs for short) and proteoglycans. These substances are very similar to the consistency of mucus, and they are beneficial because they hold water in our skin.

As long as all of these components are working together in the skin, our skin will stay youthful-looking and radiant. Don't forget that all the substances that are inside the extracellular matrix are necessary for our skin to stay structured and moist. However, the problem emerges when, due to aging, environmental contamination or too much exposure to the sun, the body stops developing as many of these proteins, thus diminishing the extracellular matrix. The development of collagen and elastin and moisture holding molecules is naturally reduced as people age. The cells get old, and since the body isn't fabricating as many fresh ones as it used to, our skin starts to lose the fresh, radiant complexion it used to have.

How to Naturally Help your Skin to Heal Itself

As I had said, one of the main causes of this deterioration of the extracellular matrix is environmental contamination and exposure to UV rays so be careful when you are outside in peak hours of he day. Quit smoking if you haven't already done so, and don't forget to wear sun block whenever you go out. And of course, by now you have probably already heard about the remarkable new developments by scientific experts into the healing properties of biological ingredients found in nature when applied topically to these affected areas. If you're one of the few people who is not familiar with this, people are looking for these skin care products because these natural ingredients (such as mucous that garden snails secrete) have been found to enhance the production of new collagen and elastin within the extracellular matrix. If you still haven't tried one of these natural products, make sure you check them out also, because dedicating yourself to applying them several times a day, and protecting yourself from harmful UV rays when outside, will help you to repair deteriorated skin before it's too late!