Build and Improve Collagen Production With:
- Retinols like A313
- Tapotement
- Massage
- Slapping
- Lasers
- Micro-needling
- Skin Resurfacing
Why Collagen Is So Important
Collagen is the building block of your body. Collagen is used in tendons, muscles, bones, intestinal lining, and of course the one we will notice most as we age; the connective tissues of our skin – specifically, the skin on our face.
So when people talk about improving collagen, it’s our entire body that benefits, not just the slackening skin of our face, so it’s totally worth it to improve your collagen levels.
But how does boosting collagen levels improve your skin?
How Collagen Improves And Tightens Skin
When people talk about collagen and how it keeps skin from slackening or drooping, this is how it works.
In this picture of a cross section of skin, you can see how the collagen fibers on the left are fully connected and holding the skin tightly onto the muscle. On the right, collagen fibers are degrading and broken, leading to an appearance of sagging skin.
You also see elastin in the picture above. It also keeps skin young and healthy. Elastin allows your skin to bounce back quickly into place after it’s stretched or pulled, and it keeps skin looking youthful. Improving collagen will help improve elastin as well!
By improving collagen levels, you give your body the basic materials it needs to repair those broken collagen fibers.
So many things can cause the collagen fibers to degrade – not just age! Poor diet, lack of sleep, not enough exercise are among a few. A meta-analysis of data published over a few decades shows that sun exposure and air pollution are two of the biggest factors in skin aging, including air polluted by cigarette smoke. These all contribute to the weakening and breaking of collagen fibers.
Learn 7 Ways To Improve Sleep here!
Now let’s look at how to improve collagen and elastin and keep a more youthful appearance!
7 Proven Techniques For Tightening Skin And Building Collagen
Retinols
This is one of the easiest ways to build collagen in your skin, and A313 is one of the easiest, most effective, and cheapest to use! It’s been around for decades in France.
Retinols work by interacting with cell receptors in the skin to synthesize and deposit glucosoaminiglycans – a mucopolysaccharide that is one of the most important proteins in the production of collagen and elastin.
Remember that retinols do need time to be the most effective. You will see clearer and brighter skin within days because the retinols also help skin to slough off more quickly, revealing fresh, new, skin cells. And you’ll see real improvement in firmness, elasticity, and the tightening of skin with daily use in only 6 months.
Tapotement
Tapotement is a simple treatment you can do at home. Tapotement is simply lightly striking the face with the tips of the fingers in the direction of facial massage. Tapotement works to stimulate collagen production because as you gently ‘pummel’ the skin, it creates a slight trauma response that builds collagen. This is why doing regular facials is so good for your skin.
Massage
Massage brings nourishing blood to the skin and clears old fluids from the lymph nodes. Did you know that of the 600 lymph nodes in your body, over 300 are only in the head and neck?! So it’s important to clear those out and to bring circulation and new collagen building materials to replenish the skin on your face.
Slapping
This one is quite funny, and I learned about it watching a comedian bring his 80 year-old father on a world tour.
The comedian went to a beauty parlor in Asia that promised younger looking skin. The therapy was that his face was quite strongly slapped this way and that while he sat in the beauty chair. The expressions on their faces were priceless! I happened to be watching it while I was at the gym and I laughed so hard I nearly fell off the treadmill.
But the basic idea of the slapping is actually effective, it encourages the same collagen-building response as tapotement or laser (explained below).
In fact, a part of Korean daily beauty treatment is to apply lotions and cosmetics with a tapping motion, they don’t just smooth them onto the skin. Again, the concept here is that the daily, light tapping helps build more collagen fibers.
So tap your skin during cosmetic application!
The next three techniques are a more targeted form of trauma used to build collagen.
Lasers
Lasers are directed at the collagen building areas below the surface. The lasers gently ‘wound’ the cells into creating more collagen. Down time is minimal, depending on what treatment you receive and the sensitivity of your skin. They are very effective! Have them done regularly to maintain collagen at optimum levels.
Micro-needling
Micro-needling is a different way to achieve the same effect. Tiny needles are used to build up collagen by stimulating the cells in the top surface of your skin. This builds collagen and improves slackening skin.
Both lasers and micro-needling can also be used to minimize scarring, or pitting from acne and chickenpox.
Resurfacing
Your dermatologist or med-spa will have several options for resurfacing skin with acids and chemical peels. They all help to build collagen, and they can minimize wrinkles and dark spots by revealing new cells.
You can even recreate to a lesser extent the collagen-building effect of expensive resurfacing at home by simply using gentle acid peels. This is also less invasive and has minimal-to-no downtime from work or other activities.
Regular use of gentle acid peels has been well documented to improve collagen levels. You can even use fruit acids!
Get Enough Collagen!
We all hear about collagen everywhere, it’s in bone broth, you can buy it in pill form and powder, and of course, it’s in cosmetics.
The best way to get enough collagen is to consume it in bone broths or collagen powders, eat a healthy diet, and get plenty of fresh air and exercise.
Here are my picks for getting more collagen!
My top pick is Dr Axe’s Multi-Collagen powder. It has several types of collagen to ensure you’re getting what you need. It dissolves right into drinks, smoothies, or soups, and you can buy it flavored or unflavored.
My next pick is to drink bone broth. Bone broth should always be made with organic, grass-fed-and-finished bones. This means that the animal should have been pasture raised and never have been fed any grains. It’s important because grains are heavily sprayed with pesticides, and when they can’t be excreted, they are deposited in bones. This ends up in your bone broth and then your body where it leads to aging skin.
When I first researched bone broths, I found two brands that were made with the above standards: ‘Kettle & Fire’ and ‘Epic’. They are a bit expensive, but you only need to drink one cup daily for it to be effective. I love Epic’s Cranberry and Sage chicken broth!
If you buy other bone broths, make sure you check how they are made, not all bone broths are equal!
My last pick is collagen creams, although their efficacy is not as potent as consuming collagen. Any cream you buy over the counter because of FDA rules cannot legally penetrate into the lower dermal cells where it’s needed. You’ll need a Doctors prescription for an effective topical collagen cream.
So be sure you consume enough collagen or foods that build collagen to allow your skin to rebuild collagen regularly!
How to make your own bone broth:
Fill a pot 1/2 way with organic, grass-fed and finished animal bones. (Roast the bones dry for an hour for more flavor)
Fill pot with water to cover, plus one cup of organic apple cider vinegar.
Bring to a boil and lower to simmer for minimum of 12, maximum of 24 hours.
Strain liquid into jars and keep for up to 4 days in the fridgeand use as a base for any soup.
For easy, daily, collagen building power, freeze it into ice cube trays and eat 2-3 cubes daily as a broth.
Authors Recipe
Concluding Notes
So don’t forget to use A313 or other retinols daily. Daily tapping and massage, and regular resurfacing at home or professionally will keep skin looking young, firm, and healthy well into old age!
Want more tips for fresh and youthful skin? Take a look at, Hyaluronic Acid To The Rescue!
References:
Environmental Stressors on Skin Aging. Mechanistic Insights, accessed October 26, 2023 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6629960/
Retinoids in the treatment of skin aging: an overview of clinical efficacy and safety, accessed October 26, 2023, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2699641/#:~:text=Retinoids%20are%20very%20well%20known,cellular%20and%20nucleic%20acid%20receptors.
Impact of Pesticides on Environmental and Human Health, accessed October 26, 2023, https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/48406