Stimulating Collagen Is The Best Thing You Can Do For Your Skin, According To Experts
The most important thing you can do for your skin is build strong collagen. Here, experts break down why and share their tips on how to do it the right way.
Collagen is the most abundant protein in our bodies. It can be found in our muscles, bones, tendons, and ligaments—but it’s perhaps best-known for giving skin its firmness and elasticity. But we lose the protein across our body (and make less) with age—so stimulating collagen becomes incredibly essential for our overall skin health.
Other benefits of collagen for the skin, according to Jane Yoo, MD, board-certified dermatologist and founder of Jane Yoo MD Dermatology, include hydration, a smooth texture, and better wound healing and scar recovery abilities. Because our collagen production naturally declines as we age (Dr. Yoo says we lose about 1% of collagen a year starting from our mid-20s), when we don’t bother stimulating the collagen in our skin, we may experience sagging skin, deep static wrinkles, the loss of jawline and cheek definition, and thinner skin all around.
“The most important thing you can do for your skin is help it produce collagen–this will help to prevent sagging, a loss in elasticity, and wrinkles,” agrees Carrie Gross, co-founder of Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare. Carrie, along with her husband, Dr. Dennis Gross, created his eponymous brand 24 years ago. Amongst all the amazing products they’ve launched over the years, one remains the ultimate cult product: the Universal Daily Peel. It has won over several celebrity fans (Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Sydney Sweeney, Lily Aldridge, and Chrissy Teigen, to name just a few) and promises the same glow-boosting results as Dr Gross’s in-practice acid peels.
“I think it’s so popular because it gives an immediate glow, but in the long term it boosts collagen formation, produces density in the skin, protects the skin barrier, and balances the pH,” she explains. How else can one boost collagen and get the same glow? The experts share their tips below.
“It’s an active that you should use in the morning to protect your skin from free radicals in the environment and in pollution,” Gross explains, adding that free radicals break down collagen fibers. “As we age, we produce less collagen, and the collagen we do produce becomes weaker. Vitamin C helps create stronger and better quality collagen–it also increases its volume, which is why you should think about starting to use it from the age of 20.” In Gross’s view, vitamin C is as necessary to your skincare routine as SPF.
A protective treatment for acne, rosacea, contact dermatitis, and insect bites through time-released vitamin C and a blend of botanicals.
Dr. Yoo points to several other active ingredients that are known to stimulate collagen that you can consider. The first is retinoids. “This is the number one for collagen induction,” says Dr. Yoo. As we know, retinoids are the gold standard for anti-aging, as they stimulate collagen and increase skin cell turnover for clearer and brighter skin. She says to look to retinoids such as retinol and tretinoin for your routine.
Then there are peptides, which signal to cells to boost collagen synthesis, strengthen the skin barrier, and reduce inflammation. Other ingredients to consider include bakuchiol, growth factors, chemical exfoliants such as glycolic and lactic acid, vitamin B3, and niacinamide.
“The area around the eye is normally the first to show signs of aging,” she says. “There are many muscles around the eye, and when we talk and use expression, they affect that skin. Cheeks, on the other hand, have no sebaceous glands and therefore only need to be moisturised to prevent wrinkles.” From your early twenties, she advises using a sunscreen in the morning, and both a serum and an eye cream at night.
The method that Dr. Yoo says is the most effective way to stimulate collagen is an in-office treatment (make sure to see a board-certified dermatologist you trust). “Fractional laser resurfacing, radiofrequency, microneedling, chemical peels, and ultrasound therapy all work by creating controlled injury that triggers the full wound-healing cascade,” she explains, “[It’s] the body's most powerful collagen synthesis mechanism.”
If in-office treatments aren’t in your budget, there are some at-home solutions you can turn to. Dr. Yoo says they won’t be as effective, but there are a few studies that show they can help. She lists microneedling rollers, microcurrent devices like NuFace, and LED therapy as some of the devices you can incorporate to help stimulate collagen.
“Genetics plays a substantial role as baseline collagen density and fiber architecture are genetically determined,” says Dr. Yoo. “Some patients have inherently denser, more resilient dermis…skin with higher baseline collagen density ages more slowly, sags later, and responds more dramatically to stimulation.”
The rate and age at which collagen declines is also based on our genetics, and so is how our bodies break down collagen due to stressors. But don’t let that stop you from curating a skincare routine with the right ingredients or practicing good skincare habits.
“Genetics sets the ceiling and the floor, not the outcome,” she says. “Sun avoidance, consistent topical use, and appropriate procedures can dramatically narrow the gap between a genetically ‘disadvantaged’ and ‘advantaged’ skin type.”
When it comes to preserving our skin’s collagen and preventing aging, less is more, says Dr. Gross. “It’s better to use gentle ingredients and actives on a daily and consistent basis than to use a strong active, such as retinol, on an ad hoc basis–you get better benefits that way,” she says, going on to say that retinol is not for everyone, as it can cause sensitivity and irritation. “One of the mistakes we make is wanting to achieve benefits with a single product—as if it were a miracle product,” he says. A robust skincare routine that includes carefully considered active ingredients, and crucially, SPF, is key.
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