If you've visited my skin clinic in Needham Market, read any of my previous blogs or social posts, you'll know that this natural anti-ageing substance is your ultimate tool when it comes to fighting the signs of ageing. Collagen is the most abundant protein in our bodies - it plays a vital role for all of our connective tissues as it supports our bones, skin, muscles, tendons and other organs as well as playing a crucial part in cell renewal and calming inflammation - so, yes, it's a pretty big deal!
We're born with this protein in abundant supply, but as nature has its way, we begin to lose our supplies after the age of 25. And for the women amongst us, I'm really sorry to say our collagen production rate plummets when we hit menopause - honestly, it's a very tricky time for us.
As well as the inevitable effects of mother nature on our collagen levels - there's also external factors that have a detrimental affect on our collagen production such as exposure to UV rays, pollution and smoking - this can lead to our skin starting to sag and lose some of its natural elasticity (there's good news to come I promise!)
If we aren't naturally able to replenish our collagen levels at the rate we would like to stay wrinkle- and care-free - it's not the only way we can keep our superpower levels up. There are a number of 'cheats' (I prefer the term interventions) that can help us on our quest for healthy, glowing skin.
Many of the therapies, treatments and products that I provide boost the production of this wonder substance, non-invasively! Collagen therapy treatments have come a really long way alongside our knowledge and as a result there are a number of ways we can rejuvenate our collagen stores and replace the lost supplies.
Say goodbye to collagen injections to plump areas, there's now a number of safe, highly-effective collagen-induction therapies with no downtime that don't rely upon old fashioned bovine collagen injections.
If you remember that the beginning of this blog I mentioned that collagen plays a vital role in cell renewal? This happens when there's a perceived trauma to your skin - collagen is produced to help you heal. I use the fantastic SkinPen Precision in my Microneedling treatments, a medical grade microneedling device that will help to rejuvenate your skin - it can help to reduce acne scarring too. It quite literally works by making your skin ‘fix’ itself, creating more collagen, plumping and smoothing out your skin. There’s a reason Microneedling is sometimes called ‘Collagen Induction Therapy’.
I also use LED Light Therapy which stimulates the production of new collagen in a similar way, using laser light. Heating up the cells (which is not painful at all) has a similar effect as the micro-traumas caused by the Microneedling, making the body’s collagen production go into repair mode. It plumps, firms and smooths out those pesky areas where skin loses elasticity.
There are plenty of collagen supplements on the market if you want to boost your available collagen from the inside, too. Look out for the amount of collagen contained in a supplement; some of them don’t actually contain enough to slow the rate of breakdown in the body, making the supplements less effective. Look for a product containing hydrolysed collagen which is easier for your body to absorb, too. You also need to be aware of bio-availability – the body’s ability to use a supplement.
Additionally, you can boost this by eating a varied diet – adding in foods that already have bio-available forms of collagen and amino acids. Some examples of these are:
Egg whites
Shellfish
Bone broth
It’s important to make sure that your diet contains plenty of calcium, glucosamine and magnesium, along with vitamin C, which is needed to make pro-collagen, the body’s precursor to collagen.
My favourite collagen supplement is Skinade, a drink made from pure hydrolysed marine collagen peptides sourced from fresh-water fish. It doesn’t taste fishy of course; it tastes fruity - and contains essential vitamin C along with other nutrients to pack a real collagen-boosting punch.
Ask me for more details if you’d like to give this wonder-supplement a try. I stock AlumierMD skincare products with collagen for a boost of topical skin love too.
So, you can tackle collagen loss from as many angles as you like, and keep your skin looking youthful and dewy for as long as possible…as ever, I love to hear from anyone with skin care questions so if you have anything you’d like to ask me, or you’d like a consultation or to book a lovely treatment, please just get in touch and let’s talk!
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