What Are Growth Factors, and Why Your Skin Needs More of Them After 30

Published Date: June 17, 2026

Published By: Jac Cantos, Pep Glow Aesthetics™️

Your skin had a superpower in its twenties. It healed quickly, bounced back from stress, and renewed itself at a pace that kept it firm, bright, and resilient. That superpower has a name, growth factors. And after the age of 30, your body produces significantly fewer of them.

Growth factors are not a skincare trend or a marketing buzzword. They are biological signaling proteins that your skin cells depend on to divide, repair, and regenerate. When their levels decline, so does your skin's ability to produce collagen, heal from damage, and maintain its youthful density. Understanding what growth factors are, and how to support them, is one of the most important things you can do for your long-term skin health.

What Are Growth Factors?

Growth factors are naturally occurring proteins in the body that act as messengers between cells. They bind to receptors on the surface of skin cells and trigger specific biological responses, cell division, tissue repair, collagen production, and immune regulation.

In the context of skin health and anti-ageing, three growth factors matter most:

• Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF) is the primary driver of skin cell renewal. EGF signals the outer layer of the skin, the epidermis, to produce new cells, accelerating turnover and supporting the healing of damage caused by sun exposure, pollution, and the natural ageing process. Research published in the Journal of Dental Research identified EGF as a central protein in tissue regeneration, wound healing, and cellular repair.

• Insulin-Like Growth Factor (IGF) supports protein synthesis at the cellular level. IGF helps maintain lean tissue and supports the structural proteins, including collagen and elastin, that give skin its firmness and elasticity. As IGF levels decline with age, the skin progressively loses density and the ability to hold its shape under mechanical stress.

• Transforming Growth Factor-beta (TGF-β) regulates collagen production and modulates the immune response in the skin. TGF-β is the growth factor most directly associated with fibroblast activity, fibroblasts being the cells responsible for producing collagen. Research published in the Journal of Dermatological Science demonstrated that TGF-β is central to the regulation of skin fibroblast growth and regeneration.

Why Growth Factors Decline After 30

The decline in growth factor production is not a random process, it is a predictable feature of biological ageing. Around the age of 25 to 30, the body begins to reduce its output of cellular signaling proteins, a process that accelerates with each passing decade.

Several factors compound this natural decline:

• Chronic stress elevates cortisol, which actively suppresses growth factor production and collagen synthesis simultaneously.

• UV exposure degrades EGF receptors on the skin surface, reducing the skin's ability to respond to growth factor signaling even when some growth factors remain available.

• Inflammation from diet, environment, and lifestyle disrupts the cellular communication pathways that growth factors rely on.

• Hormonal shifts, particularly during perimenopause and menopause, reduce the hormonal environment that supports growth factor output.

The combined effect is a skin that is less capable of renewing itself, slower to heal, and progressively thinner and less elastic, the biological foundation of visible ageing.

Deer Placenta: A Natural Source of Bioactive Growth Factors

For centuries, deer placenta has been used in traditional East Asian medicine as a restorative and rejuvenating compound. Modern cellular biology has now identified exactly why, deer placenta is among the richest natural sources of EGF, IGF, TGF-β, and over 40 bioactive proteins that support cellular regeneration.

A landmark study published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology by Gao et al. documented the bioactive component profile of deer placenta extract and its measurable benefits for skin cell renewal, collagen stimulation, and immune modulation. The research confirmed what traditional practitioners had long observed: deer placenta delivers concentrated growth factor activity in a form the body can recognize and utilize.

Deer Placenta DP-60™️by PepGlow Aesthetics™️ harnesses this science in a 60-capsule oral supplement formulated for daily use. Each capsule delivers deer placenta extract alongside four clinically validated co-ingredients, KSM-66 Ashwagandha, Pycnogenol Pine Bark Extract, Moringa oleifera, and Piperine, to support and amplify the cellular renewal benefits of its growth factor content.

How DP-60™️ Supports Growth Factor Activity in the Skin

Deer Placenta DP-60™️ is designed to work through multiple complementary pathways:

• Growth factor supplementation via deer placenta directly supports the EGF, IGF, and TGF-β pathways that decline with age, providing the skin with the biological signals it needs to renew itself, produce collagen, and maintain immune regulation.

• Collagen protection via Pycnogenol Pine Bark Extract, which inhibits collagenase and elastase, the enzymes responsible for breaking down existing collagen. Research published in Nutrients by Rohdewald confirmed Pycnogenol's ability to improve skin elasticity and hydration through this MMP-inhibiting mechanism.

• Cortisol reduction via KSM-66 Ashwagandha, which has been clinically shown to reduce cortisol levels, removing one of the primary biological suppressors of growth factor activity. Research in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine confirmed ashwagandha's adaptogenic effect on stress hormone balance.

• Bioavailability amplification via Piperine, which inhibits the digestive enzymes that break down nutrients before they reach the bloodstream. Research in Planta Medica demonstrated that piperine increases the absorption of co-administered compounds by up to 2000%, ensuring that every other ingredient in DP-60™ delivers its full clinical benefit.

Who Benefits Most From Growth Factor Support?

Growth factor supplementation is relevant for any adult experiencing the visible or physiological effects of cellular ageing. Deer Placenta DP-60™️is particularly well suited for:

• Adults aged 25 and above who want to support their skin's renewal capacity before visible ageing accelerates

• Individuals undergoing aesthetic treatments such as laser, micro needling, or chemical peels, where accelerated cellular recovery is a priority

• Peri-menopausal and post-menopausal women experiencing hormonal skin changes, reduced collagen density, and loss of radiance

• High-stress professionals whose elevated cortisol is actively suppressing skin renewal and contributing to premature ageing

• Those seeking a comprehensive oral supplement that addresses multiple ageing pathways in a single daily capsule

Conclusion

Growth factors are the biological foundation of youthful, resilient skin, and their decline after 30 is one of the most consequential and least-discussed drivers of visible ageing. Supporting growth factor activity through evidence-based supplementation is no longer the domain of injectables and clinical procedures alone.

Deer Placenta DP-60™️by PepGlow Aesthetics™️brings together the most clinically studied natural source of skin growth factors with four precision co-ingredients designed to amplify, protect, and sustain their benefits at the cellular level.

Ready to feed your cells and reveal your glow? Explore Deer Placenta DP-60™️at https://pep-glow.com.

References

• Guo S, DiPietro LA. Factors affecting wound healing. J Dent Res. 2010;89(3):219–229. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022034509359125

• Takehara K. Growth regulation of skin fibroblasts. J Dermatol Sci. 2000;24(Suppl 1):S70–S77. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0923-1811(00)00143-2

• Gao XH, et al. Deer placenta extract: bioactive components and skin benefits. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2020;19(2):354–361. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocd.13039

• Pratte MA, et al. An alternative treatment for anxiety: a systematic review of human trial results reported for the Ayurvedic herb ashwagandha. J Altern Complement Med. 2014;20(12):901–908. https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2014.0177

• Rohdewald PJ. Pycnogenol, French maritime pine bark extract: a systematic review. Nutrients. 2019;11(11):2804. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11112804

• Shoba G, et al. Influence of piperine on the pharmacokinetics of curcumin in animals and human volunteers. Planta Med. 1998;64(4):353–356. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-2006-957450

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