As you age, your skin begins to lose its elasticity, which is all too evident when you notice slight sagging in certain areas. This happens for lots of reasons, but one of the most important is that your body produces less collagen as you age.
What is collagen, anyway?
Collagen is a protein, and it helps hold your body’s tissues in place. You probably hear it referenced most often in relation to skin, but it’s also in your tendons and bones.
Collagen acts as a structural protein that helps your skin maintain firmness. Your body naturally produces collagen, but at some point, usually in your 20s, that production trails off. Over time, you end up with less firm, less elastic skin.
Supplements and creams
Like so many things related to looking young, there’s a lot of hype around collagen. You’ve probably seen collagen supplements or even collagen creams. In truth, those products may not work as well as advertised.
For example, there’s not much evidence that collagen supplements can keep you looking young. The studies that have been conducted have been quite small, and they aren’t conclusive.
Similarly, collagen in the form of a cream isn’t likely to improve the appearance of your skin. The molecules in collagen are too large for your skin to absorb. You may benefit from the cream’s moisturizing effect, and it probably feels nice on your skin, but the collagen won’t help you look younger.
Slow the decline
There are some things you can do to slow your body’s decrease in collagen production, including not smoking. Tobacco starts the decline in collagen production sooner than your body would otherwise.
Applying sunscreen is another way to maintain your body’s natural collagen production for as long as possible.
