Not just a buzzy beauty word, collagen is the most abundant protein in your body and plays an essential role in the health of your skin, hair and nails…
But unfortunately, we’re not promised an endless supply of this plumping protein. In fact, as we age, our body’s ability to produce and synthesise collagen naturally declines, leading to fine lines, dullness and a lack of elasticity.
And while collagen degradation and skin-related ageing are inevitable, there are certain unhelpful habits—think smoking, sun damage and poor dietary choices—that can seriously speed up the process.
Around 75–80% of your skin’s structure is made up of collagen, so preventing its degradation is crucial for a plump and healthy complexion, now and into the future.
Here are four simple ways to do just that...
Be Sun Savvy
While enjoying a little sunlight each day is essential for obtaining your daily dose of vitamin D—a hormone linked to general wellbeing and immunity—prolonged sun exposure can lead to skin damage and contribute to the breakdown of collagen. For this reason, it’s important to protect your skin by wearing a broad-spectrum sunscreen. When you do head outdoors, be sure to limit your sun exposure to the early morning and late afternoon when UV rays are weaker.
Supplement Wisely
Your body naturally makes collagen by combining amino acids—found in protein-rich foods like lean meat, fish, dairy and eggs—with key vitamins and minerals such as vitamin C, zinc and copper. Deficiencies in any of these nutrients, especially vitamin C, can negatively impact your body’s ability to synthesise collagen. As your body isn’t able to make its own vitamin C, you need to obtain it through the foods you eat.
A simple way to boost your skin’s natural collagen production—and protect it from degradation—is by enjoying a tablespoon of COLLAGEN Inner Beauty Boost daily. Now with a SUPERCHARGED FORMULA, our berry-flavoured, bio-fermented elixir boasts four times the vitamin C, as well as 67% of the Australian RDI of zinc.
Choose Beauty-Boosting Foods
When it comes to supporting your body’s production of collagen, what you eat plays a significant role. A nutrient-dense diet that’s rich in manganese (almonds, pecans), copper (liver, oysters, dark chocolate), vitamin C (kiwifruit, citrus fruits, berries) and zinc (red meat, shellfish, hemp seeds) naturally helps to support collagen production and is key to boosting your skin’s immunity. Essential fatty acids, which you’ll find in OMEGA ELIXIR, are also vital for a healthy complexion, as they help to fight inflammation and “moisturise” your skin from the inside out.
Fight Inflammaging
Coined by researchers in Italy, inflammaging is a term used to describe the kind of chronic, low-grade inflammation that speeds up your rate of cellular aging. The result? Collagen breakdown, which means more fine lines and wrinkles. The good news is, you can safeguard your skin—and your health—by eating a diet that’s rich in antioxidants, which you’ll find in colourful fruits and veggies, fermented foods and our very own Inner Beauty range. Antioxidants are a powerful weapon to have in your anti-ageing arsenal because they “hunt down” free radicals, the unstable molecules that kickstart inflammation.
