3 Ways to Increase Collagen Levels in Your Skin

What is the number one natural thing that gives your skin a plumper and smoother appearance?

I believe the first thing that would pop up in your mind is collagen; it has the ability to plump up your skin, reduce the appearance of fine lines and make wrinkles less deep.

When you are young, your skin is smooth and young looking, but as you get older, fine lines and wrinkles start to appear. At a very late age, those who did not take a good care of their skin may end up with a wrinkled skin just like an elephant!

Have you ever wondered what collagen is? And how you can supply your skin with new collagen?

Let me answer these questions for you.

What is collagen?

Collagen is a protein naturally found in the skin, it helps keep your skin looking plump, lifted, and wrinkle-free [Source]. Collagen is also found in your bones.

According to Dr. Oz, there are foods that preserve the collagen in your skin and even boost the formation of new collagen, which includes pomegranate seeds, sunflower seeds, guava, and oysters.

Most collagen in your body is of one of three types, collagen I, II, and III. Collagen type III is the most stable and longest lasting while collagen type I is most fragile. On the other hand, type II is mainly found in joints. [Source]

How Does Your Body Lose Collagen?

• Sugar destroys collagen in your body, and the more sugar you consume the more collagen it will destroy.
• Exposing your body to the sun without wearing a sunscreen will cause free radicals to form; these free radicals (unstable oxygen molecules) will destroy collagen molecules in order to stabilize.
• Aging, the process of aging will reduce the percentage of collagen available in your skin.

So, is there anything you can do about it?

There is more than one way available in the market; I have already reviewed retinol creams. Retinol boosts the formation of collagen by stimulating skin turnover. There are also vitamin C serums and peptide creams.

There are also some other methods that use collagen either by injecting it directly to your skin or by applying it to your skin.

How Can You Boost Collagen in Your Skin?

#1 Collagen Creams

You have probably saw collagen creams while shopping, some of which are expensive, and claiming that they can turn back the clock. But do they really do that?

Collagen molecules are huge. When you apply a moisturizer that contains collagen on your skin, these molecules cannot penetrate through deep skin layers, they stay at the surface of your skin, and therefore, they do not have much effect on boosting your skin’s collagen.

There is no scientific evidence that collagen creams do what they claim to do. So save the money for a more reliable solution.

On the other hand, you can use products like vitamin C serums, retinol, and peptides to stimulate the production of collagen, that way you do not apply collagen to your skin, rather you encourage your skin to produce new collagen.

#2 Collagen Wrinkle Fillers (Collagen Injections)

When undergoing collagen injection procedure, you get an instant reduction of fine lines, usually by filling wrinkles by collagen, hyaluronic acid, and other substances. If you do not mind being injected by small needles, undergoing this few times, and repeating this every few years, this method could give good results regarding smoothing fine lines.

Other Injectable wrinkle fillers include Botulinum toxin, Fat from your own thighs, PMMA microspheres, and poly-L-lactic acid.[Source]

#3 Collagen Supplements

Collagen supplements come in pill, powder form, and liquid form.  If you wish to try collagen supplements, make sure to boost your vitamin C intake, as vitamin C stimulates the production of collagen in your body.

The best collagen supplements are those that contain all three types of collagen I, II, and III, in addition to vitamin C, and hyaluronic acid for better results.

You should always remember that there is no one solution for all. Taking collagen supplements, for example, will not help if you spend hours laying on the beach without wearing a sunscreen. Make sure you follow a good healthy diet, use sun protection every day, and apply an anti-aging moisturizer that is loaded with anti-oxidants.

In an attempt to improve your skin’s texture from the “inside out”, and the “outside in”, make sure you seek medical advice first.