Skin ageing is a fact of life; everyone will face it sooner or later. In fact, our collagen production decreases as soon as we turn 20. So how does it decline? There are a few reasons—some are in your control and others aren’t. Below are the factors that deplete your collagen levels:

1.UV damage

There’s a proven link between UV damage and loss of collagen. One study exposed collagen to UV light and found that there was a “significant decrease” in collagen structure afterward. UV rays damage collagen through “various mechanisms”, including DNA damage to the cells that make collagen as well as the production of free radicals that can damage collagen directly

2. Age

Collagen production starts to dip – google image 

Collagen production starts to dip in most people’s bodies from the time they’re in their late teens or early 20s and decreases about 1% a year. However, the exact age that this process starts is different for everyone.

Regardless, the process is inevitable and, unfortunately, outside of your control. Our bodies always balance collagen production and degradation. When we are young, our bodies produce more collagen than we break down. That balance tips the wrong way with age since tissue regeneration decreases.

3.Smoking

One of the biggest causes of ageing is smoking. Not only does smoking cause health complications such as lung cancer and heart attacks, it also accelerates the ageing process. This is because when you smoke, the blood vessels from your epidermis narrows.The decreased blood flow to your skin prevents oxygen and other nutrients from reaching the skin. This then damages collagen and elasticity fibres in the skin, which accelerates wrinkles and causes sagging.

Smoking also reduces the skin’s moisture as well as well as vitamins, which are required for neutralising free radical damage. This eventually causes skin dryness. Every time you light up a cigarette, you will need around one litre of moisturiser to replace all the hydration that has been lost through smoking.

4.Stress

Less collagen is produced in high-stress states- google image 

Research shows that stress can spark inflammation and, again, that can lower your ability to naturally produce collagen. Stress also causes an increase in hormones like cortisol, which research has found can decrease the production of collagen. Less collagen is produced in high-stress states since more of the body’s resources are used to combat stress and the inflammation it produces.

Source: mindbodygreen, rejuvaustralia

READ MORE

• TREAT DRY LIPS WITH SIMPLE TREATMENT AND PREVENTIVE MEASURES
• HOW COLLAGEN CAN HELP TO IMPROVE YOUR HAIR
• COLLAGEN-RICH FOODS AND FOODS RICH IN NUTRIENTS PROVEN TO STIMULATE COLLAGEN SYNTHESIS