8 Ways To Stimulate Collagen Production
What are ways to stimulate collagen production?
- Eat vitamin C-rich foods
- Use skincare with hyaluronic acid
- Try collagen drinks
- Protect your skin with sunscreen
- Pack in lean protein
- Limit your added sugar intake
- Don’t smoke — and consider quitting if you do
- Get some beauty rest
If you’re trying to achieve youthful and vibrant skin, then you’ve definitely heard about collagen. It’s the main structural protein for your skin and provides hydration and volume — which is key to keeping it smooth and wrinkle-free.
However, your natural stores of collagen decrease as you get older. This is why your skin starts to drop and sag as you age. In fact, it starts as early as you hit your late twenties!
So, it’s important to take action as early as possible to protect and boost your collagen levels. Here are eight easy ways to stimulate collagen production:
Eat vitamin C-rich foods
Antioxidants, specifically vitamin C, are important for collagen production. They help protect your cells from free radicals, which in turn protects and rejuvenates your skin. Vitamin C also promotes collagen production.
This antioxidant is present in many plant-based foods, such as citrus fruits, strawberries, bell peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, and more! You can also find them in lotions, sunscreens, and serums. These products could help protect the collagen in your skin against UV damage.
Use skincare with hyaluronic acid
Hyaluronic acid is another compound that helps promote collagen production! It stimulates and helps stabilize the collagen in your skin. Plus, it works with collagen to create a moisture-rich environment. This allows collagen to stretch without breaking, so it lasts longer in your skin.
Applying skincare products that contain hyaluronic acid is a great way to boost the natural elasticity of your skin. And, it has other benefits too! This compound promotes wound healing, tissue repair, and dryness — so it can help you deal with blemishes and scars!
Try collagen drinks
Of course, one great way to boost your natural collagen levels and production is through supplements like Bona Vita’s Collagen Drink. These products add a powerful dose of collagen into your system, and can be mixed into your favorite drink every day!
It’s potentially even more potent than natural sources of collagen. This is because it contains hydrolyzed collagen — which is more easily absorbed into your body than regular collagen. Taking this drink every day will increase skin elasticity, hydration, and the density of collagen within your skin.
Protect your skin with sunscreen
Sunscreen is vital for your skin. Not only does it help prevent skin cancer, but it also protects it from UV exposure. This is important, as UV exposure is one of the leading factors of collagen breakdown!
If you’re not already using this product, you should! We recommend using a broad-spectrum sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher every day. And, you should be reapplying every few hours, especially when you’re out and about under the sun.
Pack in lean protein
You must have a balanced diet. But, if you’re aiming to boost your collagen production, then you should be packing in a lot more lean protein than usual. This is because lean protein foods contain amino acids, which your body needs to create more collagen.
Lean protein sources include things like white meat fish, chicken breast, and lean cuts of beef and pork.
Limit your added sugar intake
That said, you should also consider cutting down on sugary foods. This is because sugar — added sugar in particular — boosts the levels of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in our bodies. These compounds can break down the collagen in your skin.
Limit your sugar consumption by reducing the number of sweets, soft drinks, and other junk food that’s currently in your diet.
Don’t smoke — and consider quitting if you do
Smoking wreaks havoc on your body in many different ways. One of them is by accelerating the aging of your skin. This is because smoking decreases blood flow and inhibits oxygen supply to your skin. It also creates free radicals, which can damage the collagen in your skin.
As a result, the possibility of you forming wrinkles and other blemishes is much higher. So, we suggest not smoking at all — or quitting the habit before it’s too late.
Get some beauty rest
Sleep is crucial for many aspects of our health — we need about eight hours of sleep every night for our bodies to function properly. And, one of the benefits of getting enough sleep is that it helps with collagen renewal!
So, try to keep healthy sleep habits, and adjust your sleep schedule. For most adults, you’ll need at least seven to nine hours of beauty sleep each day.
Key Takeaway
It’s important that you protect your skin and keep it healthy as early as you can! It’s much easier doing it now, than trying to repair it later on. And to do that, you have to preserve and enhance your collagen production.
Whether you’re on a mission to keep your skin radiant — or just want to stay healthy — remember to use our top eight ways to stimulate collagen production!
