We hear this word thrown around all the time, and we know collagen is important when it comes to skincare, joint health, hair & nails…but why is it important, and why are we always chasing supplements and treatments that boost your collagen supply? I’m guilty of it too — I throw the word around like confetti but I didn’t fully grasp why were supplementing it, or what it’s function was until not long ago. I refuse to believe I’m the only one, so here goes:
Collagen is a protein that makes up a third of your body’s protein supply. It’s one of your body’s major building blocks of bones, skin, muscles, tendons, ligaments. It’s found elsewhere, but let’s stop here for a sec. Your skin relies on collagen to stay healthy. Collagen provides structure to your skin, bones, tendons, ligaments. As we age, your body doesn’t produce collagen as well, or in as much supply. And I’m not talking when you’re over 40, 50, 60…your collagen production slows down at around 25.
SHUT UP. 25???? WHO MADE THIS SYSTEM?
Here are some things that deplete your collagen: smoking (duh, smoking kills you on so many levels, but it messed with your collagen stores); refined sugar and carbs (yay low-carb life); too much sun.
Read that last one again. TOO MUCH SUN. Yes, this is one of the many reasons why wearing an SPF daily, regardless of season, is vital. Your body can preserve and protect its collagen bank by avoiding the things that deplete it. When we start losing collagen, we start seeing a lack of structure in our skin, hence lack of glow, tightness, suppleness, etc.
Ok. Now that we know that losing collagen makes our skin age, how do we protect and replenish our collagen stores? Eating collagen-rich food isn’t totally proven to actually increase your body’s collagen, but a collagen supplement can be beneficial for hair/skin/nails amongst other things. My challenge here, personally, is that I’m the worst at taking supplements. I literally emptied out my vitamin/Medicine cabinet and dumped 20+ bottles of expired supplements. With any supplement plan, you have to be consistent with taking them for an extended period of time, so I’m all for something that I can do that doesn’t require me to remember anything.
Enter collagen induction treatments. Two of my FAVOURITE treatments to induce collagen production are: microneedling and radio frequency. Both of these procedures are minimally invasive, little downtime, and can pack a serious punch!
Radio frequency (a form of radiation) uses energy to heat the dermis, and the heat stimulates collagen production. Think of it as putting your skin in the dryer, like your jeans. The heat will cause your skin to tighten by producing collagen. Think of RF when you want to treat fine lines, skin laxity, saggy jowls, under eye, crepey knees… We have the Endymed RF at Bare Essentials, and my latest obsession has been treating my face with this machine. I have pretty decent skin, but preventative, amirite?
Then we have microneedling, which is all the rage these days. Microneedling stimulates collagen by using needles to create microtrauma to the skin, forcing your skin to repair by producing collagen. Think of microneedling for scarring (acne scars, surgical scars), wrinkles (potentially more than just fine lines), and overall tone/texture of your skin.
Anytime you do collagen induction treatments, you’ll need 3-4 treatments, and some patience. It takes 4-6 months from your first session to start seeing results. So I’ve given you all of this information, but what do you do with it?
GUYS. I have the answer. The Endymed RF machine we have at Bare Essentials is magic. I’ve treated some acne scarring, some skin tone/texture, ans the results are incredible… We can treat anything and everything, from maskne, to wrinkles, to cellulite, to acne scarring. If you’re curious, book in a consultation, and keep an eye out for some BLACK FRIDAY deals 😘