Ever wondered what is the real hype behind the fanciest skincare products in the market? Why do skin serums, essences and creams sell so fast and for so much money? One of the reasons behind this rage is that they boost collagen for skin! From our favourite duo of Vitamin C serum to Retinoids and Peptides, find out what your daily skincare routine is missing and why!
I will never graduate from collagen
Dolly Parton
And who wants to anyway?
Sounds like Dolly Parton exactly knew the value of ‘skin collagen’ when it comes to a healthy, youthful and plumper looking skin.
Back in the days, people, especially women went to great lengths and extents to preserve their beauty or even enhance them using ‘animal collagen’.
We are not kidding, it happened sometime in the 70’s!
What Is Collagen?
Collagen is actually a type of protein that’s found naturally in the human body, specifically in connective tissues. But did you know that collagen can also be sourced from other places? That’s right! It’s one of the many proteins that make up most of the body’s composition, alongside water and fat.
What Does Collagen Do?
In a nutshell, collagen is a crucial component that our skin relies on to look and feel its best. In fact, it makes up a whopping 80% of our skin and serves as the primary building block for its structure.
As a vital element in the skin’s extracellular matrix, collagen provides the necessary structure and firmness to keep our skin looking and feeling supple, firm, and elevated. Think of it as a framework that supports and maintains the health of our skin.
Collagen Through the Years
Studies, according to an article in Plastic and Aesthetic Research, claim that starting from a young age, the activity of fibroblasts tends to slow down, resulting in a gradual decline in collagen production by around 1.0% to 1.5% per year.
Unfortunately, certain lifestyle choices such as smoking, as well as environmental factors like exposure to UV rays, can exacerbate this process.
The damage caused by these factors is further compounded by continuous exposure to the sun and pollution, and a reduced efficiency in eliminating free radical molecules.
It is important to take steps to protect your skin from these harmful factors to help maintain healthy and youthful-looking skin.
Top 3 Benefits of Collagen for Skin That You Need to Know
Just think of the adjectives like ‘plump’, ‘bouncy’ and ‘fresh’. Collagen, a.k.a ‘the molecule of youth’ is behind such a skin that youthful, shiny and wrinkle free!
Experts at Harley Street Formulations have laid out for you some of the interesting reasons to ramp up your collagen levels starting today if you are not doing that already!
1. A Skin That Bounces Back
Collagen is a vital protein that helps your skin maintain its youthful appearance. When your skin has plenty of it, you’ll notice that it looks fresher, firmer, and more attractive.
So, if you are aiming to achieve that healthy glow, it is worth considering ways to boost your collagen levels.
2. Plumps Up the Major Signs of Ageing
As you age, it’s natural for your bodies to experience certain changes that are unavoidable and impossible to prevent.
One of the places where these changes become most noticeable is in your skin, which can show signs of ageing such as wrinkles, volume loss, sagging skin, and a dry, lacklustre complexion. These changes are due to a decrease in collagen and elastin production in the skin.
But don’t worry, there are ways to help slow down the ageing process and keep those unwanted lines and signs at bay.
So, what are they?
Experts at Harley Street Formulations help you to get started.
You can adopt a skin-smart lifestyle and use collagen-boosting skincare products. This might include things like avoiding midday sun exposure, wearing sunscreen with a high SPF to protect your skin from harmful UV rays, and using skincare products specifically designed to increase collagen production.
3. Boosts Your Skin’s Hydration
Are you curious about the secret behind that baby-like glowing skin or the radiance that teenagers have? Well, you’re not alone! Many people wonder about this too.
It turns out that skin proteins like elastin and collagen play a big role in keeping our skin hydrated and healthy. That’s why lots of folks choose to use lip fillers to keep their lips hydrated as well.
Our hyaluronic acid lip fillers are an injectable treatment that can help stimulate natural collagen production. This leads to what we like to call “juicy”, “plumped up”, and “hydrated” luscious lips.
2 Skin Superheroes That Spurt Collagen for Skin
A short and simple skincare ritual is a practical approach for men and women. After all, in such an era of tight professional schedules and busy personal lives, who has got the time to follow a never ending beauty ritual on a daily basis? We assume, no one!
With that being said, it is also important to have powerful skincare ingredients
Collagen and Vitamin C Serum
Dear readers, you would be dismayed to know that adding topical collagen to your beauty pantry is not a good idea. Why? That is because collagen molecule is too big to dive deep into your skin to boost collagen production.
However, the good news is that topical Vitamin C serum such as Harley Street Formulations Revitalise C20 and Revitalise C12 is quite impressive at promoting this protein synthesis.
An article in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal by Oxford University Press explains that that when it comes to boosting collagen formation, vitamin C is the only antioxidant that has been shown to be effective.
This is because prolyl hydroxylase, an enzyme that is key to building a stable collagen molecule, requires L-ascorbic acid, which is a form of vitamin C.
And, if that wasn’t enough, lysyl hydroxylase, another important enzyme for cross-linking collagen molecules and thus improving tissue strength, also depends on L-ascorbic acid.
But wait, there’s more! L-ascorbic acid also activates collagen genes, which is critical for wound repair.
So, as you can see, topical vitamin C is essential for the formation and maintenance of healthy collagen in the body.
Collagen and Retinol Serum
While non surgical skin rejuvenating treatments such as Microneedling, Platelet-Rich Plasma Therapy and now, the internet sensation, Profhilo can enrich your skin with collagen, there is still one super skincare ingredient you need to know.
Retinoids!
According to Harvard Medical School, retinoids can help reduce the look of fine lines and wrinkles.
They work by increasing collagen production, which helps to improve the elasticity and firmness of your skin.
Vitamin A (retinol) and its natural as well as synthetic derivatives, such as:
- Retinaldehyde
- Retinoic acid
- Retinyl esters, are all part of the retinoid family
Retinoids are the most well-researched and widely prescribed. This is because they have been shown to promote the creation of new collagen in the dermal layer of the skin. 
Retinoids have been known to deeply penetrate the skin and enhance collagen synthesis, all while preventing the breakdown of healthy collagen. As a result, topical retinoids can enhance the appearance of photoaged skin.
So, if you are looking for a way to combat those pesky signs of aging, serums and creams containing retinoids such as Stimulate RE could be a great solution for you.
Boosting Collagen with Your Lifestyle!
Your skin is the largest organ of your body and collagen is the most abundant protein found in your skin.
So, a well rounded skincare routine coupled with an active lifestyle and healthy habits and choices can delay the onset of ageing signs. So what are the good life choices you can make besides skincare?
-
Ramp Up Your Water Intake
Do not underestimate the power of regular water intake dear readers!
Water makes up about 60% of collagen’s weight in its natural state. It is a crucial component of collagen, and its molecules are so tightly bonded to collagen that they take on the shape of its helix.
It’s essential to note that the removal of water from collagen can have a significant impact.
In fact, when the humidity drops from 95% to 5%, collagen molecules can shrink by 1.3% and almost dry out completely. That’s why it’s vital to ensure that collagen stays hydrated and well-nourished to maintain its health and functionality.
-
Become Sun Smart
Exposure to UV radiation from the sun can damage the collagen and elastin fibers in the skin’s dermis, leading to premature aging, wrinkles, and other skin problems.
To protect the skin from UV damage, it is advisable to apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher whenever you are outdoors, even on cloudy days.
Also, wearing protective clothing, such as long-sleeved shirts and hats, can also help to reduce exposure to harmful UV rays.
Concluding On Collagen for Skin
Your skin represents you everywhere you go for the rest of your life. Yes, you can wear makeup, and yes you can get tons of skin rejuvenating treatments for a plumped up look.
With that being said, it is simply impossible to solely rely on the above mentioned measures. That is where an effective, preventative and restorative skincare comes in.
No matter what your gender is, age, ethnicity, lifestyle, you NEED a promising plan to take care of your skin. We advise you to know more about your skin type, needs and products that might suit you. Cosndier adding clinical grade skincare products with ingredients such as L-ascorbic acid, Retinoids, Multipeptides and AHAs.
Besides a healthy and active lifestyle, a carefully built skin care regimen can do wonders for your health as well as collagen for skin.
What is your holy grail skincare staple?
