Youthful skin: Is drinking collagen the solution you’re looking for?

Ah, the glow of youth! There are lots of things that differentiate an older skin from a youthful skin, but one of the “biggies” is the collagen content. When we’re young, our skin produces lots of it. It’s what gives keeps our skin looking firm and taut. As we get older, however, our collagen production starts to slow down. In fact, after the age of 20, our skin produces about 1-percent less collagen with every passing year!

Fortunately, you don’t have to ride the fast track to Wrinkle City. There are lots of things you can do to preserve as well as boost your skin’s natural collagen content. These include being diligent about wearing sunscreen and choosing not to smoke. You’ll also want to use skincare containing collagen-encouraging ingredients such as retinol, particular peptides and vitamin C. You could also consider in-office collagen-boosting treatments such as skin needling.

For the record, products that contain collagen aren’t going to have any effect on your skin’s collagen content. In this instance, they’ll only function as a moisturiser. But what about drinking collagen? Could this have a positive effect on your skin? As it turns out, yes!

Get that youthful skin glow

Age-defying celebrities like Jennifer Aniston and Kourtney Kardashian all swear by collagen supplements. While it’s not a magic bullet, there’s definitely something to be said for including collagen in your diet, provided it’s a very particular kind.

To explain, collagen, in its natural state, is a very large molecule that can’t be absorbed by your intestines. However, it can if it’s undergone hydrolisation, a chemical process that breaks it down into smaller fragments referred to as peptides. These tiny collagen particles are a lot easier for your body to use and can benefit you in many ways.

Just one example of a beneficial peptide is Peptan. Studies have shown that drinking it increases your skin’s collagen density. It can also decrease the fragmentation of collagen and reverse its degradation, something that occurs during the ageing process. Better yet, Peptan is proven to increase your body’s production of naturally hydrating hyaluronic acid. This is why we like iSkin Super Collagen + C. It’s a great source of Peptan and contains a host of vitamins and minerals essential for the formation of collagen. On top of all that, it tastes great too! 

Get that glow

Taking a proven collagen supplement is a great way to help improve the health of your skin. Still, it takes a village to look after it from the inside out. For this reason, also invest in a top-quality multivitamin supplement such as Renewal Institute Multivitamin and Mineral. It includes a host of essential vitamins and minerals, many of which are antioxidants, essential for healthy skin.

Another great collagen-preserving supplement is Lamelle Ovelle D3. It contains pycnogenol, a pine bark extract that serves as a mega-antioxidant, and vitamin D3. The latter is essential for collagen synthesis and can also help improve the look of acne and hyperpigmentation.

In short, if you’re wanting to slow down the ageing process, using the right skincare products is essential. But don’t limit these to topicals. What you consume can be just as important as what you apply. So, bottoms up and here’s to beautiful-looking skin!