These days it seems as though the answer to every skin concern is ‘collagen’! In the treatment room, you often hear us buzzing over the word; how to boost it, how to prevent its deterioration and how to best utilize the pre-existing collagen in your body. So here it is- everything you need to know about collagen!
What is Collagen?
Proteins are large, complex molecules in the body that are required for its function, structure, and regulation. Amongst the many different proteins, Collagen is the most abundant in the human body and is a major component of bones, muscles, tendons, cartilage and SKIN! Surprisingly,
collagen makes up one third of the protein in the body overall, and about 75% of the skin giving it resilience and elasticity.
However, as we age, our bodies’ natural collagen levels begin to deplete leaving the skin weaker, thinner, and less taught.
What causes Collagen loss?
While collagen loss is a part of the natural aging process, it can also be affected by oxidative stress (smoking and diet), low levels of vitamin-c, lack of sleep or exercise, sun exposure without protection, and hormonal changes such as pregnancy and menopause. The American Academy of Dermatology states that
“women’s’ skin loses approximately 30% of its collagen during the first five years of menopause” and “decreases 2% each year following the first”(R1),
so investing in an effective collagen-boosting routine is crucial in those early stages.
How to regenerate Collagen with skincare!
If you think that products containing collagen will increase your levels you may be deceived- but there are specific ingredients to look for in skincare that can stimulate regrowth. Vitamin-c, vitamin-a and peptides are all great ingredients to effectively help your body to produce new collagen fibers.
Hydropeptide uses epigenetics, a cellular process which “orchestrates ingredients that message the skin to “talk back” to your DNA, telling it when to turn on genes that act younger and healthier”(R2). The peptides in this line are essentially chemical messengers that tell our cells to work in a more youthful, energetic way, and change how our DNA reacts to its environment.
Hydropeptide uses peptides that signal the skin to produce more collagen, peptides that optimize deposits of collagen, and peptides that prevent the breakdown of current collagen- thus resulting in a more youthful and bouncy complexion.
Our favorite Collagen boosting products!
- Nimni Collection– Neodermyl reactivates inactive fibroblasts for the manufacturing of collagen, a collagen complex patented by Hydropeptide.
- PolyPeptide Collagel Masks– Contains hydrolyzed collagen that are fragments of the collagen protein used to naturally trigger collagen production within our skin. Additionally, it has growth factor peptides which are a blend of biomimetic peptides that mimic the growth factors in our skin to promote cell growth and collagen production.
- LumaPro-C– stabilized vitamin-c for making essential fibroblasts required for collagen synthesis, and helps fade dark spots.
- Bend Marine Collagen + Co-factors– sustainable hydrolyzed marine collagen, and vitamin c for antioxidant protection.
>> Shop it here
References
1)Mcintosh, J. (2022, June 5). Collagen: What is it and what are its uses? Medical News Today. Retrieved January 4, 2023, from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/262881
2)Kleinman , M. (2022, December 22). What is collagen, and should I be boosting it? HydroPeptide Canada. Retrieved January 4, 2023, from https://hydropeptide.ca/blogs/anti-aging/what-is-collagen-and-should-i-be-boosting-it
