When I was in my 20s I heard about collagen. It was being used by celebrities to get fuller lips and smoother looking skin.
To be honest, I thought it was something foreign and I didn’t want anything to do with it.
Later I came to learn that we have collagen in our bodies but would not realize its importance until I started working for Dr. Sears.
Today I want to share with you why it’s key to feeling and looking younger.
With a few simple steps you can …
Turn Back The Clock On Your Skin And Joints
Collagen is a protein found in connective tissue such as skin, cartilage, muscles, tendons and ligaments. Collagen is also found in the stomach, cornea and blood vessels.
Collagen is the lattice work that works with elastin to support your body’s tissues keeping them stable, strong and firm.
The word collagen comes from the Greek word kolla, meaning glue. Think of collagen as holding everything together – just like glue.
There are over 28 types of collagen in the body and as we age the production of them slows down. Overexposure to the sun, medications and poor diet can also damage collagen.
Just to give you an idea here’s a comparison of young and old collagen:
As you can see in the illustration on the left, the younger skin has tightly-woven, undamaged collagen which keeps the skin smooth and tight.
The illustration on the right shows what happens as we lose collagen. Collagen is the foundation for the skin and when it’s no longer supported wrinkles and sagging appear.
Loss of collagen also causes:
- Brittle bones
- Gray hair
- Achy joints
So How Can You Protect Your Collagen
And Stimulate New Collagen?
Many centuries ago when sailors would go on long voyages they were ravaged by a mysterious disease.
They would get open wounds that wouldn’t heal. They would bleed under the skin. Lose their appetites. Their joints and muscles would ache. Their gums would become soft and their teeth would fall out. They were plagued with vomiting and diarrhea. They would become very thin and pale. Their eyes would bulge.
It wasn’t uncommon for 80% of the men, on the ship, to die. They were stricken with a disease they knew nothing about.
They thought the disease was contagious but thanks to an 18th century ship’s surgeon, James Lind, and a scientist of the 17th century named Johann Bachstrom they had an answer.
The disease, which actually dates back to 400 BC, was scurvy. It became prominent between the 16th and 18th centuries.
Scurvy is now known as a Vitamin C deficiency.
But back in 1747, while aboard a naval ship, Lind did something quite remarkable – He conducted what is probably one of the first recorded clinical trials by separating 12 men with scurvy into six groups and kept them isolated from the rest of the crew.
Based on Bachstrom’s theory that scurvy was related to a diet without fruits and vegetables, Lind gave each group something different along with their meals. One group was given two oranges and one lemon, the only sailors that were given fruit.
After six days the results were undeniable. The two men who received the oranges and lemon made a full recovery while the other men’s condition worsened.
So how does the cure for scurvy relate to collagen?
Humans cannot synthesize Vitamin C which is necessary for the production of collagen.1
Without Vitamin C your collagen doesn’t have a chance. Lack of Vitamin C breaks down your collagen.
The story about scurvy shows how important collagen and vitamin C are for your body.
Those sailors had no collagen to hold their bodies together because of their Vitamin C deficiency.
You won’t get scurvy in this day and age, but if you’re not getting enough vitamin C, you’ll start looking older than your true age. That’s for sure. Without enough vitamin C in your body’s “bank account,” you don’t have the resources to keep enough new collagen in your skin.
By ramping up vitamin C, your body uses the surplus to keep your skin looking younger. You’ll actually FEEL the difference between a youthful, “taut” resilience… Or an old, dry sagging mush that’s full of deep wrinkles.
How You Can Start Boosting Your Collagen Today…
It took a while for your collagen to break down but you can easily start boosting your collagen today and in no time will start to feel and see a difference with these simple steps.
Vitamin C – Supplementing your diet with 1,000-2,000mg could be the extra boost you need. And Dr.Sears often recommends up to 6,000mg over the course of the day. It’s almost impossible to take too much, and if you do, vitamin C is water soluble, which means you’ll pass the excess naturally.
Amino Acids – Do you eat enough red meat, fish, poultry, beans or eggs? If you fall short there then you’ll want to take a supplement or a protein shake with Threonine2, Aginine3, Carnosine4 and Glutamine3,5. These amino acids are vital for collagen production and protection.
Exfoliate – By removing dead skin you are stimulating collagen production. With your face be gentle and exfoliate a few times a week. The skin on the rest of your body isn’t quite as delicate so you can exfoliate more often. There are many homemade recipes for scrubs. I like sugar and olive oil (1 cup sugar and ½ cup of olive oil). Make a batch in an airtight container and leave it in the shower next to the shampoo so you don’t forget.
Collagen Supplements – Dr. Sears has a supplement that has a good blend of anti-aging ingredients which helps boost collagen. It’s called Simply Beautiful and is available here.
Lastly, cover up – You need to protect what you already have. To do that use a natural sunscreen made with zinc. It’s an important step. Yea, I know, boring. You hear it all the time. But what you might not know is that the sun speeds up the breakdown of collagen.6
Think about the people you have known over the years who are sun worshippers. Their skin isn’t soft and supple like someone who has protected their skin. Their skin may look leathery as they age because they have dried up the glue holding everything together.
We don’t realize how exposed we are when we are driving, walking to and from the car or simply sitting by a window. Using sunscreen every day, not just when you are at the beach and even if you live in a cold climate, will help keep your collagen young.
My research on collagen will continue and I will share important finds as soon as I get them.
For a more beautiful you,
Sandy DeRose
Natural Beauty Advocate
P.S. I would love to hear from you! Send me your questions, comments or topics you would like to read or know about. I’m here for you!
1. Int J Cosmet Sci. 2013 Aug 8. doi: 10.1111/ics.12087. [Epub ahead of print] Wrinkle reduction in post-menopausal women consuming a novel oral supplement: a double-blind placebo-controlled randomized study. Jenkins G, Wainwright LJ, Holland R, Barrett KE, Casey J.
2. Das, Biplab. “Amino Acid Threonine: Health Benefits, Deficiency and Food Sources.” Dietary Fiber Food. (Sept. 13, 2009)
3. J Nutr. 2008 Oct;138(10):2021S-2024S. Proline precursors to sustain Mammalian collagen synthesis. Barbul A.
4. Carnosine inhibits high glucose-induced mesangial cell proliferation through mediating cell cycle progression. Huijie Jia a , Xiaodan Qi a,b, Shaohong Fang a, Yuhong Jina , Xiaoying Hana , Yi Wang a, Aimin Wang a, Hongbo Zhoua, a Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081, PR China b Department of Biochemistry, Qiqihar Medical University, Qiqihar 161006, PR China
5. Nutrition. 2011 Jul-Aug;27(7-8):809-15. doi: 10.1016/j.nut.2010.07.020. Epub 2010 Dec 16. Glutamine supplementation prevents collagen expression damage in healthy urinary bladder caused by radiotherapy. Rocha BR, Gombar FM, Barcellos LM, Costa WS, Barcellos Sampaio FJ, Ramos CF.
6. PLoS One. 2013 Aug 30;8(8):e72563. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0072563. eCollection 2013. Solar ultraviolet irradiation induces decorin degradation in human skin likely via neutrophil elastase.Li Y, Xia W, Liu Y, Remmer HA, Voorhees J, Fisher GJ.