Stress has long been a foe of healthy living. It interferes with daily activities, affecting physical and mental wellness. Healthcare professionals now agree that stress buildup is also damaging to the skin.
The connection is quite ominous. Excessive stress can increase the production of cortisol. This hormone breaks down collagen, a protein the skin needs to remain healthy and smooth.
Cleveland Clinic notes that you may experience more wrinkles and paleness due to stress caused by sleep deprivation. Over-exposure to blue light from screens also causes oxidative stress, which harms collagen. A Nature study found that post-traumatic stress can be particularly damaging for skin cells. It affects the dermal fibroblast and slows down healing.
Working on boosting the collagen levels in your skin can help you deal with underlying conditions. It is usually a restorative journey encompassing diet, lifestyle, and professional support.
Incorporate Collagen-Rich Foods in Diet
A diet-based approach is often the most practical solution for skin diseases. More dermats recommend closely inspecting your diet for “problem” foods like dairy or chocolate.
However, promoting collagen levels goes deeper than eliminating notorious foods. Instead, you can experience skin benefits by adding new foods to your diet with bioavailable collagen, i.e., a form of collagen the body can use immediately.
Chicken – particularly the thigh area – is rich in collagen. Fish is also a great idea since the body may absorb marine collagen faster. However, you will find that the meaty parts of fish have less collagen than the head or scales. Vegetarian sources of collagen include citrus fruits, tropical fruits, and leafy greens like kale.
Bone broth is a traditional collagen source. You can prepare it with chicken, pork, or beef. Note that stocks are a readily available option for making soups and stews. However, broth uses meat and skin, while stocks use bones. You can use both of these items in your meal rotation to enjoy wholesome benefits.
Are Collagen Supplements More Potent Than Food Sources?
Healthline strongly advises considering dietary collagen sources before supplements or powders. The prime reason is bioavailability, which you cannot get from supplements.
Besides providing bioavailable collagen, foods don’t have the risks you might perceive from OTC supplements. The FDA does not regulate the latter, making verifying their safety and efficacy tricky. You may wish to avoid the stress of yet another product you must examine for ingredient safety.
That said, collagen products have gained popularity. They are usually safe to use if you consult with a professional and follow the required instructions.
Consider Procedures to Enhance Natural Skin Health
Opting for natural remedies to tackle skin problems is reassuring and has a low risk of side effects. Some skin concerns like wrinkling and loss of clarity can benefit from directed treatment that promotes collagen production.
Contemporary healthcare research has led to the development of approaches that rejuvenate the skin and focus on enhancing its natural beauty. For example, micro-coring creates channels in the targeted areas to encourage collagen production. Besides tackling concerning regions, it can also improve skin texture and suppleness.
While perusing available routes to professional skin restoration, it helps to elicit reviews from trusted sources. You can also ask the provider to share case studies to assess the journeys of others in your situation. For instance, you can see stunning Ellacor Micro-Coring before and after results and discover how this treatment can transform your skin.
Since treatments like Micro-Coring emphasize restoring your natural skin, they entail minimal discomfort. Even so, Ayana Dermatology & Aesthetics recommends opting for any skin treatment after a professional consultation. It ensures that the approach is suitable for your skin type.
Reconsider Lifestyle to Preserve Existing Collagen
While seeking to boost your body’s collagen levels, you should also consider protecting its natural reserves. Suboptimal lifestyle habits like poor sleep and excessive sun exposure can damage this necessary protein. Many of us have other daily, less suspicious habits that can also contribute to skin problems.
For example, Vogue notes that drinking alcohol can make the skin dehydrated and interfere with the production of collagen. It makes wrinkles likelier over time. Consuming less than two alcoholic beverages in a drinking session or giving it up altogether can make a stunning difference.
In general, not consuming adequate water can affect the ability of skin cells to regenerate. Drinking infusions like green tea and ginger-based concoctions can also provide antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits. Hydration pays off and how, not only in overall health improvement but also in making your skin glow.
Is Collagen Banking Worth the Hype?
When talking of lifestyle adjustments for skin health, you may consider collagen banking. The much-hyped beauty trend emanates from the idea that you can promote collagen production in your youth to have a bank for when you are older. It is like a savings account that reaps interest year on year.
Women’s Health magazine observes that we lose around 1.5% of collagen a year after we turn 20. The rate picks up because of chronic stress, sun exposure, pollution, you name it. When the fiftieth birthday arrives, people may have lost half of their collagen stores.
However, building a collagen bank needn’t be expensive or panic-inducing. Sticking to a balanced diet and adopting healthy habits like avoiding alcohol and tobacco are usually powerful enough. A basic skincare routine covering SPF, Vitamin C, and Retinol can create your collagen bank without hefty “payments” to create a metaphorical pension.
Skin often gets relegated to the backburner in the chaos of modern life. Concerns with skin health may not warrant the same urgency as another medical condition. Some people also view them as superficial and merely optics-based. It stops us from seeking help or taking proactive steps to improve the symptoms.
However, holistic care for one’s skin is a strategic way to get better overall health. Skin problems often indicate deeper issues, like poor hydration and nutritional deficiencies. Improving your collagen levels can be the impetus for more considered eating, exercising, and sleeping routines.