Treatments + Products to Increase Collagen Production
The fact that your skin changes over time comes at no surprise—but do you know exactly how?
There are two important components that contribute to this change; they are collagen and elastin. These components of your skin help keep facial lines and wrinkles at bay and improve the quality of your skin. When you improve the quality of your skin, it will appear healthy and youthful.
There are many cosmetic treatments to help with the aging process, like Botox (and other neurotoxins) that stop muscle contraction to reduce wrinkles, or dermal fillers that replace volume that we lose over time.
However, here I describe ways to help your skin appear more radiant that can be done with or without volumizing fillers and toxins. It’s all about improving the health of your skin!
What is collagen and elastin?
At the core of skin health is collagen and elastin. Collagen is the main structural protein, which acts like scaffolding and provides plumpness to your skin. Elastin allows your skin to be flexible and helps it keep its shape even after stretching or pinching. Both of these proteins are important to maintain skin quality and integrity. This is why collagen and elastin stimulating treatments are considered both preventative and corrective in anti-aging terms
Why does collagen and elastin decrease in our skin?
Collagen is produced throughout our lives, but the amount begins to reduce in our 20’s. Elastin production stops around puberty. Some factors can increase the breakdown of collagen, like excessive sun exposure, pollution and smoking. This loss makes your skin appear thinner and have less structural support, which is why people begin to notice drooping or sagging of their skin. For youthful skin, it is important to both preserve the collagen you have and stimulate your skin to produce it faster.
What are in-office treatments you can do to boost collagen and elastin production?
There are many treatments at our office that work to stimulate collagen and elastin production. Which one you choose may depend on your specific concerns, downtime, cost, or what your goals are. Here is some great information about how in-office treatments improve the quality of your skin, but if you are not sure which one is the best choice for you, come in for a cosmetic consultation.
Here are 6 in-office treatments that can increase collagen and elastin:
1) Radiesse
Radiesse was approved by the FDA as a facial filler at the end of 2006 and has been used as a volumizing filler since. However, it can be used as a biostimulant in your skin rather than just a filler when saline and lidocaine are added to Radiesse. This mixture triggers the body to produce new collagen and elastin so that you get immediate results plus long-term improvement. The benefits of this treatment are skin tightening and thickening, reducing the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and crepiness. Overall, skin tone, texture and elasticity can be markedly improved!
2) Microneedling
Microneedling is a procedure where a device with fine needles is moved across your skin. The needles puncture the top layer of the skin and create a controlled skin injury to improve skin texture and promote collagen growth. Once this micro-injury is created with the needles, your body is stimulated to produce new collagen to fill them in as part of the healing process. This new collagen can make your skin look smoother, tighter, and more youthful. It can also help diminish acne scars.
3) PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma)
PRP therapy is used in many aspects of medicine. PRP is a serum that results from your own blood that can amplify the natural growth factors in your body and stimulate the growth of new cells. At Evolution Dermatology, we use PRP as injections and topical application to diminish wrinkles, improve skin quality and help treat acne scars
4) Opus Plasma Resurfacing
This procedure uses fractionated plasma energy to resurface your skin and deliver effects similar to a deep resurfacing treatment without the downtime. The Opus device uses both radio frequency energy and plasma to create fractional injuries on the surface of your skin tissue regeneration and collagen remodeling
5) Sofwave
Sofwave is a clinically-proven, non-invasive approach to rebuilding collagen and elastin to tighten and improve facial lines and wrinkles. This procedure uses ultrasound energy to pass through the surface of your skin, heating the mid-dermal tissue at just the right depth to stimulate new collagen and elastin production. With no downtime, Sofwave works to enhance and rejuvenate your skin quality and firmness.
6) Chemical Peels
These use hydroxy acids (like glycolic, lactic acids) to boost skin cell turnover, which in turn stimulates collagen production. You can see immediate benefits from chemical peels, as they can help with tone and texture, giving you an instant glow. These are best done in a series done monthly to get the most collagen regeneration and longer lasting results.
What skin care products can help?
These clinically proven skin care products are a great way to add nourishment to your skin and promote healthy collagen and elastin.
Here are the 3 main topical powerhouses…
1) Prescription Tretinoin (known by the brand name Retin-A):
Applied in the evening to your skin, this vitamin A derivative upregulates genes involved in collagen production while it exfoliates to encourage collagen and new healthy skin cells. Tretinoin and retinoids have been proven for years to be a gold standard in anti-aging skin care as stated in this publication here in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology. Just ask when you are in the office if this might be a good skin care topical treatment for you!
2) Vitamin C Serum:
Protect collagen with topical vitamin C. Slather on a vitamin C serum in the morning. This vitamin is a strong antioxidant that protects the collagen in your skin against UV damage. More than that, it triggers collagen formation and stabilizes the collagen proteins in skin. Has been studied for years proving its effectiveness. At Evolution Dermatology we have a vitamin C serum that also has ferulic acid and vitamin E to add antioxidant power with a hydrating hyaluronic acid base.
3) Sunscreen:
Sunscreen is vital for skin cancer prevention — but also for keeping skin young and springy. UV exposure can lead to the breakdown of collagen, which can lead to the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, so you’re never too young to start wearing sunscreen every day. Choose a broad-spectrum sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher and don’t forget to cover your neck, ears and chest too!