Collagen is a crucial element of your skin.

1 cause of skin aging is the loss of collagen."

So how does it decline?

Korin Miller

There are a few reasonssome are in your control and others aren’t.

However, the exact age that this process starts is different for everyone, says Goldenberg.

This collagen attenuation picks up paceduring and after menopause.

Keira Barr, M.D.

Regardless, the process is inevitable and, unfortunately, outside of your control.

“Our bodies always balance collagen production and degradation,” Goldenberg explains.

“When we are young, our bodies produce more collagen than we break down.

That balance tips the wrong way with age since tissue regeneration decreases.”

Well the main reason it does so is because it directly and negatively affects collagen.

In fact, smoking is the “big one” for collagen damage, Goldenberg says.

“Smoking decreases the amount of oxygen delivered to tissues.

Therefore, tissue cannot regenerate and is more likely to become damaged and die,” he explains.

And that plus the oxidative stress of chemicals in tobacco smoke can lead to premature wrinkles.

Stress also causes an increase in hormones like cortisol, which research has found candecrease the production of collagen.

How can you support it naturally?

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Take a collagen supplement.

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Collagen supplementsor more specifically,hydrolyzed collagen supplementshave been shown to promote collagen production.

  • “Hydrolyzed collagen can be absorbed as is and circulate throughout the body,” explains Zeichner.

Free radical damage andoxidative stress.

“Collagen’s anti-inflammatory powers come from the role that it plays in our gut health.

A healthy gut can reduce inflammatory processes throughout the whole body.

“Collagen has been shown tosupport the gut’s lining6and has key amino acids for gut health.

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Make good lifestyle choices, like wearing SPF and eating a healthy diet.

There are certain factors in collagen decline that you might’t control, like your genes and your age.

But there are some things it’s possible for you to do to slow the decline.

Wearingsunscreenregularly is one of them.

Diet is also crucial.

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8 Sources