How to Stop Collagen From Declining as You Age

June 06, 2024 Arella Beauty

You’ve probably heard the fear-mongering about collagen rapidly decreasing as you age. And there is truth to it. After your mid-20s, collagen levels slowly reduce. By your 30s, it decreases by 1% per year and speeds up in your 40’s and 50’s. But you’re not going to turn into a bag of dusty bones any time soon. Because 1. Your collagen levels don’t define your self-worth. And 2. There are simple ways you can stop collagen from declining. Let’s get into it.

What does collagen do to your body?

Collagen is a protein you naturally create, but what does collagen actually do?

Maintains beautifully soft and hydrated skin
Minimises the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles

Keeps joints strong and flexible
Builds and maintains muscle mass
Protects your heart health

Why am I losing collagen so quickly?

You may be staring in the mirror, inspecting a new fine line or struggling with achy joints And wondering, ‘Why am I losing collagen so quickly?’ Well, there are a number of reasons. While some are inevitable, others are lifestyle factors that could be speeding up the process.

Age - Your age plays a significant role in collagen loss because the body can’t produce the same collagen levels anymore. This becomes particularly prominent when you hit the 50-year mark.

Spending too much time in the sun - Sunlight contains UV rays, which attack collagen cells, causing damage and killing them off. This can manifest as premature ageing and a tough, crepey skin texture.

Smoking - The chemicals in cigarettes trigger radical damage, breaking down collagen.

Skipping out on sleep - Life is harsh on your body, and it needs the nighttime to restore and heal, which includes making more collagen. So, when you deprive yourself of sleep, you prevent new collagen production.

Can you stop the loss of collagen?

You can’t stop collagen levels from naturally declining, but you can slow down the process and replenish lost levels.

Protecting your skin from UV rays and limiting your consumption of heavily processed foods (like fast food and sugary snacks) will minimise collagen loss. Quitting smoking and excessive drinking is also essential to preventing declining collagen. Make sure you don’t stay up late, reduce your stress and limit your alcohol intake.

How do you fix collagen deficiency?

Perhaps you’re desperately thinking, ‘How do I reverse collagen loss?’ or ‘How do you stop collagen decline?’ You can’t ‘reverse’ collagen loss, but you can replenish low levels of collagen, reducing wrinkles and giving you better bone and heart health. Here’s how:

Eat collagen-rich plant-based foods

There are two ways you can get collagen from food. One is from animals that have already converted their food into collagen, so it’s almost ‘premade.’ However, you must eat parts that contain collagen, like the skin, bones, and tendons. It’s also critical to keep in mind that animal collagen isn’t a precise match to human collagen. So you will absorb some of their collagen, but not all of it.

The second way to get collagen is by consuming certain plant-based foods. This is an effective method to increase collagen because it provides your body with collagen-making ‘ingredients.’ For example, specific amino acids and vitamin C. Below are some of the best plant-based collagen foods:

Dark leafy greens (e.g., spinach and kale).
Whole grains (like quinoa, brown rice and oats).
Legumes and beans (such as lentils, chickpeas and kidney beans).
Red vegetables (e.g., red bell peppers and tomatoes).
Seaweed
Citrus fruits (oranges, kiwis, lemons, etc.).
Cruciferous vegetables (like broccoli and cauliflower).
Nuts (for example, walnuts, almonds and cashews).

Take a collagen supplement

Consuming a collagen supplement is an excellent follow-up to your collagen-inducing diet. Arella Vegan Collagen - Liquid Supplement is formulated using the hero ingredient VeCollal®, the first plant-based vegan collagen alternative.

Rather than relying on animals, it harnesses the power of plants to deliver the precise amino acids for collagen generation. Our supplement also includes a healthy dose of vitamin C (another collagen-making ingredient).

Read more: How Do Collagen Supplements Work?

But we didn’t stop there. Retinol, niacin, hyaluronic acid, and biotin work harmoniously to superpower rejuvenation. These potent ingredients lubricate joints, moisturise skin, renew cells, and soften the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines.

Get your beauty sleep

The classic phrase ‘beauty sleep’ holds a lot of truth to it. Have you ever noticed that you don't look your best after a night out or watching Netflix until 1 am? You often have under-eye shadows, lacklustre skin, dry lips and pronounced skin creases. It’s all due to a drop in collagen production.

Collagen production rapidly increases overnight because your body uses sleep to reset and rejuvenate. It doesn’t have to worry about moving, talking or interacting. So, it focuses on cell renewal, providing you with new collagen cells. The process will keep blood circulating at a healthy level, refresh your skin, and reduce inflammation in your joints.

So, the next time you’re considering watching a True Crime documentary at 11 pm, think again. And consider whether skipping your beauty sleep is worth it.

Exercise regularly

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll have heard health experts preach how good exercise is for you. And, well, they’re not wrong. But how exactly does this help your collagen levels increase?

A massive culprit of low collagen levels is stress. This is because stress hormones attack fibroblasts - cells that synthesise collagen. Exercise is a natural stress reduction because it triggers the feel-good hormone oxytocin, which lowers cortisol.

Read more: How Stress Affects Your Body.

Exercise also stimulates blood flow so vitamins, minerals and oxygen circulate quickly. The ingredients you need to make collagen reach your fibroblasts rapidly and, thus, create more collagen.

Stop collagen from declining with Arella Beauty’s Liquid Collagen Supplement

Our award-winning Liquid Collagen Supplement gives your body the precise ingredients for collagen production. Not only is this great for you, but it’s also excellent news for the environment.

Using plant-based technology, we skip deforestation and don’t harm marine life or animals. Instead, we’ve crafted a unique, vegan-friendly supplement that tastes delicious (not a fish scale or cow tendon in sight). Stop collagen from declining, and get your glow with Arella Beauty.

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