“TL;DR: Hydroxyproline is a vital amino acid found exclusively in collagen, which is key to maintaining skin firmness and elasticity. It stimulates the production of collagen types I and III, as well as elastin, while preventing collagen breakdown. These properties make hydroxyproline peptide an essential active ingredient in skin firming, anti-ageing, stretch mark, post-liposuction, and cellulite creams. The peptide form is preferred due to its superior stability and absorption compared to pure hydroxyproline. Effective skincare also requires a healthy diet rich in vegetables, herbs, berries, oily fish, and adequate protein to support collagen synthesis. Serums are generally ineffective for body use due to their low concentration and poor absorption. Creams must contain high levels of hydroxyproline and be used consistently. Consumers should seek products combining hydroxyproline with other potent actives like centella asiatica, cocoa flavanols, and chlorogenic acid in meaningful concentrations to ensure maximum efficacy and avoid low-strength, ineffective formulations.”
Hydroxyproline, collagen, skin firming and cellulite
Hydroxyproline: the most important skin firming cream active, for both face and body - and an essential cellulite cream active
Skin firming and cellulite creams with hydroxyproline peptide
What about hydroxyproline serums for cellulite, anti-ageing and skin tightening?
Not all hydroxyproline-containing creams are the same
Hydroxyproline, centella asiatica, cocoa flavanols and chlorogenic acid
Have a skin tightening/cellulite treatment in London with the experts
The Cellulite School™: Get advanced training in cellulite reduction and skin tightening
Hydroxyproline: the most important skin firming cream active, for both face and body - and an essential cellulite cream active
Collagen is a protein that contains high amounts of the aminoacids proline, glycine and hydroxyproline in its structure.
Hydroxyproline, specifically, is only found in collagen in the body - nowhere else - and it is THE most important aminoacid in the collagen protein.
Studies have shown that a hydroxyproline peptide stimulates collagen type I and III synthesis, as well as elastin synthesis. In addition it inhibits collagen breakdown.
Collagens type I and III are the ones that are primarily found in skin, ligaments and tendons (as opposed to collagen type II, which is found in cartilage).
Due to these qualities, bioavailable hydroxyproline peptide is one of the most important skincare actives today for skin firmness and skin elasticity, and consequently:
Face and body skin firming creams
Anti-ageing creams
Stretch mark creams
Post-liposuction aftercare creams
Cellulite creams
Skin firming and cellulite creams with hydroxyproline peptide
As part of an anti-cellulite formulation containing other similar actives (e.g. cocoa flavanols, centella asiatica / gotu kola, hyaluronic acid etc), hydroxyproline is an essential, all natural active ingredient in the fight against skin laxity, skin aging and cellulite.
A hydroxyproline peptide is much more stable and absorbable than the pure hydroxyproline aminoacid, and therefore it is a preferred form for use in skincare.
For maximum results, skin firming and cellulite creams should always be combined with exercise and healthy nutrition, rich in:
Vegetables, herbs, spices, berry fruits and oily fish (or vegan equivalent), which help support collagen
Adequate protein intake (something which unfortunately most women lack), which help provide collagen
A good collagen powder, rich in hydrolysed collagen type I & III, would also help, at a typical dose of 5-20g of pure collagen a day (this means that collagen drinks or capsules, which only contain 0.5-3g of collagen are quite pointless)
Obviously, there is no point applying a cellulite cream in an effort to reduce cellulite if you develop new cellulite every day by eating unhealthily / not exercising.
And there is no point applying a skin firming cream if you do not give your body the protein it needs to build skin and muscle (both primarily made of protein) and all the other co-factors needed for collagen/elastin production (polyphenols, carotenoids and vitamins found in herbs, veg, berry fruits, citrus fruits etc).
Always ensure you buy a cream containing a high concentration of hydroxyproline and other actives, and use it daily for 6-12 weeks at a time - not occasionally and not for just a few days.
What about hydroxyproline serums for cellulite, anti-ageing and skin tightening?
Shallow magazine/web articles like to push serums as being superior to creams. However, the fact of the matter is that serums are way too diluted and too little in quantity to have any effect on cellulite / body skin firmness.
High concentration and high quantity of product are equally necessary: you cannot possibly reduce cellulite or firm up body skin with 5-10 drops of some diluted watery serum.
Especially for body applications, you do need a lot of product.
For example, we recommend the use of 10g of our Celluence® Body cream per day. In contrast, most serum bottles contain 15-30ml (roughly equal to 15-30g) and they suggest you apply just a few drops, i.e. less than 0.5g a day.
That may be just about enough for the face (not even, really), but it is wholly inadequate for body use.
And no, serums do not get absorbed more than creams, they actually get absorbed less, simply because they are only water-soluble and cannot pass through the outer lipophilic layer of the skin. In contrast, creams are amphiphilic, i.e. both fat- and water-soluble, and can go through both the outer lipophilic and inner hydrophilic skin layers.
Not all hydroxyproline-containing creams are created the same
Concentrated AND absorbable collagen peptide creams are very rare to find.
There are many diluted ones (some contain as little as 0.01% hydroxyproline) and quite a few more concentrated ones, which however, leave the skin greasy and do not absorb well.
And there are some rare products which contain 1% hydroxyproline.
This means that the content of active molecules between hydroxyproline skincare products can vary as much as 100 times in the end-product.
Or to put it differently, you may need to apply a cream/gel/serum with a diluted collagen peptide extract 100 times just to get the benefit of applying a concentrated cream/gel/serum once. Simple maths.
So whether you buy a hydroxyproline cream for anti-aging, stretch marks, skin firming, cellulite reduction or post-liposuction aftercare, do your research first, as you would need 100x bottles of a 0.01% cream to have the same effect as one bottle of an 1% cream.
Hydroxyproline, centella asiatica, cocoa flavanols and chlorogenic acid
Hydroxyproline is well-known for its collagen (and elastin) synthesis stimulation
Cocoa flavanols are known for their elastin synthesis stimulation and also for protecting both collagen and elastin from damage
On the other hand, centella asiatica is well researched for both its collagen synthesis stimulation and collagen remodelling action
And chlorogenic acid, from green coffee, is well researched for its anti-glycation action, which further protects collagen from damage
All in all, it is a good idea to combine key active ingredients together for maximum efficacy, naturally.
However, very few cellulite creams combine those ingredients and even fewer in meaningful concentrations.
Again, do your research and look for high concentrations of multiple high-purity actives, to ensure you apply on your skin a worthwhile product - not a rip-off one.
Have a skin tightening/cellulite treatment in London with the experts
At LipoTherapeia we have specialised 100% in skin tightening and cellulite reduction for more than two decades and 20,000+ sessions.
This is all we study and practise every day and have researched and tried hands-on all the important skin tightening equipment and their manufacturers.
As strong, deep acting radiofrequency and deep-acting, high-power ultrasound cavitation are the technologies of choice for skin tightening and cellulite reduction, we have invested in the best RF/ultrasound technologies in the world.
(Of course, we keep looking for new technologies every day and if/when a better technology materialises we will be the first to provide it. However, we will never follow the latest ineffective gimmick, just because it’s good marketing to offer the latest hyped up - yet ineffective and/or unsafe treatment.)
Furthermore, over the last two decades we have developed advanced RF and cavitation treatment protocols in order to make the most of our technologies, for maximum results, naturally and safely.
And for even better, faster results, we now combine our RF/ultrasound treatments with high-power red/infrared light LED treatment.
Our radiofrequency/ultrasound/LED treatments are comfortable, pain-free, downtime-free, injection-free, 99.5%+ safe and always non-invasive.
(No unsafe and ineffective RF microneedling or HIFU and no safe but ineffective acoustic wave therapy, superficial RF (bipolar/tripolar/multipolar etc), low power RF/cavitation, electrical muscle stimulation, lymphatic massage, cupping, dry brushing and no ridiculous bum bum creams.)
Our focus is on honest, realistic, science-based treatment, combined with caring, professional service, with a smile.
We will be pleased to see you, assess your cellulite, skin laxity or fibrosis, listen to your story, discuss your case and offer you the best possible treatment.
The Cellulite School™: Get advanced training in cellulite reduction and skin tightening
Why train with The Cellulite School™?
We all know that training in cellulite reduction and skin tightening is as basic as it gets. It is typically a 4-6 hour training, involving only basic instruction from the manufacturer on how operators can use the machine; lots of myths, erroneous information and misconceptions; and some basic health and safety on how to use the machine.
There is no proper, real training in the science or cellulite, skin tightening, radiofrequency, ultrasound and all related technologies is non-existent - worldwide.
Do you want to deeply understand radiofrequency, ultrasound cavitation, LED phototherapy, cellulite and skin tightening?
Get proper training based on 25-year theory and practical application of cellulite reduction and valuable insights from 24,000+ sessions and 4,200+ clients.
Attend a half-day, 1-day, 2-day or 3-day one-to-one masterclass and confidently offer your clients the safest, strongest and most effective treatment possible.
Get properly trained in the science of cellulite, skin tightening, radiofrequency, ultrasound, phototherapy and all related technologies, at LipoTherapeia.
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