“Eat collagen! Your skin will be bright, clear, and you won’t age quickly.” Many people have likely heard something like this about collagen and may have even followed the advice, without really knowing what collagen is or if it truly helps make skin bright, clear, and firm. Today, we’ll explore this together. Let’s get started!
What is Collagen and What Are Its Benefits?
Normally, collagen is a type of protein that helps the skin maintain elasticity, firmness, and strength. It is found in bones, cartilage, and various other tissues in the bodies of humans and animals. When we consume protein from meat, fish, or dairy products, that protein is broken down and reassembled into new proteins that aid in muscle repair or wound healing processes—this is what we call collagen.
In our early 20s, our skin is composed of about 75% collagen. However, many people may have less than that due to various environmental factors, such as:
Stress
Insufficient rest
UV rays from sunlight
Not eating a balanced diet (all 5 food groups)
Smoking
For these reasons, the skin can become wrinkled, saggy, and show premature signs of aging. Furthermore, the body naturally starts to produce less collagen with age—on average, by 1.5% per year. This causes older individuals to have wrinkled skin, fine lines, a lack of elasticity, and weakening joints.
Do Collagen Products Really Help?
Many people, concerned about premature skin aging, start looking for and trying various collagen supplements. They believe advertisements claiming the body can absorb collagen supplements in a form called Collagen Hydrolysate (partially digested collagen) to increase collagen in the skin. However, experts from the reputable health website Netdoctor state that the results are quite dependent on other individual factors, including skin structure, diet, and different lifestyle behaviors. This makes it impossible to confirm that collagen supplements truly help the skin. Even if a product does help, it must be used continuously for up to 2 months to see clear results.
Tips: How to Keep Your Skin Bright and Clear for as Long as Possible
The most significant external factors that accelerate collagen loss in our skin are certain behaviors and foods. Therefore, we should modify these things to maintain youthful skin. Here are some simple ways:
Avoid foods high in sugar, grilled foods, and processed foods. These foods increase free radical levels, which are the cause of damage to bodily functions and collagen.
Do not smoke. Cigarette smoke contains many substances that destroy collagen, and nicotine constricts blood vessels in the outer skin layer, causing the skin to lose moisture and develop wrinkles.
Protect your skin from sunlight, which contains UV rays that accelerate collagen breakdown, reducing the skin’s collagen levels. You should choose a sunscreen with at least SPF30 for long-lasting protection, such as Riviera Suisse Face Balm SPF30 PA+++, which moisturizes the face while providing sun protection and is gentle on all skin types.
Eat foods rich in Vitamin E, such as almonds, which help inhibit collagen loss caused by free radicals, or foods rich in coenzymes, like mackerel.
Getting Vitamin C can help stimulate collagen production. For example, the Face Perfector from Riviera Suisse, a moisturizing and lifting cream with vitamins C and E, as well as Syn®-TC (a synthetic peptide). It has been researched and tested by Swiss innovation and is proven to effectively stimulate collagen production.
Get enough sleep. This helps the body function most efficiently, as the body repairs wear and tear while we sleep.
