What Is Collagen? Breaking Down the Beauty Benefits of Collagen

“Collagen” is a common word that’s been floating around in the anti-aging realm for a while now. It’s easy to believe that it’s just another beauty industry buzzword, but collagen has an important role to play in your physical biology as well as your aesthetics. What is collagen and what is its role in anti-aging?

What Is Collagen?

Accounting for approximately 33% of all protein in the human body—making it the most abundant protein—collagen contributes to skeletal, joint, muscular, tendon, dental, hair, and skin health. Its prime role is to fasten together cells and tissues to support the shape and integrity of various cellular structures in the body. In simpler terms, collagen acts as a sort of flexible glue that keeps the body looking and functioning at its best.

Collagen’s Beauty Benefits

In terms of anti-aging beauty benefits, collagen is often associated with healthy, smooth skin. Found in the middle layer of the skin, or dermis, collagen proteins connect to create fibroblasts. These fibroblasts promote the growth of new cells to replace dead skin cells and encourage healthy cell turnover. In basic terms, higher collagen levels contribute to a rejuvenated appearance, including greater skin elasticity, plumpness, and smoothness. Collagen also contributes to hair health, with higher collagen levels being linked to stronger tresses, delayed graying, and even potential increased hair growth.

What Causes the Body to Produce Less Collagen?

Age is a definite factor in decreased collagen levels. With time, collagen production naturally slows: after age 20, our bodies produce roughly 1% less collagen in the skin per year. But there are also common lifestyle factors that can negatively impact collagen levels over time.

Smoking — the chemicals found in tobacco smoke damage collagen and elastin in the skin, while reducing the amount of oxygen delivered to skin cells, slowing cell turnover.
High blood sugar — A high-sugar diet causes sugar in the blood to bond to more proteins, creating AGEs, which are molecules known to destroy collagen proteins.
A diet low in vitamin C — The body requires vitamin C to naturally produce collagen, so a diet lacking adequate sources of vitamin C leads to collagen degradation.
Prolonged exposure to pollution — Environmental pollution can create free radicals that affect skin by excelling protein oxidation and the depletion of collagen.
Sun exposure — The sun’s UV rays damage collagen deep in the dermis, resulting in wrinkles, a loss of elasticity, and pigmentation.

How to Boost Collagen Production

While collagen powders and supplements are making the rounds on social media, their effectiveness is still being studied. The question is whether these supplements really work to promote collagen production in the body, since collagen does not enter and remain in the body as a whole protein when ingested. Essentially, when any collagen supplement or dietary source (such as bone broth) is consumed, the body breaks this collagen down into its basic building blocks: amino acids. The body then uses these amino acids where they’re needed to maintain optimal health. If the body is lacking in collagen, it may reproduce collagen from the broken down amino acids—but that’s only if it needs collagen. If collagen is sufficient, those amino acids will be used elsewhere in the body. This means that the efficacy of these supplements in boosting collagen levels remains up for debate.

As for anti-aging collagen creams, they won’t significantly boost collagen levels in skin. Collagen proteins are much too large to be absorbed deep into the dermis of the skin where collagen is needed to maintain skin’s structural integrity. However, they may be absorbed by skin that is still healing. For this reason, collagen creams may be more effective following treatments that create micro-dermal wounds in the skin. In most other cases, though, skin care products containing peptides are much more effective in penetrating to the middle layer of the skin and kick starting targeted collagen production in the skin.

Likewise, anti-aging multi-polar radio frequency treatments can offer an effective means to promote skin’s natural collagen production. Using technology that’s safe for all skin tones, these non-surgical treatments utilize radio frequency to deliver targeted energy deep below the skin’s surface, creating heat within the dermis of the skin. This heat kick starts skin’s natural collagen production cycle, boosting overall collagen levels for plumper, smoother-looking skin and an overall younger-looking appearance.

To learn more about non-surgical radio frequency anti-aging treatments and how they could boost your skin’s collagen levels, contact a certified treatment provider near you.

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Venus Versa™ has CE Mark as a multi-application device intended to be used in aesthetic and cosmetic procedures. The SR515 and SR580 applicators have CE Mark for the treatment of benign pigmented epidermal and cutaneous lesions and treatment of benign cutaneous vascular lesions. The HR650/HR650XL and HR690/HR690XL applicators have CE Mark for the removal of unwanted hair and to effect stable long-term or permanent hair reduction for Fitzpatrick skin types I-IV. The AC Dual applicator has CE Mark for the treatment of acne vulgaris. The DiamondPolar™ applicator has CE Mark for non-invasive treatment of moderate to severe facial wrinkles and rhytides on females with Fitzpatrick skin types I-IV. The OctiPolar™ applicator on the Venus Versa™ system has CE Mark for temporary body contouring via skin tightening, circumferential reduction, and cellulite reduction. The NanoFractional RF™ (Viva) applicator has CE Mark for dermatological procedures requiring ablation and resurfacing of the skin.

NeoGraft^® 2.0 has CE Mark with indication for use in suction-assisted follicular extraction and re-implantation for males and females.

The ARTAS iX™ from Restoration Robotics® is indicated for harvesting hair follicles from the scalp in men diagnosed with androgenic alopecia (male pattern hair loss) who have black or brown straight hair. The ARTAS iX™ from Restoration Robotics® is intended to assist physicians in identifying and extracting hair follicular units from the scalp during hair transplantation; creating recipient sites; and implanting harvested hair follicles.

Venus Epileve™ has CE Mark for hair removal, permanent hair reduction (defined as the long-term stable reduction in the number of hairs re-growing when measured at 6, 9 and 12 months after the completion of a treatment regimen), and the treatment of pseudofolliculitis barbae for all Fitzpatrick skin types. Venus Epileve™ is also CE-Marked for hirsutism.

Venus Legacy™ has CE Mark for the temporary increase of skin tightening, circumferential reduction, cellulite reduction, and wrinkle reduction.

Venus Velocity™ has CE Mark for hair removal, permanent hair reduction (defined as the long-term stable reduction in the number of hairs re-growing when measured at 6, 9 and 12 months after the completion of a treatment regimen), and the treatment of pseudofolliculitis barbae for all Fitzpatrick skin types.

Venus Viva™ has CE Mark for the use in dermatologic and general surgical procedures requiring ablation and resurfacing of the skin, and the treatment of moderate to severe facial wrinkles and rhytides in Fitzpatrick skin types I-IV with the DiamondPolar™ applicator.

Venus Freeze Plus™ has CE Mark for treatment of moderate to severe facial wrinkles and rhytides using the DiamondPolar™ applicator, and CE Mark for the treatment of cellulite reduction, increase of skin tightening, and temporary circumferential reduction on the OctiPolar™ applicator.

Venus Freeze™ has CE Mark for treatment of moderate to severe facial wrinkles and rhytides using the DiamondPolar™ applicator, and CE Mark for the treatment of cellulite reduction, increase of skin tightening, and temporary circumferential reduction on the OctiPolar™ applicator.

Venus Glow™ provides a dermal rejuvenation treatment that works to open up and deep-clean pores. Venus Concept is the exclusive distributor for Venus Glow™.

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