News & Tips

What is Collagen and what does it do? (part I)

In our skin, collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid are structural proteins. Collagen is responsible for keeping the skin in place with thick, strong resilient fibres. Elastin gives us our ‘snap back’ ability (like an elastic band) and Hyaluronic Acid gives us volume and density. Together they hold our skin up. Collagen is not only found in the skin it is everywhere, in tendons, muscle, bones and more.

We are born with and continue to produce healthy collagen well into our teens. Then from our 20’s, it starts to decline. Why?

Well, we actually stop making collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid in our 20’s and to make matters worse it declines by about 2% a year from then on…. and just, when you thought that was devasting but manageable, UV exposure whether incidental or deliberate, not only increases pigmentation and sun damage it further increases the degradation of collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid.

Check out the next blog to see what we can do about it.