Hearing “you look tired” can be disheartening, especially when daily stressors and environmental factors take a toll on your skin. As we age, our skin loses volume and our bodies stat to produce less collagen, less often. Collagen production naturally begins to decline around our mid twenties and by the time you are 60 years old, you will have lost around 80% of your natural collagen.
However, by ensuring that our skin stays plump and hydrated, we can mitigate these effects and soften the appearance of premature aging. Alongside a healthy lifestyle, some decent skincare and various treatments – all of these can give your skin a much-needed boost and help aid in the production of collagen.
So, read on to discover some tips and tricks you can incorporate into your routines to help encourage your skin’s collagen production levels and improve hydration, helping you look your best even on the toughest of days.
First of all, what exactly is Collagen and why do we need it?
Collagen accounts for roughly about 30% of your body’s protein. It provides structure, support and strength to our muscles, bones, connective tissues and, most importantly – our skin. When you think of a baby’s skin – the full fleshiness and plumpness we associate with youth is due to collagen. Unfortunately, as we age, our bodies production levels slow right down, meaning we produce less of it and less often.
Production actually starts to dwindle in our mid-to-late 20s and by our early 30’s we are losing 1% of our collagen every year after that. By age 40, collagen drops dramatically, leading to all sorts of signs of aging such as dehydrated skin, fine lines and wrinkles, skin sagging and laxity and of course loss of volume, however when collagen levels are healthy, cells that contain them take on a strong and youthful appearance.
What is the difference between Collagen and Elastin?
Elastin is another crucial protein in the body, found in areas that need to contract, such as arteries and lungs and its remarkable property allows it to snap back into place and maintain its original shape. Both elastin and collagen are vital proteins present in the skin, working together to give it texture, shape and structure. Skin with healthy levels of collagen and elastin not only appears more youthful but is also stronger.
What’s fascinating about collagen is that stimulating its growth leads to a domino effect: the more collagen you have, the more your body can produce and sustain.
Diet and Lifestyle
The most effective way to prevent premature skin aging is to care for your body from the inside out. Keeping skin nice and hydrated by drinking plenty of water helps flush out toxins and keep your skin looking its best. Eating nutrient-rich foods, particularly those high in fatty acids like fish, leafy greens, garlic, avocado, and berries, can all help boost collagen levels naturally.
Eating foods rich in vitamin C and amino acids can increase the levels of hyaluronic acid and collagen in the body as both are important for skin. Foods such as oranges, red peppers, kale, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and strawberries are all rich in vitamin C.
You can further enhance your routine by including supplements such as Premium Collagen Powder, fish oil, aloe vera, vitamin C and phytoceramides.
Avoid smoking and tanning as these can very quickly lead to prematurely ageing – always apply SPF as the last step in your morning skincare routine.
Massage Your Skin
Just like the body, the face has muscles that benefit from exercise. Regular facial exercises or skin massages stimulate muscle tissue, improving volume and elasticity while also helping to combat muscle atrophy. Incorporate this practice into your skincare routine and consider using a facial massage tool during skincare application.
Skincare
Certain skincare ingredients can significantly boost collagen levels so investing in some products with the following ingredients can help keep your skin looking younger for longer. Hyaluronic acid is essential for skin hydration and collagen support – remember plump hydrated skin ALWAYS appears younger!
Products containing AHAs and retinol help to promote cellular turnover, keeping skin looking fresh and youthful. As well as helping to fade the appearance of sun damage and discoloration, topical vitamin C can also help stimulate collagen synthesis as well as helping to mitigate the visible appearance of fine lines and wrinkles – thus providing the skin with a plumper, smoother, and more youthful appearance.
Microneedling Treatments
One of the best treatments for helping boost collagen levels within the skin is Microneedling, otherwise known as Collagen Induction Therapy (or CIT for short). Using a micro needling pen, tiny needles create micro-wounds in the skin, triggering a healing response that helps boost collagen production.
CIT enhances skin rejuvenation, plumps the complexion, strengthens skin barrier, and increases elastin and collagen production. As well as rejuvenating the skin, the treatment can also help with pigmentation, as well as reducing the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and dynamic expression lines.
Plasma Rejuvenation
Plasma rejuvenation is a growing trend in the field of non-surgical anti-aging treatments. A Plasma Pen delivers a small electric charge (plasma flash) to the superficial skin cells, converting the targeted area from a solid to a gas without damaging surrounding tissue. This sublimation process triggers a wound healing response, causing collagen fibres to contract and stimulating fibroblast cells to produce new collagen – resulting inw smoother, tighter skin. A crust will form post-treatment but will disappear within a week, with new collagen generating over 4-6 weeks.
IPL Photo Rejuvenation
Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) treatments use rapid pulses of light at varying wavelengths to improve skin texture and tone. IPL machines work by stimulating fibroblast cells to increase collagen and elastin production, plumping and firming the skin while enhancing hydration. The treatment results in a smoother, fresher complexion with minimal downtime and long-lasting effects.
Although these days a youthful appearance is highly valued and beauty is a commodity – it isn’t just skin deep. Healthy skin is happy skin – its also a good indicator of how the rest of your body is feeling. Whilst there is no way to turn back time and completely reverse the signs of aging – it is far easier to protect your skin while it’s still healthy than to attempting to repair it later on down the line.
Hopefully by integrating these tips and treatments into your routine, you can significantly enhance your skin’s collagen levels and mitigate some of the more obvious signs of visible ageing, ensuring you not only feel, but look your best.
To learn more about any if the treatments mentioned in this article or to find a provider in your local area, please contact salon suppliers, The Global Beauty Group on 1300 006 607.
