If your body was a house, collagen would be the mortar that holds it together.
Collagen is a protein that is found in our bones, muscles and skin, and is an essential component of connective tissue. It also provides strength and elasticity to the skin.
Yet, as we get older, our collagen production slows, weakening our skin and contributing to visible signs of ageing. That’s why doctors have developed and recommend a range of collagen-stimulating treatments.
What is collagen?
Collagen is fibrous protein that contributes to joint health, and the protection of organs, such as the skin.
Skin is the largest organ in the human body, and collagen makes up 20-35 per cent of its structural protein. That makes collagen production the most important element of maintaining healthy and youthful looking skin.
How does collagen contribute to skin health?
Collagen is as much about skin health as it is about appearance. It improves skin hydration, elasticity, and can improve blood flow.
Boosting collagen production can help reduce pore size, resulting in soother skin, and making skin tighter and firmer. Increased collagen production results in glowing, healthy-looking skin.
Why does collagen production slow down?
Simply being alive leads to collagen loss.
The rate of collagen production decreases at a rate of about one per cent a year, and it starts when we’re in our 20s. To put that in perspective, by the time you turn 50 you have lost nearly 30 per cent of your dermal collagen.
Other factors can speed up the rate of collagen loss, including smoking, some medical conditions, poor nutrition, pollution and sun exposure. In fact, UV exposure is the leading cause of accelerated collagen loss.
How can skin treatments boost collagen production?
Happily, there are safe and scientifically proven ways to increase collagen production, improving skin health and slowing down the ageing process.
Fibroblasts are the cells in the connective tissues that produce collagen and collagen treatments work by stimulating the fibroblasts, increasing collagen production.
Which skin treatments stimulate collagen production?
There are several skin treatments that stimulate collagen production, including:
Medical-grade skincare
The products we apply to our skin every day form the basis of achieving and maintaining good skin health, and is an essential component of any skincare treatment plan.
Medical-grade skincare incorporates products that are scientifically proven to effectively aid skin repair and regeneration. Some examples include powerful anti-ageing serums, qualify SPF, and pigment lightening creams.
In some cases, medical-grade skincare requires a prescription from a skin doctor, and this is something that Bass Coast Skin Doctors can facilitate.
Prescription peels
Prescription peels are significantly stronger than regular skincare and, as such, yield more effective results.
Prescribed to you by our skin doctors, these peels contain medical-grade ingredients that will rejuvenate skin, clear stubborn acne, manage melasma and improve elasticity.
Microneedling
Microneedling is great for reducing pore size and the appearance of scars, including acne scars.
During this procedure, a doctor-prescribed topical anaesthetic is applied to make the treatment painless.
Tixel
The results from Tixel treatment can be amazing, with results similar to those achieved by ablative laser but safer and with less downtime and pain.
Tixel treatment is suitable for all skin types and uses a heated tip which transfers thermal energy to the upper skin layers. It tightens existing collagen fibres in the dermis and stimulates ongoing collagen production.
Collagen-stimulating dermal fillers
This treatment is chosen by those who want smaller volume replacement and collagen stimulation, or those wanting more volume correction as well as collagen stimulation.
You can learn more about collagen-stimulating dermal fillers in our guide here.
What about oral collagen supplements?
While in-clinic treatments have been scientifically proven to stimulate collagen production and achieve visual improvement, there hasn’t yet been enough comprehensive studies to support oral collagen supplementation.
What we do know is that the stomach has a very acidic pH, which breaks down most over-the-counter collagen tablets we ingest, rendering them mostly ineffective.
Book your skin consultation today
Collagen is essential for healthy, smooth and glowing skin, and the doctors and nurses at Bass Coast Skin Doctors are experts in the latest collagen production research and treatments. They are well placed to diagnose skin conditions and prescribe the treatment that will stimulate new, healthy collagen production.
Book a consultation today to find out which collagen production therapy is right for you. Call (03) 5618 7007 or book an appointment online.