News & Tips

How to boost your collagen (part II)

In the previous blog, I talked a little about what collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid are and what they do.

In this blog I want to dive into what we can do about our reducing collagen production after it stops in our 20’s.

So what options are there to stimulate collagen production?

You can eat collagen-rich foods, take supplements, have treatments, use appropriate skincare.

Let’s start with collagen-rich food. Bone broth is probably the most talked about, gelatin, chicken, fish eggs etc. You might say I eat all of those things but I can’t see any changes in my skin. The issue with collagen via food is that it has to be broken down in the digestive tract and doesn’t absorb as easily. In other words, collagen via food sources is not directly absorbed where it’s needed.

Collagen supplements. There is so much hype and a lot of collagen products on the market at the moment but do they actually do anything? If only it was as easy as taking a supplement and magically you look 20 again.

You may have noticed I said above what options are there to STIMULATE COLLAGEN PRODUCTION. Unfortunately taking a supplement doesn’t equal instant collagen. The process of your body actually producing collagen needs to occur. Which means any supplement you take needs to be as bioavailable as possible, so your body can take what you have fed it and make it work for you.

Treatments
There are several treatments available to stimulate collagen production. LED and Skin Needling being probably the most common.

Products
If you aren’t using the right home care, you are majorly missing out on kicking your skin goals. As my clients know it is literally crucial to your results. The best ingredients for collagen support and production are hyaluronic acid, vitamin C, vitamin A….not to mention SPF. If stimulating collagen is your mission then SPF is your BFF as even 10 mins unprotected UV radiation can ruin all your hard work.

Supplements
Given the hype around collagen supplements at the moment. My advice to you is to be careful not to waste your money on supplements that don’t work. The research is showing that marine collagen is the most bioavailable, compared to gelatin and bovine. Marine collagen not only stimulates collagen but hyaluronic acid and elastin. The other thing to be aware of is that you can supercharge your collagen production with other ingredients such as iron and aquamin.