Losing collagen is a natural phase of life, so knowing when it’s happening can help you get ahead of the game and replenish collagen loss. You can’t prevent your body from slowing down collagen production. But there are a few things you can do to stop it from declining as quickly, and refill your collagen supply.
Read on for the signs that your collagen levels are decreasing, how to slow it down, and ways to enhance collagen production no matter your age.
When do you stop producing collagen?
Collagen production begins decreasing from around 25 years old but varies slightly from person to person. By your early 30s, your collagen drops by 1% each year, and it takes a nose dive in your 40s and 50s. Menopause and pregnancy can also accelerate collagen loss.
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What are the signs that you’re losing collagen?
You don’t technically ‘lose’ collagen. What really happens is that the collagen in your body naturally decreases.
Throughout your childhood and until your mid-20s, your body is madly producing building blocks made of collagen. But once you’ve finished developing, you make less and less collagen blocks. That’s when you start to notice signs that you don’t have as much collagen as you used to. So, what are the signs that your collagen is dropping?
- Increase in fine lines and wrinkles.
- Achey joints, including knees and elbows.
- Feeling tired.
- Low concentration and mental energy.
- Gut issues.
- Hormonal imbalances.
- Brittle hair and nails.
Read more: How To Know When To Start Taking Collagen.
How to slow down collagen degradation
If you’re panicking and thinking, ‘I’m about to start losing collagen!’ or, ‘I’m already in my mid-50s, it’s too late for me!’ don’t fret. There are ways to slow down the onset of collagen loss and replace the collagen you’re no longer making.
Reduce your sugar intake
Sugar causes inflammation, which is particularly harmful to your collagen cells. Collagen is made from fibrils, which are long threads woven together. When the body is inflamed, the structure of fibrils is damaged.
We’re not telling you to cut out all chocolate, cake, biscuits, and sweets. However, if you eat these things every day, multiple times a day, you’re actively contributing to a decrease in collagen.
Quit smoking
Have you ever noticed that people who smoke have more fine lines around their mouths and eyes than people who don’t? One reason is that the act of smoking moves the skin more, creating creases. But the other is because the chemicals in nicotine degrade the collagen in skin cells, making them break down faster.
Wear sunscreen
If you’re into skincare, you’ll know that going out in the sun without sunscreen is a recipe for wrinkles. But why is that? Well, it’s all to do with collagen.
The UV rays in sunlight trigger free radicals in your skin, which are unstable atoms. When you have too many free radicals, they start harming your body, known as oxidative stress. The stress causes collagen fibres to break down, and your skin dramatically loses firmness and elasticity. This causes the skin to deflate and sink, forming premature wrinkles.
Sunscreen shields your skin against UV rays, preventing burns and the production of free radicals. This results in youthful-looking skin for longer because you protect your pre-existing collagen.
How to increase your collagen levels
Protecting the collagen you already have is essential for collagen retention. However, there are also ways to enhance collagen synthesis to replace the collagen your body made when you were younger.
Take a collagen supplement that works
One of the quickest ways to super-boost collagen is to take a collagen supplement that works. Some collagen supplements (such as bovine and marine) are effective up to a point, but your body can’t absorb every single part. That’s because animal collagen isn’t the same as human collagen, which makes sense if you think about it. So, what kind of collagen should you take instead?
Read more: Why our plant-based supplement is the best collagen drink for skin.
Arella Beauty’s Liquid Collagen Supplement contains VeCollal, formulated with the amino acids your body uses to naturally produce collagen.
Essentially, the supplement gives your body extra collagen ingredients so you can make more. What’s even better is that the formula helps you produce collagen that is identical to human collagen, so you can put all of it to use.
Will my body stop producing collagen if I take collagen?
No, your body will continue to produce collagen even if you take a collagen supplement. The supplement aims to provide an extra supply of collagen as your levels naturally decrease to keep your body healthy and happy.
Eat a collagen-rich diet
A collagen-rich diet contains the things your body needs to produce collagen. For example, fruit, dark leafy greens, seeds, nuts, beans, and lentils contain vitamins, minerals, and amino acids necessary to make collagen. You can also get collagen from eating meat and fish, but you can get more than enough from a plant-based diet.
Plant-based foods are also excellent at providing you with antioxidants, which defend your body against inflammation. Lower inflammation means your collagen fibres remain intact, and you protect the collagen cells you already have.
Read more: How to Get Rid of Inflammation in the Body Fast.
Manage your stress
Stress does many things to your body, and one of them is attacking collagen. When stressed, your nervous system flips into fight-or-flight mode, pumping your body with the hormone cortisol. The release of cortisol swells your artery walls and aggravates cells, which causes collagen to start breaking down.
When you manage stress, you balance cortisol production and increase blood flow. This allows nutrients to circulate quickly and easily, speeding up collagen synthesis. The collagen is then transported to the areas of your body that need it, such as muscles, tendons, ligaments, hair follicles and skin.
Read more: How Stress Affects Your Body.
Harness the gift of Arella Beauty for collagen production
Just because your body stops producing as much collagen, it doesn’t have to stay that way. Enhance your collagen levels by taking Arella Beauty’s award-winning collagen supplement to revitalise your beauty and restore your inner glow. Subscribe and save now with Arella Beauty.
