Collagen and elastin are two essential proteins in your skin’s structure. Collagen is the most abundant, providing strength and firmness, while elastin, much like its name implies, allows the skin to stretch and snap back, giving it elasticity and resilience.
Together, they work as the building blocks of smooth and supple-looking skin.
However, with age and exposure to environmental factors, your body begins to produce smaller quantities of collagen and elastin. By the time you reach 30, the breakdown of these proteins exceeds their production.
Over time, the cumulative effects of diminishing collagen and elastin become quite visible: your skin wrinkles, sags, and loses elasticity and smoothness. But the scenario doesn’t have to be this dire. Advances in modern medicine make it easier to restore and protect these two proteins, both through strategies that address internal production and those that protect your skin against the harmful effects of pollution, sun damage, and oxidative stress.
At Soulage Wellness & Aesthetic Center, our expert, Dr. Pompeyo Chavez, explains the role of collagen and elastin in your skin and what can be done to help you stay young-looking for as long as possible.
Collagen and elastin can be depleted in ways independent of chronological age, including:
In women, menopause significantly impacts collagen and elastin due to reduced estrogen levels, a hormone essential for skin health and hydration. Fortunately, restoring estrogen through hormone replacement therapy can help combat hormone-associated aging.
Maintaining or boosting collagen and elastin production involves a combination of lifestyle choices, skin care habits, and medical interventions.
Diet-wise, a low-sugar diet high in healthy fats can reduce the risk of skin glycation (a process in which excess sugar binds to collagen proteins). Healthy fats help fight oxidative stress and can even provide a natural protection against harmful sun exposure.
Topical skincare with ingredients like retinoids, peptides, and hyaluronic acid can also help stimulate collagen production and maintain skin hydration.
And lastly, hormones matter. When estrogen levels drop, the skin suddenly becomes thinner, more dehydrated, and more prone to wrinkles.
Dr. Chavez offers topical solutions, such as Alastin SkincareⓇ products featuring TriHex TechnologyⓇ to boost collagen and elastin, and solutions that work from the inside out, such as hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
With so many options on the market, it’s worth having the guidance of a medical provider on your side when choosing what works best for your skin. Dr. Chavez only uses clinically proven anti-aging solutions and ensures he considers your lifestyle, individual needs, and other factors that may speed up the aging process, working with you to slow it down and achieve a youthful glow.
Contact us to schedule an appointment to learn more about boosting your collagen and elastin levels.
