I am sure most of you have heard that taking collagen is very beneficial. But why?
Let me share a few pearls with you as to why we are not all walking around like jelly babies.
What is collagen?
Collagen forms the biggest part of our body’s protein including our bones, cartilages, tendons, ligaments, and skin. Not only does it constitute 75% of our skin structure, but it also helps our blood clot, increases energy levels and helps strengthen joints and movement.
When we see patients for a consultation at Dr Nerina Wilkinson + Associates, we often see a loss of skin firmness, bone density and muscle strength. This results in an overall aged looked that is often very hard to reverse while in some cases severe treatment is necessary to get any response.
Another popular question that we get from our patients is when they should start with anti-ageing treatments. Interestingly, the body’s collagen production declines at a rate of 1.5% per year from the age of 25. Based on all the above, our most given advice is – START YOUNG…
How can we help?
During our VISIA Skin Analysis consultations we look at the quality of your skin and the most relevant in-clinic and at-home treatments relevant to our specific goals and concerns. If you want to take it to the next level, we offer a Skin DNA test that we highly recommend to younger clients who are starting their skin care journey. This will show you from a genetic point of view how your skin will respond to the natural declining collagen production process and assist us in our approach to individualised skincare treatment plan. When you look at the full spectrum of treating skin, there are 4 pillars to take into account: 25% genes, that we cannot change; 25% lifestyle, including sleeping patterns, sun exposure, smoking, occupation, etc; 25% can be treated through in-clinic treatments; and 25% relates to your home care regime. When it comes to genetics and we become aware of our genetic outcome (via the Skin DNA test for example), then we can start early with the most relevant treatments to prevent this rate of collagen loss and incorporate the correct protective and anti-aging measures for your skin.
When we look at treating the loss and maintenance of our youthful healthy collagen, we can do this by means of skin treatments, internal supplements and topically applying the correct skin care products.
When looking at treatments, there is no quick fix to increasing our skin’s collagen health. It will take a holistic approach and an individualised treatment plan (luckily this is our forte!). Often these bespoke treatment plan modalities will include medical skin needling, PRP, laser therapy, peels, and radiofrequency.
- 3D Medical Skin Needling – Over the years this remains one of the most loved and effective treatments. We create small, microscopic holes in the skin to activate the natural wound healing process. This stimulates the production of new growth factors to repair the ‘wound’ and regenerate the skin and facilitates the penetration of essential active ingredients deep into the skin to activate collagen and elastin production.
- Growth Factors – We at Dr Nerina Wilkinson + Associates are very passionate about our 3D MD PRPBespoke treatment. We take the body’s own platelet rich growth factors and place them back where we need the regeneration process to take place; this generates a powerful regenerative process which in turn stimulates an abundance of healthy collagen production.
- Radiofrequency – Any heat applied in the right amounts with quality devices will tighten the skin’s collagen coils, resulting in firmer, tighter skin. The Forma Skin Tightening treatment is a non-invasive, no-downtime treatment to stimulate tightening of the skin in the neck and jowl area. If you have more severe collagen loss, we recommend the more invasive Morpheus treatment – non-surgical advanced technology combining the power of radio-frequency energy with adjustable depth micro-needling as well as fractional laser for optimal collagen stimulation and skin rejuvenation. However, with the Morpheus procedure, you will need to allow for some recovery as there is downtime involved.
TOP COLLAGEN TIP! When looking at taking collagen internally or at topical collagen application, the most important thing to make sure of is that the product contains hydrolysed collagen as this is highly absorbable by the body and therefore extremely effective!
One of our favourite collagen-focussed skin care & ingestible collagen ranges is QMS, specifically QMS’s Collagen Intravital Plus and the Collagen 3-Step System. This product range targets all inflammatory skin conditions and strengthens sensitized and reactive skin types. And guess what? It is 100% safe for pregnant and breastfeeding women!
Remember, there is already collagen in your body doing amazing work… The key is to keep it healthy, happy and stimulated so it can in turn continue doing its job.
Stay supple and stay safe!
