There are many new advances in technology to improve your skin’s texture and tightness. Lasers, ultrasound therapy and radiofrequency are some of the most common ones. Truth be told, they all boil down to doing one thing – stimulating and rebuilding collagen.
Collagen is a protein found in connective tissue such as skin, cartilage, muscles, tendons and ligaments. Collagen is also found in the stomach, cornea and blood vessels.
Collagen is the lattice that works with elastin to support your body’s tissues to keep them stable, strong and firm.
The word collagen comes from the Greek word kolla, meaning glue. Think of collagen as holding everything together – just like glue.
There are over 28 types of collagen in the body. As we age, their production slows down. Overexposure to the sun, certain medications and poor diet can also damage collagen.
Just to give you an idea here’s a comparison of young and old collagen:
As you can see in the illustration above, the younger skin has tightly-woven, undamaged collagen which keeps the skin smooth and tight.
The illustration on the right shows what happens as we lose collagen. Collagen is the foundation for the skin. When it’s no longer supported wrinkles and sagging appear.
Loss of collagen also causes:
- Brittle bones
- Gray hair
- Achy joints
Start Boosting Your Collagen Today!
It takes a while for your collagen to break down. But you can easily start boosting it today and, in no time, will feel and see a difference with these simple steps.
Vitamin C – Supplementing your diet with 1,000-2,000mg could be the extra boost you need. Dr. Sears often recommends up to 6,000mg over the course of the day. It’s almost impossible to take too much, because if you do, Vitamin C is water soluble, which means you’ll pass the excess naturally.
You see, humans cannot synthesize Vitamin C, which is necessary for the production of collagen. Without Vitamin C, your collagen doesn’t have a chance. Lack of Vitamin C breaks down your collagen.
By ramping up vitamin C, your body uses the surplus to keep your skin looking younger. You’ll actually FEEL the difference between a youthful, “taut” resilience… or an old, dry sagging mush that’s full of deep wrinkles.
It can be hard to get all the necessary Vitamin C you need throughout your day, which is why I’ve created Vitamin C Anti-Aging Serum. It’s easy to use – apply before your moisturizer or wear it alone!
Amino Acids – Do you eat enough red meat, fish, poultry, beans or eggs? If you fall short you’ll want to take a supplement, or a protein shake with Threonine, Arginine, Proline, Carnosine and Glutamine. These amino acids are vital for collagen production and protection.
Exfoliate – By removing dead skin you are stimulating collagen production. With your face be gentle and exfoliate a few times a week. The skin on the rest of your body isn’t quite as delicate so you can exfoliate more often. There are many homemade recipes for scrubs. I like sugar and olive oil (1 cup sugar and ½ cup of olive oil). Make a batch in an airtight container and leave it in the shower next to the shampoo so you don’t forget.
Copper Peptides – These are small fragments of protein and have three amino acids. The studies have been quite remarkable making copper peptide a front runner in anti-aging products. Researchers have proven that they have the ability to repair collagen, aid in wound healing, activate dead-skin removal, rebuild skin and elastin.
You can find copper peptide in dietary supplements and skin creams as well as in dark leafy vegetables, nuts, beans, seafood and avocados. If you choose to supplement you only need 1-2mg.
Collagen Supplements – Dr. Sears has a supplement that has a good blend of anti-aging ingredients which helps boost collagen. It’s called Simply Beautiful and is available here. (half price just for you)
Lastly, cover up. You need to protect what you already have. To do that use a natural sunscreen made with zinc. It’s an important step. Yea, I know, boring. You hear it all the time. But what you might not know is that the sun speeds up the breakdown of collagen.
Think about the people you have known over the years who are sun worshippers. Their skin isn’t soft and supple like those who have protected it. Their skin may look leathery as they age because they have dried up the glue holding everything together.
We don’t realize how exposed we are when we are driving, walking to and from the car, or simply sitting by a window. Using sunscreen every day, not just when you are at the beach and even if you live in a cold climate, will help keep your collagen young. And don’t forget to apply it to the backs of your hands, neck and décolleté.
My research on collagen will continue and I will share important finds as soon as I get them.
To a younger more healthy you!
Sandy
Sandy DeRose
www.antiagenaturally.com
P.S. I would love to hear from you! Send me your questions, comments or topics you would like to read or know about. I’m here for you!
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References
Int J Cosmet Sci. 2013 Aug 8. doi: 10.1111/ics.12087. [Epub ahead of print] Wrinkle reduction in post-menopausal women consuming a novel oral supplement: a double-blind placebo-controlled randomized study. Jenkins G, Wainwright LJ, Holland R, Barrett KE, Casey J.
Das, Biplab. “Amino Acid Threonine: Health Benefits, Deficiency and Food Sources.” Dietary Fiber Food. (Sept. 13, 2009)
J Nutr. 2008 Oct;138(10):2021S-2024S. Proline precursors to sustain Mammalian collagen synthesis. Barbul A.
Carnosine inhibits high glucose-induced mesangial cell proliferation through mediating cell cycle progression. Huijie Jia a , Xiaodan Qi a,b, Shaohong Fang a, Yuhong Jina , Xiaoying Hana , Yi Wang a, Aimin Wang a, Hongbo Zhoua, a Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081, PR China b Department of Biochemistry, Qiqihar Medical University, Qiqihar 161006, PR China
Nutrition. 2011 Jul-Aug;27(7-8):809-15. doi: 10.1016/j.nut.2010.07.020. Epub 2010 Dec 16. Glutamine supplementation prevents collagen expression damage in healthy urinary bladder caused by radiotherapy. Rocha BR, Gombar FM, Barcellos LM, Costa WS, Barcellos Sampaio FJ, Ramos CF.
PLoS One. 2013 Aug 30;8(8):e72563. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0072563. eCollection 2013. Solar ultraviolet irradiation induces decorin degradation in human skin likely via neutrophil elastase.Li Y, Xia W, Liu Y, Remmer HA, Voorhees J, Fisher GJ.
