It’s easy: lack of collagen causes wrinkles. But what does collagen really must do with pores and skin getting older? Let’s not neglect that your pores and skin is made up of collagen. It is an important a part of the construction of our pores and skin, bones, cartilage and muscular tissues that permits tissues to turn into extra elastic and proof against stretching (for instance, making the pores and skin look younger and supple).

Although you naturally create your personal provide of collagen, it decreases as you age. From the age of 20, collagen ranges lower roughly 1% per year1 (we all know – a lot before anticipated). In addition, different way of life and environmental components can scale back your collagen manufacturing, comparable to solar injury, sugary diets2, tensionand extra – you may learn all of them right here.

So when your collagen begins to interrupt down sooner than you naturally make it, whether or not it is attributable to environmental adjustments or age, your pores and skin’s elasticity and tightness is compromised (amongst different whole-body results).

The reply: While you may’t apply collagen to your pores and skin and count on it to replenish your inner financial institution, you can swallow it. Specifically, hydrolyzed collagen peptides have been proven to assist promote the natural production of collagen by the body1 and different molecules that make up pores and skin, comparable to elastin and fibrillin, so search for “hydrolyzed collagen peptides” in your product labels.

Not positive the place to look? Here’s a curated listing of the 9 greatest collagen dietary supplements available on the market (all backed by a vitamin Ph.D.) to get you began.