It is widely known that collagen is that ‘magical’ ingredient which helps keep your skin firm and taut. So comes the age-old question: is consuming collagen-rich food enough to delay the signs of ageing skin?
What is collagen?
Collagen is the main structural protein found in our body. One of its roles is to strengthen and maintain the skin’s elasticity and firmness. However as we age, the collagen in our skin breaks down faster than we can replace it, which often manifests in sagging skin and the appearance of wrinkles.
Is consuming collagen-rich food enough to delay ageing?
If recent studies are any indication, the answer is “yes, it may”! A recent 2022 study states that getting enough collagen in your diet could help with delaying skin ageing, and comes with the bonus benefit of promoting joint health1. Some studies also indicate that collagen potentially enhances skin moisture and elasticity, and brings about improvements in skin texture2!
Curious to start incorporating collagen-rich foods into your diet? Here is a list to get you started:
Bone Broth
Bone broth is tasty and has a high amount of collagen. You can easily prepare this at home by simmering animal bones in water for 12 – 24 hours to enjoy delicious broth and collagen goodness all at once.
Fish
Studies have shown that fish collagen is absorbed up to 1.5 times better compared to beef or pork collagen due to its small particle size and low molecular weight3. So, be sure to incorporate it into your diet!
Egg whites
Aside from collagen, egg whites are rich in 18 different types of amino acids – and these are the very same amino acids that our bodies need to effectively produce collagen!
Spinach
Dark leafy greens such as spinach contain vitamin C which promotes collagen production. As an added bonus, their antioxidant properties help slow the breakdown of collagen!
Consider a more effective way to boost collagen production
While consuming collagen-rich food helps boost collagen production, it might not be sufficient to fully delay or reverse the signs of ageing.
To achieve lifted and tighter skin, you may want to consider treatments such as:
Micro-focused ultrasound with visualisation (MFU-V), a non-invasive, US FDA-cleared skin lifting and tightening treatment that delivers ultrasound energy to stimulate the production of new collagen and elastin in your skin.
Calcium hydroxylapatite dermal fillers, which are biodegradable injectable gels that can help smoothen facial lines and wrinkles, and restore facial volume while stimulating the production of collagen and elastin over time!
Both of these bio-stimulating treatments are amazing at delivering results when it comes to rejuvenating your skin’s collagen production. Book a consultation session with an aesthetic professional today for bouncy, youthful skin! !
Reference:
1Al-Atif H. Collagen Supplements for Aging and Wrinkles: A Paradigm Shift in the Fields of Dermatology and Cosmetics. Dermatol Pract Concept. 2022 Jan 1;12(1):e2022018. doi: 10.5826/dpc.1201a18. PMID: 35223163; PMCID: PMC8824545.
2Inoue N, Sugihara F, Wang X. Ingestion of bioactive collagen hydrolysates enhance facial skin moisture and elasticity and reduce facial ageing signs in a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled clinical study. J Sci Food Agric. 2016 Sep;96(12):4077-81. doi: 10.1002/jsfa.7606. Epub 2016 Feb 10. PMID: 26840887.
3Meison Furtado, Liang Chen, Zehao Chen, Ao Chen, Wenguo Cui, Development of fish collagen in tissue regeneration and drug delivery, Engineered Regeneration, Volume 3, Issue 3, 2022, Pages 217-231, ISSN 2666-1381, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engreg.2022.05.002.
