Collagen is the protein that forms the structure of your skin. When you get older collagen starts to break down. It can be damaged by many things. The sun of course is one of the main culprits. Some of the other factors that can affect the skin are hormones, environmental toxins, free radicals, and nutrition. Smoking also causes collagen to break down and the skin to wrinkle and age.
The rate at which collagen is produced slows as we get older. This decrease in the amount of collagen along with collagen that is damaged leads to sagging, wrinkling, and sometimes drooping skin. Collagen makes the skin look full and youthful. Collagen in the form of creams and serums doesn’t really work very well. Collagen molecules are not small enough to penetrate deep into skin. The collagen must be down in the layers of the skin in order to do its job. Many people do collagen injections. This does work temporarily to plump the area around the injection. The problem with injections is that the results do not last long. There can also be some bad side affects. In addition injections tend to be high in cost.
The only way to really get more collagen deep into the skin where it is needed is to actually increase natural collagen production. There are some great ingredients that have been shown to help the skin produce collagen. Vitamin C is a supplement that has been used for centuries. It has been shown to increase collagen production naturally. Hyaluronic acid and Matrixyl 3000 have both also been shown to aid in collagen production. Using a good skin cream or serum with the proper ingredients may increase collagen production. This will make skin look and feel younger. It can also reduce wrinkles and help rejuvenate the skin.