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In this blog, I will examine why collagen loss as we age, what affects the appearance of your skin and the steps you can take to boost collagen in your body.
We’ll give you from diet tweaks to skincare tips to help you to maintain that healthy elastic skin throughout your daily years. So stay tuned, because there are small changes that can work big magic!
Table of Content (TOC)
What is Collagen and Why Is It Important?
Collagen is one of the most abundant proteins in your body, giving your skin, hair, nails and joints strength and structure. It is the glue that keeps your skin firm and smooth. However, as we age, our body starts to produce less and less collagen naturally, usually after we turn 25. This results in wrinkles, fine lines and sagging skin.
Your skin naturally has collagen to make it elastic and less likely to damage easily. This affects your appearance as well; it can even affect your total skin health.
Learning what collagen is and its role in the body equips you with the knowledge to take steps to prevent a collagen loss and prevent your skin from looking aged.
Why Does Collagen Loss Happen as We Age?
Collagen loss is a normal part of getting older. As with age, your body loses the ability to produce as much collagen which is less than it used to, or simply has lower quality.
This happens due to a combination of factors:
- Reduced production: As your body ages, it slows down its collagen production.
- Lifestyle choices: Collagen breakdown can be accelerated by factors such as a poor diet, smoking and too much sun exposure.
- Hormonal changes: Hormonal shifts near menopause significantly impacts on collagen, especially in women, which ages skin more quickly.
To help slow down collagen loss and keep your skin in better shape for longer, it helps to learn about these factors so that you can think of ways to change your lifestyle.
Signs That You’re Experiencing Collagen Loss
Are you unsure if you are experiencing collagen loss? Here are some common signs:
- Wrinkles and fine lines: Reduced collagen is often the first to show as its first indications.
- Sagging skin: Your skin is losing its elasticity and firmness with the less collagen.
- Dry skin: A decline in a can cause skin to become dry, because collagen helps retain moisture in the skin.
- Weaker nails and thinning hair: It helps maintain the strength of your nails and hair and when lost, can cause brittleness and thinning.
If you see any of these signs, now might be the time to start thinking about ways to increase your collagen levels.
Top 7 Ways to Slow Down Collagen Loss
1. Protect Your Skin from Sun Damage
Collagen breakdown is one of the leading contributors to sun exposure. UV rays pass through the skin and damage collagen fibers, making it easier for the skin to age.
To protect your skin:
- Wear sunscreen every day, even on overcast days.
- A broad spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 30 at least.
- If outdoors for long periods, wear protective clothing such as hats with long sleeves.
You can retain your skin’s collagen and avoid premature aging if you limit your sun exposure.
2. Eat a Collagen-Boosting Diet
Collagen production is influenced by what you put in your mouth. Certain foods can help your body produce more collagen naturally:
- Bone broth: It’s one of the best foods to up your collagen levels as it’s rich in it.
- Citrus fruits: Full of vitamin C, vital to collagen synthesis.
- Leafy greens: Chlorophyll contains which may raise a precursor to collagen in the skin.
But you can support your skin’s health from the inside out by adding some of these foods to your diet.
3. Drink more than your thirst
It’s important to stay hydrated for healthy skin. Collagen loss is enemy #1 when trying to help combat aging skin and water is your ally if you're trying to do so. Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day, and if you can, hydrating foods like cucumber and watermelon.
4. Use Skincare Products with Active Ingredients
Certain skincare products can help stimulate collagen production:
- Retinoids: Collagen synthesis promotion and fine lines reducing.
- Peptides: Amino acid chains of short length that tell your skin to make more collagen.
- Hyaluronic acid: It helps hold moisture and helps to retain collagen in the skin.
These are things you can add into your skincare routine that really make a difference over time.
5. Get Beauty Sleep
While you sleep, your body repairs itself, including the making of collagen. Accelerated aging is caused by poor sleep.
To improve your sleep quality:
- Sleeping at the same time, from the same time, and staying awake at the same time will stick to a regular sleep schedule.
- Make a peaceful bedtime routine.
- Make sure your bedroom is dark and quiet.
Sleep can have a tremendous effect on your skin and your levels of collagen.
6. Avoid Smoking and Limit Alcohol
These deplete your body’s collagen levels: smoking and excessive alcohol consumption. When you smoke, you reduce blood flow to your skin so there isn't as much oxygen and nutrients to feed collagen.
Of course, alcohol dehydrates skin and disrupts collagen synthesis. Improving your skin’s health dramatically can be as simple as reducing or eliminating these habits.
7. Consider Collagen Supplements
Collagen supplements are popular due to the fact that they are able to increase collagen levels from without. Types of them include powder or capsule form and are often made from bovine or marine sources. In fact, Reviva Glow is a product that is custom made to boost elasticity and hydration of your skin.
Regular use of collagen based supplements such as Reviva Glow can bring about noticeable increase in skin texture as well as overall look.
Yet, one needs to pick the quality supplements and refer with the healthcare professional before taking into new prescription to have it become as per health necessities.
Simple Lifestyle Changes to Support Collagen Health
In addition to diet and skincare, certain lifestyle changes can further support collagen health:
- Exercise regularly: Exercise, in fact, improves circulation that helps deliver nutrients to the skin, and stimulates collagen production.
- Manage stress: Cortisol increases when we’re stressed over a long period, and that cortisol breaks down collagen. But stressing relief practices such as yoga or meditation can help.
- Avoid excessive sugar: Glycation, a process where sugar damages collagen fibers, makes the skin less firm and elastic and a higher sugar intake leads to it.
When put altogether, small changes in your daily routine can add up to big changes for your skin and collagen.
How to Measure the Effectiveness of Your Collagen-Boosting Routine
To know if your efforts are working, pay attention to changes in your skin’s appearance and texture:
Measure your skin’s firmness as well as your skin’s hydration.
The best is to take progress photos whenever possible, every few months or so so you can see visible changes.
Record anything you notice for improvements in wrinkles and fine lines.
It requires consistency, it may take a few months to see any noticeable change.
Final Thoughts on Slowing Down Collagen Loss
Collagen loss is something that happens with age, but there are things you can do to slow that down and keep your skin looking youthful. You can support your body’s collagen production by eating a collagen boosting diet, giving your skin protection from sun damage, staying hydrated, plus lots more.
It is never too early or too late to start caring for your skin. You can have healthier, more vibrant skin —no matter your age — with dedication and consistency.
References
Shuster, S., Black, M. M., & McVitie, E. (1975). The influence of age and sex on skin thickness, skin collagen and density. British Journal of Dermatology, 93(6), 639-643.
Proksch, E., Schunck, M., Zague, V., Segger, D., Degwert, J., & Oesser, S. (2014). Oral intake of specific bioactive collagen peptides reduces skin wrinkles and increases dermal matrix synthesis. Skin Pharmacology and Physiology, 27(3), 113-119.
