The Scoop on Collagen and How It’s Your Anti-Aging Bestie

You might not necessarily want to look 22 forever, but none of us want to look like life has kicked us in the keister either. We all want to look youthfully energized and full of life. In fact, the global anti-aging industry is worth a massive $71.6 billion and it’s only expected to keep growing.

If you want to revitalize your skin with a little dab from the fountain of youth, there’s one word you need to know above all others: collagen. Buckle in because here’s your quick guide to collagen and how to befriend it for your facial anti-aging.

What Is Collagen and What Does It Do for Your Skin?

Collagen is a protein that your body produces. There’s actually collagen throughout many different parts of your body, like your joints and digestive system, serving a lot of different purposes and functions. But we’re concerned with collagen in your skin specifically. Collagen is the key protein that makes skin firm and smooth. It’s also what your body uses to heal wounds in your skin.

If Your Skin Has Collagen, Why Do You Get Wrinkles and Sagging Skin with Age?

Lines, wrinkles, and sagging skin all happen because your skin has less and less collagen as you get older. But why does this happen? It’s a tale as old as time, really. Collagen, like everything else in your body, is constantly being broken down and reproduced. When you’re young, your body is producing enough new collagen to keep up with the collagen that’s breaking down. But as you get older, your body produces less and less collagen and can’t keep up with the breakdown anymore, so the amount of collagen in your skin drops lower and lower. Alas, wrinkles are born.

Here's the interesting thing about this, though: the problem is your collagen breaking down too fast and not being replaced quickly enough. That means there are two ways to address the problem: by reducing the breakdown of collagen so you retain more of it and by producing more collagen to replace the broken down collagen.

How Do You Retain More of Your Collagen?

Collagen breaking down is a natural process…to a degree. For many of us, lifestyle habits and other factors can break down collagen in our skin more quickly than our body would break it down naturally. You can keep that to a minimum with some tricks and lifestyle choices.

Get Serious About Sun Protection

Sun damage is a major factor in facial aging because the sun’s radiation breaks down collagen in your skin. It also ages your skin in other ways, like creating age spots. If you want to keep enjoying the sun while also retaining more of your youthful collagen, make sunscreen a daily habit. You can also help keep the sun off sensitive areas of your face by wearing a wide-brimmed hat for shade and wearing large sunglasses.

Avoid Smoking

Tobacco smoke is a powerful enemy of collagen too. In fact, smoking can age your appearance in several ways besides the wrinkles that come from having less collagen – staining your teeth, creating wrinkles around your mouth from the repetitive motions of smoking, and making your skin tone look duller.

Harness the Power of Antioxidants

Antioxidants are nutrients that help your body resist certain types of damage, and that includes the damage from sun exposure and pollution that can break down your collagen. You can benefit from taking in antioxidants in your diet, like eating berries, beans, and dark leafy greens, or from using a skin care product with antioxidants.

How Do You Get Your Collagen Back?

Cutting back on your collagen breakdown will help with your facial aging, but what if you want to kick it up a notch and help your body produce more new collagen too? I’ve got you covered.

Professional Skin Treatments

This might not be what you want to hear because they’re pricey, but the most effective way to rebuild collagen is through professional skin treatments. Services like microneedling, certain laser treatments and light therapies, and some chemical peels are designed specifically to build collagen.

As I mentioned above, our bodies use collagen to heal wounds. These treatments create controlled micro-injuries to your skin, which triggers your body’s healing response to produce and send collagen to the area.

Eat a Collagen-Friendly Diet

For your body to produce collagen, it needs the right tools and ingredients to do the job. You can give it the supplies it needs by eating certain foods that help with collagen production. The biggest nutrient to watch for is vitamin C, which you’ll find in a lot of fruits and vegetables like citrus fruits and bell peppers. Other collagen-boosting foods include chicken, bone broth, fish, egg whites, garlic, berries, beans, cashews, and leafy greens.

Use Aloe Vera or Other Collagen-Stimulating Skin Care Products

Some topical anti-aging products can boost your collagen production when you simply use them routinely at home. Easy peasy! There are many types of anti-aging products Topical products with aloe vera, for example, can do this well. In fact, that’s why aloe vera is a great way to help burns and other skin wounds heal – because it stimulates collagen production.

Take Collagen Supplements (Maybe)

This one is still being studied, but there’s enough promising research that it’s worth considering. Some studies have found that certain oral collagen supplements can improve skin elasticity.

Maintaining and Restoring a Youthful Look with Collagen

Collagen is a major player in your skin, both its ability to have a healthy healing cycle and its aesthetic youthfulness. Luckily, a few healthy habits and quality skin care products can help you boost and maintain your collagen.