Goodbye aging! How to stimulate collagen production?
Collagen is the most common and important protein found in the body. It is the protein behind pretty much everything (skin, bones, muscles, etc.), it supports us from within. Collagen keeps us bouncy, bendy, and generally supple. There are many types of collagen, usually, our body consists of type I, II, and III.
However, as we get older, we produce less collagen in our skin, which means, we produce less collagen every year. But, what is collagen? What does it do in our body? And how can we boost collagen?
Collagen
From the greek (kólla), meaning glue and suffix. It refers to the compound’s early use in the process of boiling skin. Collagen is the most abundant protein in the body, it is one of the major building blocks of bones, skin, tendons, muscles, and ligaments. It can be found in other parts, including corneas, teeth, and blood vessels.
What does collagen do for the body? Collagen ensures the integrity, elasticity, and strength of our body’s connective tissues, maintaining the form and function of our cartilage, bones, and skin. When collagen levels are high, the skin is smooth, firm, soft and usually with no acne. It helps to keep the skin moist and helps the skin cells renew and repair themselves.
Different cells of our body are responsible for the production of collagen. As a person ages, the body produces less collagen, resulting in signs of aging. Sagging skin, wrinkles, loss of elasticity and stiff joint are signs that the body is producing less collagen. However, as we begin to produce less collagen, we can benefit from ingestible collagen solutions.
There are four main types of collagen; type I, it provides structure to bones, skin, teeth, tendons, connective tissue, and fibrous cartilage; type II, made for more loosely packed fibers and found in elastic cartilage, is known for promoting joint health and for treating joint pain quite effectively; type III, provides and improves the structure of muscles such as organs and blood vessels; type IV, helps with filtration and is found in the layers of the skin. Is the less common type of collagen, however, exists naturally in different layers of the skin.
Boost collagen
Some ways to boost collagen include:
- Vitamin C: the human body cannot make vitamin C, due to this is really important to add some. It can be found in many foods such as citrus fruits, strawberries, papaya, broccoli, and green leafy vegetables.
- Antioxidants: these substances can help to protect the body from free radicals (muscles that can damage the body). Not all antioxidants will boost collagen production, but they will help the collagen that is present to do the best job it can. Some foods that contain antioxidants are; green tea, coffee extract, blueberries, mulberry extract, licorice extract, pomegranate extract, cinnamon, etc.
- Hyaluronic acid: it can be found in foods rich in amino acids. It is also available as a supplement.
- Aloe vera: aloe vera gel is used to treat the skin after sunburn, or to ease a rash. In a study about aloe sterols to take orally showed that the production of hyaluronic acid and collagen almost doubled in the participants. It can reduce wrinkles.
- Red light therapy: it is a quick and safe way to increase collagen in the skin and improve wrinkles and skin elasticity. Is a non-invasive method of boosting collagen that may not have side effects.
There are different ways to boost collagen. You can simply add a different food to your diet, take a supplement, or add a new practice to your daily routine. But all this must be coordinated for a specialist such as a dermatologist. Consult your doctor for better tips and before using anything for your skin.
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