If you've been following skin care trends, you know that drinking collagen powder and bone broth makes you look and feel great. That's not all, as there are so many ways to maintain youthful skin. Today, we're going to focus more on collagen, which is the drink du jour among Hollywood stars like Jeniffer Aniston, who credits collagen supplements for her impressive youthful glow.
Let's find out more about collagen, how it keeps your skin looking young, and the various ways you can boost your body's collagen production.
What is Collagen?
Collagen is a sturdy, insoluble protein that's naturally produced in the body. It's abundant in our skin, hair, muscles, tendons, ligaments, and bones. Unfortunately, as we age, collagen production decreases. Due to this loss of collagen as we age, many people are turning to supplements like collagen peptides powder as part of their anti-aging regimen.
How Collagen Benefits Your Skin
Considering that collagen is the most abundant protein in our bodies, it's work is to hold the entire body together - much like glue. It makes up to 80% of our skin and works with elastin to strengthen it and maintain an elastic feel and touch. Collagen helps keep your skin looking fresh and young by promoting the overall regeneration of the top layer of the skin, while also restoring dead skin cells.
But as we get older, from around 25 years of age, the body breaks down more collagen than produced, which causes the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines, sagging skin, lifeless hair, and creepy skin. From there, you start losing around 1% of your collagen each year. The fragmentation of your collagen network under the skin is the hallmark of skin aging. The good news is, there are ways you can help your body make more collagen.
How to Boost Collagen Production in Your Body
-
Take a Collagen Supplement - Collagen is often sold as a supplement, such as a collagen peptide powder, liquid, or capsules that can be taken with meals or fluids like tea. But do they work? There's clinical evidence that collagen peptides help improve skin elasticity, boost skin hydration, reduce cellulite and wrinkles, and increase the density of connective tissue that produces collagen.
-
Eat More Foods With Collagen - Proper nutrition is still the number one way to keep your skin looking healthy and youthful. Eat collagen-rich foods like bone broth, fish and shellfish, chicken, egg whites, berries, citrus fruits, tropical fruits, leafy greens, garlic, beans, tomatoes, cashews, and bell peppers.
-
Use a Vitamin C Serum - You can also apply Vitamin C serum on your skin to boost collagen production. Applying a cream with a 5% concentration of Vitamin C has shown to make the skin thicker and reduce the appearance of deep wrinkles.
-
Use of Light Therapy - Light therapy is a form of skin treatment that uses light to penetrate the skin at varying degrees to increase collagen production. Laser treatments are also used to direct short beams of light onto targeted areas of the skin to stimulate fibroblasts in the dermis, which results in the creation of more elastin and collagen.
Conclusion
Start incorporating some of these tips to increase your production of collagen in the skin, and you'll soon feel and look younger. Remember that a proper diet, regular exercise, hydration, and avoiding the sun's UV-rays and smoking are some of the basics of ensuring healthy skin. It's also advisable to always consult a dermatologist before you start a new skincare routine.
Collagen is not just good for your skin but may also help with digestion, joint pain, and muscles. Maintaining youthful skin is everyone's dream, and boosting collagen production is one way to help you look and feel young.
