A desert can be a very fitting description for skin as we age. Deserts lack moisture, are devoid of structure and are dull in colour.
Are we resigned to the fact that dry, dull, and sagging skin is a foregone conclusion?
Do we have to just sit back and let it happen?
What can be done to rejuvenate our skin and bring back moisture, elasticity, and a healthy glow? ?
Let’s start by taking a look at the building blocks of our skin - Collagen proteins and Hyaluronic Acid - and figure out the what, how and when of skin maintenance and repair
Let’s start with proteins.
Collagen is the most abundant protein in your body, making up around 30% of your body’s total protein molecules. This makes sense – collagen is connective tissue, meaning it makes up the things that hold your parts in place – bones, tendons, ligaments, and skin.
Your body makes its own collagen molecules, but this production starts to slow down as you age, resulting in the breakdown of tissues we associate with getting older – wrinkled, sagging skin and weaker, painful joints.
There are also 3 different types of collagen and each supports your body in a different way.
The 2 main types of collagen you should be looking out for is Type 1 and Type 3. Type 1 Collagen is known to smooth out fine lines and wrinkles and improves skin elasticity and hydration. This can lead to the rebuilding of your muscles, eyes, bones, and spine. It’s also good for strengthening your nails and helping you grow stronger, thicker hair.
To strengthen the gut you should look for Type 3 Collagen. It Is largely found in your intestines, muscles, blood vessels, and the uterus. When combined with Type 1 collagen it leads to gut healing and improves skin elasticity and hydration. Bovine Collagen Peptides is a fantastic source of type 1 and 3 collagen.
Collagen’s function?
Collagen’s basic function is to act as a join in structures of the body, it can be viewed as an elastic band which has been stretched and then returns to its original state. But aging is a reality and this is when the ‘elastic band’ has been over-used and stretched and it can’t return to its original state as easily as before. It therefore remains loose and starts to sag.
Try this out on yourself: pinch up some skin on the back of your hand. Do you notice a slight delay in how quickly it returns to being flat? Now try this out with someone much younger. I tried it on my daughter and it shot back in an instant.
How do we tighten the elastic band?
If we can incorporate a collagen supplement into our routines, it can help to keep the skin tighter and more elastic while assisting it to look healthier and brighter! The best collagen is hydrolysed collagen as it means that the collagen fibres have been broken down into small peptides, making it easier for the body to digest and utilise.
The best Collagen replacement supplements come from bovines, such as cows, as the collagen of bovines is similar to the structure of human collagen and this makes it a great replacement for the collagen we’re losing from ageing. This Collagen also contains Type 1 and Type 3 Collagen which improves skin elasticity and hydration
Be Bright collagen is only made of 100% hydrolyzed Type 1 and 3 bovine collagen. It contains essential amino acids too.
Amino Acids? It sounds complicated but let us explain…
What are “essential” amino acids? Amino acids are molecules which are combined to form proteins. “Essential” amino acids refers to the amino acids that our bodies cannot produce on their own and thus they need to be obtained from the food and supplements we eat or drink.
When to start working on your collagen levels?
You’re never too old or too young; too wrinkled or too firm, to begin your collagen journey.
From as early as our 20’s, our collagen production begins to decline and this makes us look at the fine lines appearing in the mirror a little more regularly and we may begin to feel those sore joints and bones increasingly after an intense workout or after placing our bodies under stress.
Scientists have found that the collagen fibres within our bodies can get damaged as one gets older and that they become thinner and weaker too, this has a direct effect on the skin’s ageing process.
Now onto Hyaluronic Acid
You’ve probably heard of Hyaluronic Acid (or HA for short) from those expensive beauty product adverts. HA is naturally found in our bodies in the connective tissues that provide structure and support to our skin. However, this also decreases with age.
Hyaluronic Acid works in an incredible way. HA’s molecular weight (the mass of the molecule) influences its penetration into the skin structures. Once in the skin structures, HA has the ability to bind water 1000 times more than its volume. This enables hydration of your skin at a cellular level and plumps up and smooths out the skin. Exactly what aging skin needs.
What is the best HA for skin?
The best HA is one that can be ingested rather than applied to the skin via a cream. HA taken orally has been shown to improve the texture of skin in appearance, due to the skin gaining significant amounts of moisture. Hyaluronic Acid is also a bioavailable nutrient meaning that it can be digested, absorbed and metabolized through the body’s normal pathways.
Should you be worried about your wrinkles?
The short answer is no. There are more important things to worry about than little lines on your face.
But that doesn’t mean that you have to sit back and do nothing about them. Adding one simple routine to your day - taking 10g of high quality, tasteless, hydrolysed collagen powder with Hyaluronic Acid - can ensure that you can feel confident in your own skin.
In the end I have nothing against wrinkles, but if I must have wrinkles I only want happy ones.
Life is meant to be lived and you’re meant to love the skin you’re in, the natural way!
So make sure you are taking a hydrolysed collagen supplement to repair and rebuild your collagen structures to leave your body feeling strong, healthy and looking great too.
