Ultraviolet rays, aka sunlight, cause collagen to break down faster. With sun exposure, those UV rays damage the skin by entering the dermis (the second and thickest layer of our skin) which causes collagen to break down faster.
From early adulthood, fibroblasts become less active and collagen production declines by about 1.0%-1.5% a year[13,14]. This can also be aggravated by certain lifestyle choices like smoking and external factors like sun exposure.
Factors which can lead to collagen degradation include ageing (this is the main cause), disease, exposure to UV radiation and smoking. A typical form of collagen degradation associated with smoking is the loss of collagen in the skin, leading to premature ageing of the epidermis (i.e. wrinkles).
Results. Caffeine inhibited collagen biosynthesis in a dose-dependent manner. The mechanism of this process was found at the level of prolidase activity. Caffeine significantly inhibited the enzyme activity.
What Hurts Your Collagen Levels? Besides time, three main things will lower your collagen levels: sunlight, smoking, and sugar. Too much exposure to ultraviolet light makes its fibers unravel. This can lead to sun damage, such as wrinkles.
"It's worth remembering that coffee doesn't destroy collagen, it inhibits its production," says nutritional therapist at the Pulse Light Clinic, Lisa Borg.
Collagen levels decrease with age and, unfortunately, there's no way to prevent this. The good news is that there are several cosmetic treatments that can rebuild or restore collagen.
Eating foods rich in vitamin C and amino acids can increase the levels of hyaluronic acid and collagen in the body as both are important for skin. Foods such as oranges, red peppers, kale, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and strawberries are all rich in vitamin C.
Collagen can't be absorbed by the body in its whole form. This means collagen proteins must be broken down into smaller peptides or amino acids before they can be absorbed.
Collagen can be restored, because when these treatments happen, the body forms new collagen to repair damage and injuries. Alternatively, food is an excellent way to stimulate collagen production, leading to its restoration within the body.
You can naturally support the collagen production process by using topicals such as vitamin C and retinol, collagen peptide supplements, eating a nutrient rich diet, and avoiding habits that damage the collagen (such as poor sleep and sun exposure.)
Collagen restoration results may become visible immediately. But collagen growth can take up to 12 weeks to complete. It is also important to note that the result is not permanent. It means that you need to undergo another procedure or follow-up treatment to further encourage collagen growth.
This is called extrinsic aging. As a result, premature aging can set in long before it was expected. In other words, your biological clock is more advanced than your chronological clock. Controllable factors such as stress, smoking and sun exposure can all play a role in expediting extrinsic aging.
Exposure to light is a top cause of premature aging: Sun exposure causes many skin problems. Ultraviolet (UV) light and exposure to sunlight age your skin more quickly than it would age naturally. The result is called photoaging, and it's responsible for 90% of visible changes to your skin.
Age. 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 year2 . However, the exact age that this process starts is different for everyone, says Goldenberg. This collagen attenuation picks up pace during and after menopause.
In a previous experimental study, it was demonstrated that the intramuscular administration of zinc beginning before trauma results in an increased collagen accumulation in early granulation tissue.
Hyaluronic acid is a compound that improves collagen in your skin. You can find it in foods that contain amino acids. These foods include root vegetables, beans, and soy, to name a few. By increasing this type of food intake, you can naturally increase collagen levels.
Crackers, cookies, cereal, pasta, bread and baked goods contain sugar and chemicals that are damaging to collagen molecules, thereby diminishing the quality of the tissue, and can erode the quantity of your collagen as well.