Z. Johnson
Collagen! One of the most important skin components has gained more popularity and concern these days. In terms of skin health, care and anti-aging topics, collagen production has become the main topic due to its importance in maintaining a beautiful youthful skin. No wonder why you notice so many collagen products and supplements being more available in the market. The surprising thing, is that many people tend to forget that collagen is produced naturally in the skin. There are many ways to boost skin collagen naturally. Let’s go over some of the best inexpensive strategies to do this.
Why collagen?
Collagen is one of the most important proteins in the skin, along with elastin. Collagen is the component that gives your skin its structure, suppleness and stretch. There are many types of collagen, but our body mainly produces three types. This protein is the most common in our body. Apart from the skin, we can also find it in tendons, ligaments and fat, among other places. Collagen is responsible for keeping our bone structure together, our skin’s sturdiness and looking youthful.
As we age, we produce less collagen. This happens especially after we hit our 30’s. Because collagen helps to give our skin its texture and shape, that’s why it’s natural to see older people with wrinkles and more fragile skin. Now, the more collagen you have, the more your body is able to produce and maintain it naturally. Due to this interesting fact, it has become a boom to consume more collagen supplements or even to increase its production in a natural way. The key to reversing rapid aging is keeping a healthy lifestyle in which you can boost skin collagen naturally!
How to boost skin collagen naturally
1. Eat well! Focus on whole foods
As you know, skin is treated from within. The way you eat will define how healthy your skin will be. As mentioned before, about skin glow, we need to nourish our skin correctly with the right foods. That’s why it’s so important to focus on balanced nutrition, especially including whole foods that will give you the right nutrients to boost skin collagen naturally.
Get the right nutrition!
Protein foods, like chicken, fish and eggs are rich in collagen. Remember that collagen is a protein, therefore, eating enough whole foods that have protein, are essential to boost skin collagen naturally. Eggs, are rich in large amounts of proline, which is one of the amino acids needed for your body to produce collagen. Apart from the rich source of protein, these types of foods (poultry, fish and eggs) contain selenium, zinc and omega-3 essential fatty acids, which are also important for skin glow and health.
You also want to focus on foods rich in other nutrients like vitamins A, C and E. These are the main antioxidants that your skin needs. Collagen is especially made with enough amounts of vitamin C in the body. Lack of vitamin C is associated with poor collagen production, and thus, a lot of skin diseases, like scurvy. Vitamin E is also needed as an important part of cell structure, that helps to keep your skin strong and glowing. Foods such as bright colored fruits, leafy green veggies, and sweet potatoes, are some of the top skin superfoods where you can get these vitamins and antioxidants from. Nuts, and avocados, as well, are great sources of omega 3 and vitamin E.
2. Teas and other foods rich in antioxidants
There are other foods rich in antioxidants, which help to boost skin collagen naturally. Some good examples are green teas. Matcha, for instance, has a powerful amount of antioxidants, which can help enhancing not only your body’s metabolism, but also it’s skin health. As well, wine is another great source of antioxidants, especially red wine. Of course, you want to keep it simple when it comes to drinking wine and not abuse of it, since it’s alcohol. But yeah, besides protecting your heart, wine is also great for skin health.
Another food known as cardio healthy, the garlic, is in fact great to help boost skin collagen production. Garlic is high in sulfur, which is a trace mineral that helps to produce and prevent the breakdown of collagen. In order to take more advantage of this superfood benefits, include it regularly in your eating regimen and dishes.
Other non- traditional foods like algae, also have powerful effects over collagen. Marine plants like these are beneficial to prevent oxidation, in other words, they contain lots of antioxidants that protect skin collagen. You can typically find collagen in the form of supplements.
3. Hydration is key to boost skin collagen naturally
Drinking water is essential to keep your skin looking radiant and youthful. Water is needed basically for any function of your body, and that includes skin health. Hydrating your skin is the easiest way to boost moisture, suppleness and great skin elasticity. Therefore, the more hydrated your skin is, the better chances it gives for collagen and elastin to thrive.
4. Have a proper skin care routine
This should be a no brainer. Taking care of your skin externally is equally important as nourishing it from within. As mentioned before, there are certain basic steps of proper skin care to keep it healthy. Exfoliating your skin regularly will help eliminate dead skin cells, and also promote the growth of new ones, therefore, promoting new collagen production.
5. Exercise your body
Being active is important to keep all of your body’s functions right. Practicing enough exercise will help your skin to get rid of all those toxins. As well, it promotes proper blood circulation and improves your metabolism. These two last processes in your body are essential to boost skin collagen naturally.
6. Boost skin collagen naturally: Facial massage
Aw, how delicious to have a facial massage! Besides feeling good, doing regular massages to our facial skin has its benefits for making more collagen. Including those facial massages in your skin care routine regularly can stimulate collagen production. This will also help to tone, lift and tighten the skin, giving it a stronger and youthful appearance.
7. Avoid eating excess refined carbs and sugars
Another reason to keep those over processed foods in check! Excess refined sugars and simple carbs can have a serious toll on aging skin. Too much sugar can also lead to inflammation, which break down collagen and elastin. This results in sagging skin and wrinkles. This process is what experts call glycation. That means that the sugar attaches more to your collagen and reduces its quality. Besides increasing the effects of skin aging, this can also worsen conditions like acne and rosacea.
8. Tobacco and excess alcohol are collagen’s enemies!
Tobacco and excess alcohol are a huge no-no when it comes to helping boost skin collagen naturally. These will not only dry up your skin, making it easier for wrinkles to appear, but also will promote more toxins. Smoking can definitely slow down the quality of collagen in your skin because of the amount of inflammation and oxidation it causes to your body. Therefore, stay away from smoking as much as you can! Your body will thank you.
9. Avoid skin burn and damage!
Skin burn and sun damage are also reasons why our body has less collagen each day. In order to boost skin collagen naturally, make it a priority to protect your skin from damage. Exposing your skin constantly to UV rays and sunburn without any sunscreen is a huge no-no! Apart from that, tanning causes your body to get more skin damage, that will eventually will reduce the amount of collagen. Make sure you get a good sunscreen protection for your skin type, especially during this season!
10. Boost skin collagen naturally: Supplements?
Supplements are not essential for skin collagen health, but they definitely help boost skin collagen naturally. Taking vitamin supplements will ensure that you are having your daily requirements to keep your body working at its best! And that includes skin health! Also, now you can get dietary collagen supplements in the market. There are no contraindications to consume these supplements, since most of these are made of natural sources. Some good examples are bone broth, and collagen powders that you can add to your favorite drinks. Make sure you check the labels or with a specialist, if you have any concerns.
In short,
There are many ways that you can boost skin collagen naturally. Focus on getting the right nutrition, staying hydrated and being active. As usual, check with a specialist before making any severe changes to your diet or skin care routine. Having a proper skin care regimen is also important for ensuring your skin is well moisturized and strengthen. Don’t forget to include those facial massages! Beware of unhealthy habits that can reduce your skin collagen and promote aging! Let me know your thoughts in the comments. Share this article with your friends.
