Let’s talk enzymes. An enzyme is a substance produced by body cells that helps bring about or speed up bodily chemical activities (as the digestion of food) without being destroyed in so doing (merriam-webster.com). Enzymes are created naturally in the body, but the additional application via enzyme facials help to bolster the skin’s turnover rate.

Enzymes are usually used in skincare to exfoliate or be used as an anti-inflammatory. They have the ability to treat oily and acneic skin, ultra-dry complexions and very sensitive skin. Enzymes do all this and more by igniting the skin’s natural exfoliation process by only targeting dead cells without creating broken capillaries or rosacea type reactions. This is enough to unblock clogged pores because the enzymes digest the build-up of proteins from the stratum corneum (the top horny layer of the skin), help remove whiteheads and reduce acne breakouts. All of this is possible because of how gentle enzymes are, as opposed to AHA peels. Enzymes help the natural process of shedding skin cells and speed up exfoliation in our skin. If you have issues with normal exfoliants an enzyme exfoliant may be right for you.

As an anti-inflammatory agent, enzymes are effective because they seek out and destroy free radicals which can come about from a number of reasons including poor diet, stress or external pollutants. The most common types are oxygen free radicals which cause damage to our DNA. Free radicals are able to do this because they have an unstable number of electrons. In order to stabilize they grab electrons from nearby molecules which in turn change that molecule into a free radical and so on and so forth. This played out on our skin causes innumerable damage. Like this, free radicals build up over our lifetimes and have a lot to do with how we age. Too much of them can cause us to age prematurely or even cause cancer and autoimmune diseases. Enzymes are great because they protect against this damage along with other types of damage like acne scarring and sun damage.

It’s no wonder then that research and development experts in the Skincare Industry predict enzyme treatments to rapidly increase over the next few years. The industry is definitely seeing enzymes as a “game changer,” veering away from the petrochemical-based ingredients in most products.

There are two types of enzymatic skincare products. There are enzymes from fruit acids and there are enzyme proteins. Epicuren is the only skincare line that carries protein enzymes (organ-specific). This biological enzyme protein is specifically tailored to work on our biological skin, which means that the results are not superficial. The protein enzymes are absorbed directly into the skin’s cells, stimulating them and causing them to regenerate on their own. They even help skin repair recent scars correctly by not allowing it to form a scar memory, instead reminding it of healthy skin memory by producing healthier, younger cells. Fruit enzymes meanwhile are merely topical. They don’t address mutations in the top cellular layer of skin or enter the body of the cell as nutrients. It is merely an exfoliant.

You could also visit Lea Advanced Skincare for the best facials in Beverly Hills where she has expertly been performing enzymatic facials for years

An ancient beauty secret of Queen Cleopatra’s was her use of enzyme-laden fermented mares’ milk to bathe in, as well as Kefir. In fact, you can add Kefir to Lea’s Eigard Essentials products.

Kefir promotes anti-aging and works great to diminish acne and get rid of your dead skin (through the lactic acid), which also diminishes the signs of wrinkles. Kefir leaves skin looking fresh and bright.

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In regards to looking your best through the use of enzymes, Lea Advanced Skincare also carries lines such as Epicuren and DNA. Epicuren uses protein enzymes in their major retail products and DNA has a plant enzyme mask that Lea uses for specific treatments.