Collagen and your skin:
Fast facts, health benefits, and more

You’ve seen ads from skin care brands like Olay, L’Oreal, and Pond’s, right?

They all say the same thing—something like, “We can help you achieve a youthful, healthy glow.” And that’s pretty effective messaging. “Youth.” “Healthy. “Glow.” These words bring us comfort when we’re looking for skin care products.

But then we’ll see something about “collagen,” and we’re like, “Okay. Collagen, got it. Collagen is good. Gotta have good collagen! Wait… what’s collagen?”

Much like knowing what ingredients are in our skin care products, understanding what collagen is, why it’s important—and how we can maximize its health and beauty benefits—will help us make the most informed decisions along our skin care journey.

Here are 10 things you need to know about collagen.

What is collagen?

1. Collagen is a protein in our skin, bones, tendons, ligaments, and blood.

Known as a “building block” in our skin, collagen provides structure and support that keeps our skin nice and tight.

2. Collagen breaks down over time.

After we turn 30, natural collagen becomes harder to produce.

How does collagen impact our skin?

3. As aging and sun damage take a toll on our skin, our collagen becomes diminished.

When we lose collagen, we lose the elasticity of our skin.

4. When our skin loses elasticity, we start to see fine lines and wrinkles.

But if we could maintain or improve our collagen, we would achieve tighter, smoother skin for the best complexion.

Can our bodies boost collagen naturally?

5. According to WebMD, your body needs proline, glycine, vitamin C, zinc, and copper to produce collagen naturally.

Proline is found in egg whites, dairy, cabbage, mushrooms, and asparagus.
Glycine is found in pork skin and chicken skin (if you can stomach it!).
Vitamin C is found in citrus fruits and bell peppers.
Zinc is found in some proteins (beef, lamb, pork, shellfish), legumes (chickpeas, lentils, beans), dairy (milk, cheese), seeds, and nuts.
Copper is found in cocoa powder, cashews, sesame seeds, and lentils.

What skin care procedures are beneficial to collagen?

6. Sofwave is a collagen-boosting system that uses FDA-cleared and clinically proven technology to rebuild collagen, improve facial lines, and reduce wrinkles.

Do we have Sofwave technology at The Skin Center? Yep! You’re invited to schedule your Sofwave consultation today.

7. Microneedling (also known as dermarolling or collagen induction therapy), stimulates the growth of new collagen, new pigment, and new skin tissue.

At The Skin Center, we use SkinPen, a collagen induction therapy tool that results in tighter, smoother skin.

RELATED: 7 fast facts about SkinPen

8. Botox and Dysport are injectable medicines that relax muscles to alleviate fine lines in the face.

While these medicines do not actively add more collagen to your skin, they can cause the skin to produce more collagen and elastin.

Learn more about our Botox and Dysport patient experiences in this interview with our in-house skin care expert, Dr. Angela Barnes.

What skin care products are good for collagen?

9. You’re free to shop around for your favorite brand of collagen-happy creams…

But we recommend Avène RetrinAL 0.1% Cream.

Need a hand?

10. Our friendly team of skin care professionals is here to help!

Let’s get together and talk about which skin care products or procedures will work best for you. Give us a call at (716) 712.1050, contact us online, or schedule your free consultation today. We can’t wait to hear from you!

Collagen and your skin: Fast facts, health benefits, and more