So the other day, one of my friends asked me if I’ve had Botox… when I answered no, she made me go through several facial expressions to prove that I wasn’t lying! I’ve never had anything injected into my face. My secret is COLLAGEN! Here’s how I discovered it: I tore a ligament in my ankle last summer and my colleague at school recommended that I try powdered collagen supplementation. Not only did this collagen product help my ankle recovery (my Chiro was amazed) but I noticed an amazing side effect– plumper skin!
Collagen is an abundant protein that sits in the dermal layer of the skin. An adequate amount of collagen keeps the skin looking youthful. As you age, collagen is made 20-80% less making your skin less firm and fine-lines start to appear. Over time, the expression of collagen in fibroblasts decreases significantly… especially after 3o years old. Accelerating this, if you spend too much time in the sun without sunscreen, UV radiation activates the enzymes that break down collagen even faster. Therefore, with age, not only is your skin producing less collagen, but environmental factors like sun, stress, toxic foods, pollution etc. will breakdown and destroy the little amount of collagen that is being made.
I love Naka’s Collagen powder because it has a hint of a berry taste and dissolves well after a few seconds. I use 1 scoop a day (which equals to about 10g -some people need more) in my water bottle before I run out the door. My collagen product contains collagen peptides, Vitamin C, stevia and natural berry flavour-that’s it) which I love since the less ingredients the better! You can buy collagen supplements at most health stores.
2019 UPDATE: The Naka product in my picture has since been discontinued (sadly). I still use Naka’s bovine collagen but currently experimenting with other brands.
Increase your collagen intake in your diet by eating bone broth (the healthiest, mineral-rich food in so many ways) and buying and cooking chicken/meat with the bone IN. Boneless chicken breasts are quite popular and much more available in the grocery store. Make the switch to bone-in and not only will you notice more flavour but you will get the collagen that you wouldn’t get in the boneless option. Vitamin C is also important to make sure you are getting in your diet for anti-aging purposes. Vitamin C is important in natural collagen synthesis and fibroblasts cross-linking processes. Without Vitamin C, supplementing with collagen isn’t as effective. My favourite sources of Vitamin C are oranges, red bell peppers, kale, broccoli and papaya.
Other benefits of Collagen and Vitamin C:
- Reduce joint pain associated with osteoarthritis
- helps the body to metabolize fats and proteins
- Helps in the development and maintenance of bones, cartilage, teeth and gyms
- Helps in wound healing
- Antioxidant for good health (cardiovascular, anti-cancer, etc.)
My Liquid Gold Beauty Bone Broth: CLICK FOR RECIPE!
Anti-aging is a huge concern nowadays and everyone seems to be plumping up their cheeks and lips or filling their face with botox before it’s even necessarily needed. Eating right, having a healthy lifestyle and adding a bonus of collagen to your regimen will help you avoid cosmetic fillers longer and prevent you from even wanting to go through such a procedure. Cosmetic fillers are harsh on your face if you start them too early. With every procedure, there is a disruption to the natural dermal structure below the surface. With every injectable, you are causing trauma to the deeper tissue causing your lips, cheeks, etc. to look worse in the aftermath. With this being said, most injectables are safe in moderation and if you’ve already started Juvederm/Teosyal/Botox, collagen should still be considered as a possible aid in the wound healing/ dermal repair process before and after you go in for the next touch-up. In my opinion, try natural alternatives for as long as you can and then make the decision later on if cosmetic fillers for anti-aging purposes are for you.
REMEMBER: Aging is a normal, healthy and beautiful response to getting older. However, in my opinion, you can age more naturally by slowing down the process and showing less drastic signs of aging skin with a few tweaks to your lifestyle and healthcare regimen.
