Complete Guide To Collagen In Skin Care
It's no secret that collagen in skin care is the key to a youthful looking complexion. This structural protein provides the much needed support and stability to keep the skin firm, plump and elastic. Unfortunately, the body's collagen supply decreases rapidly with age. Read on to learn what collagen does for skin, the different types of collagen, as well as the benefits of collagen, and how it makes the skin look ageless.
What is collagen
Collagen is a smaller form of protein that helps build our tissues and organs, including our bones, muscles, skin, and even teeth. This structural protein takes its name from the Greek word "kolla", which means glue (a helpful reference to the role it plays in the body). Collagen is what holds our cells and tissues together and helps them maintain their shape, elasticity and strength.
Most of the collagen is found and produced in the dermis (the second layer of the skin). Here, fibroblasts synthesize strands of collagen that look like long braids or ropes. SELF says: “Individual amino acids combine to form long chains that are bundled together to form thicker strands. These strands then twist and wrap around each other to form triple helices. Eventually, these helices join end to end and stack on top of each other to form clusters called fibrils. ”These fibrils form a collagen network that gives the skin its underlying structure and support.
3 types of collagen
There are 28 types of collagen in the body, but Types I, II, and III are the most abundant. These three types account for up to 90 percent of the body's total collagen supply. Here's a breakdown of how they differ:
Type I collagen
Type I is the most common type of collagen and provides structural support for our bones, organs, and connective tissues (including the skin). It's incredibly elastic and can stretch significantly without breaking. In fact, an MIT study found that Type I collagen fibrils are five to ten times stronger than steel.
Type II collagen
Type II collagen is the building block of cartilage. Unlike Type I collagen, which is neatly arranged, Type II is more of a mess. This arrangement gives the cartilage its flexible, resilient property, which allows it to easily compress and dampen our joints.
Type III collagen
Type III collagen is most concentrated in the bone marrow and lymphoid tissue. Its narrow fibers are arranged in branches that support specialized cells that are involved in the formation of blood cells. It is often found in the skin with type I collagen and plays a key role in wound healing.
What does collagen do for the skin?
Collagen is the most abundant protein in the skin, and for good reason. This structural protein provides strength, support and elasticity to keep the skin firm, plump and youthful. Here's a closer look at how collagen benefits the skin.
Provides support and structure
Collagen fibers connect the tissue to one another. With their strong, plait-like composition, they function similarly to stable pillars that hold and support the top layer of skin. When you are young, these pillars provide the stability and rigidity that will tighten and lift your skin. This powerful foundation will keep the youthful shape of your skin intact. Sagging skin is a natural part of the aging process as the skin loses elasticity and collagen production.
Watch this In The Mix video to learn what products you can use to tighten, tone, and tone sagging skin.
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Keeps the skin firm and plump
Together with elastin and hyaluronic acid, collagen is found in the dermis, the middle layer of the skin, which gives it volume, density and bounce. Together, these materials form a tight, flexible collagen network that keeps the skin firm, plump and supple. When abundant, collagen prevents skin from sagging and prevents wrinkles and wrinkles that contribute to fine lines and wrinkles.
Improves elasticity
Do you see this spring and spring in youthful skin? Credit the collagen. Collagen not only ensures a firm and plump complexion, but also improves the flexibility and elasticity of the skin. This not only prevents wrinkles from forming, but also reduces the appearance of stretch marks and cellulite.
Why do we lose collagen?
The skin contains an abundance of collagen at a young age, but it begins to decline as it ages. Dr. Hooman Khorasani, a triple board certified, scholarship trained cosmetic and skin cancer surgeon based in New York, tells us, “Our skin has a fine balance between collagen production and collagen breakdown. It can take up to six months for collagen to be synthesized in our body. As we get older, corticosteroids tend to stop the production of new collagen and accelerate the breakdown of new collagen. ”Exposure to environmental stressors accelerates this process even further. Unhealthy lifestyle habits (such as smoking and high sugar consumption) as well as stress, pollution and blue light UV rays cause free radical damage, which accelerates collagen breakdown. When we turn 20, we lose about 1 percent of collagen every year.
The result: visible signs of age
When we lose more collagen than we produce, the visible signs of aging quickly appear. Weakened collagen cannot provide much-needed structural support and when collagen levels drop, our skin thins, begins to sag, and develop fine lines and wrinkles.
As SHAPE explains, “When collagen is strong, your skin recovers instantly. However, when the collagen is weak, repeated movements cause permanent wrinkles. The skin doesn't have enough collagen to fill the furrow, so even if you don't squint or furrow, you can see a line, and it's not the same density to withstand gravity. "
Ingredients that stimulate collagen production
With collagen's numerous skin benefits, it's no wonder it's a hyped ingredient showing up in skincare. However, collagen in skin care isn't quite as simple as sticking to an ingredient list. Read on to find out why.
The problem with the size
The biggest (pun intended) problem with collagen is its size. Dr. Joshua Drawer told The Zoe Report: "Pure collagen molecules are too large to be absorbed by the body as they are." Because of their size, these beneficial proteins cannot penetrate the skin. Instead, skin care experts recommend using topical treatments that contain ingredients like peptides, retinol, and vitamin C that stimulate and protect your skin's natural collagen production.
Peptides
To circumvent the size problem, many topical treatments contain collagen peptides. These smaller chains of amino acids are more easily absorbed by the skin as they can pass through the outer layer of the skin. When they reach the dermis, peptides supply the skin's fibroblasts with the building blocks they need to produce new collagen. By applying peptides through skin care products, we can actually get the skin to make more of this essential protein.
Retinol
Retinol is another topical ingredient that stimulates collagen synthesis in the skin. According to SHAPE, “both retinoic acid and retinol turn on genes and cells that are involved in collagen production. They also help organize new and existing collagen. "
vitamin C
Antioxidants like vitamin C do a dual job of stimulating collagen production and protecting it from future breakdown. Vitamin C not only activates the skin's fibroblasts to produce new collagen, it also stabilizes the collagen that is already there and helps the skin stay firm, plump and youthful-looking for longer. Look for peptide sera that combine well with antioxidants including vitamin E and ferulic acid. Research shows that these nutrients increase the effectiveness of vitamin C by eight times!
Ready to explore the benefits of collagen skin care in products like the Marine Flower Peptide Collection? Read more about peptide skin care products and schedule a consultation with a licensed beautician at an Eminence Organics spa partner near you.
This article was originally written by Alisha Whitley in October 2019.