What Happens to Collagen and Skin Elasticity During Aging?
Aging is something we all have to confront sooner or later. While some of the signs of aging, such as aching joints and decreased energy, are internal, the most familiar signs are those we notice outside. Wrinkles, fine lines, sagging skin — these are inevitable, but there are ways to slow the process and improve its condition.
A decline in skin elasticity causes wrinkles and loose skin. As we get older, it’s natural for the skin to slowly lose its resilience and pliability, making it apt to sag and develop lines. This is due in large part to the loss of collagen in the skin.
Collagen is a tough, flexible protein that makes up a great deal of the human body. Many of our organs and systems rely on collagen. The protein is found most abundantly in the skin, making up as much as 70 percent of the total tissue. After the age of around 25, the amount of collagen in your body begins to decrease. You can expect to lose about 1 percent of your total collagen every year, with a steeper decline for women who have undergone menopause.
This decline in collagen is most readily noticeable in the skin, which loses its structure as collagen levels decline. Because the springy collagen is no longer present in the lower levels to keep skin tight and smooth, folds and sags develop and can’t easily be addressed by topical creams. The internal organs are also affected. This is most noticeable in the musculoskeletal system, particularly the joints. Collagen is heavily involved in joint health, meaning that declining levels can make joints stiffer, more painful, and more vulnerable to injury. Muscles are also affected, with diminished strength and slower recovery after exercise being commonly reported.
The good news is that you can improve these conditions by giving your body more of what it needs to make collagen: more collagen. When foods or supplements containing collagen are consumed, the body breaks them down into their component compounds and can then use these to make more collagen of its own. Collagen supplements have been demonstrated to improve collagen levels in the body, with a commensurate improvement in collagen loss symptoms.
Studies on collagen supplements’ effectiveness for wrinkles and skin aging have shown positive results, with increased skin elasticity and decreased wrinkle depth. Subjects have found their skin to be smoother, more pliable, and plumper after taking collagen for some time. Muscle weakness and joint stiffness can also be improved, with subjects reporting greater mobility and decreased joint pain after a course of collagen supplements. Collagen is also reported to encourage thicker, more lustrous hair and stronger nails.
That’s why it is so important to know and understand about collagen supplements. The Body Kitchen team brings more than 10 years of knowledge and research on collagen and other beauty/wellness nutrients. They have developed a collagen formula that surpasses any other. Their collagen is completely hydrolyzed, and further concentrated to be 30X more effective that conventional collagen supplements. Their formulas are designed to replenish collagen faster and more abundantly.
Elastin
Another essential protein implicated in the fight against aging is elastin. Elastin is a resilient protein that makes up much of the body’s extracellular matrix. Elastin is especially important in keeping your skin smooth and healthy but is also associated with strong, flexible joints. You can improve your elastin levels through supplementation. This can improve skin elasticity and also help keep joints in good shape.
Elastin in supplement form is very rare and most supplement companies use specific ingredients to trigger elastin retention, without adding any actual elastin to the system. Body Kitchen is first-to-market one of a kind supplement, Pro-Elastin, that offers nothing but pure and direct marine elastin without the need to compensate with secondary ingredients. This product is also a great add-on to any collagen formula as one will work the inside while the other repairs the outside.
Collagen benefits at any age
It’s not just the over-25s who can benefit from collagen and elastin supplements. Even younger people who are physically active have reported significant improvements in joint mobility when taking collagen. Many people, of any age, use collagen to tighten-up skin after weight loss.
Best collagen supplement for skin elasticity
When choosing a collagen protein powder, look for one that’s high in collagen peptides. These are the building blocks your body needs to create new collagen.
Youthful Beauty Collagen Powder combines a high dipeptide concentration with resveratrol for an extra anti-aging boost. Combined with Pro-Elastin, this could be your ticket to a younger and more radiant appearance.
