You might have heard that collagen production slows down with age, which can contribute to visible signs of aging—think fine lines, wrinkles, loss of fullness, sagginess, uneven tone, or crepey skin. But when do you stop producing collagen?
What (besides the natural aging process) hinders natural collagen production, and what can you do to generate more of the stuff?
We'll answer all these questions ahead, discuss the importance of collagen for skin, and go over products you can use to give your complexion (and the rest of your body) a boost.
What Is Collagen and How Does It Work?
Before we get into why you need collagen for healthy skin and overall physical well-being, let's cover the basics. What is collagen, and what's its role in the body?
Collagen is a protein. The human body contains more collagen than any other protein—it makes up roughly one-third of total bodily protein. Collagen is viewed as a "building block" not only for skin but also for muscles, tendons, ligaments, bones, and connective tissue. There's even collagen in your blood, organs, and intestines.
Collagen protein is made from short amino acid chains called peptides. Specifically, the amino acids in collagen peptides are proline, glycine, and hydroxyproline. Together called the "triple helix structure," these amino acids are vital for maintaining the structure of the skin and other components of the body. When comparing collagen vs. collagen peptides, it's important to understand that collagen peptides are more easily absorbed by the body, making them particularly effective for skin health and overall structural support.
Why Is Collagen Important to Our Health?
Collagen is a critical component of physical health.
The main job of collagen is to provide the body with structure and support by strengthening skin, connective tissue, bones, and organs.
Functions of collagen include:
- Providing skin with structure, elasticity, and resilience
- Generating new skin cells in place of dead cells
- Protecting internal organs
- Supporting connective tissues and ligaments
- Contributing to joint health and bone density
- Helping blood clot
As you can see, natural collagen has many benefits and roles in the body. Some collagen loss is to be expected with age, but it's good to try to ramp up production in the name of overall health.
Types of Collagen in the Human Body
There are 28 known types of collagen, but around 90% of collagen in the human body is the same type (called type I).
Type I collagen is the most dense. It's what gives structure to skin, tendons, ligaments, and bones.
Then there's type II collagen. This type is found in cartilage and supports joints. Type III collagen is mostly in the muscles, organs, and arteries. Type IV is found in multiple layers of the skin.
Type V collagen makes its way through the eyes, hair, and some layers of the skin. So in terms of skin health, types I, IV, and V are the most crucial.
The Collagen Production Process
How does the body make collagen? We'll break down how collagen is naturally produced and what factors influence collagen synthesis below.
How Collagen Is Naturally Produced
The human body produces its own natural collagen by combining (aka synthesizing) amino acids, copper, zinc, and vitamin C.
- Amino acids. Your body calls on specific amino acids to make the protein fibrils that form the triple helix structure mentioned above.
- Copper. This mineral has to be present for the body to make collagen. Copper activates an enzyme needed for collagen synthesis.
- Zinc. Zinc is another mineral that works with copper to help cells grow and divide (called cell proliferation).
- Vitamin C. This essential antioxidant is needed for the body to produce collagen, as it's vital for generating skin cells, cartilage, tendons, and blood vessels. Vitamin C also helps repair damage, including broken skin and a compromised skin barrier.
What's the Relationship Between Age and Collagen Production?
As you age, your body’s natural collagen production slows down. Since collagen plays such a major role in the structure of the skin, less of it means your skin can't hold its shape or "fight gravity" as well as it used to.
Of course, there are other things at play. However, collagen loss is considered a key factor in visible skin aging.
When Does Collagen Production Start to Decline?
So, when do you start losing collagen? It's different for everyone. Most people will start producing about 1% less collagen each year by around age 20.
The effects may not be noticeable for several more years until collagen loss compounds and eventually speeds up. This can lead to a decline in skin elasticity, skin tightness, and overall texture.
Stages of Collagen Decline by Age Group
Collagen decline might be noticeable by the time someone reaches their late 20s. In their 30s, the signs of aging affected by collagen loss will be more visible.
By age 40, the drop in collagen production is more substantial. And it keeps going down from there. A person in their 80s will have roughly 68% as much collagen as a 20-year-old.
Lifestyle and Environmental Factors Affecting Collagen Production
Collagen degradation is a natural part of the aging process, but various lifestyle and environmental factors can speed up the process.
Impact of Diet and Nutrition
As noted, the body needs certain nutrients to make collagen, including amino acids, vitamin C, copper, and zinc. If you're not getting enough of these nutrients through food and end up with a collagen deficiency, it could slow down collagen production. Following an anti-aging diet packed with the right vitamins and minerals can help collagen degradation and support overall health.
Effects of Sun Exposure and Pollution
Repeated, excess sun exposure and environmental pollution can wreak havoc on your skin by exposing it to oxidative stress and making it harder for your body to generate collagen.
Role of Smoking and Alcohol Consumption
Smoking cigarettes exposes you to free radicals that mess with collagen synthesis. Meanwhile, drinking lots of alcohol can not only destroy existing collagen but also make it harder for your body to generate more.
Signs of Collagen Loss
If you're losing collagen—whether from natural aging or due to environmental factors—the signs can be external (on your skin and hair) or internal (affecting joints and bones).
Visible Changes in Skin and Hair
When collagen production slows down, you may see changes in your skin, such as dullness, crepiness, fine lines, wrinkles, uneven tone, or a rough texture.
Collagen loss can also contribute to hair thinning, slow hair growth, or lead to weakened, brittle strands.
Impact on Joint and Bone Health
Slowed collagen formation can contribute to joint pain or stiffness and other mobility issues. It might also reduce bone density mass, making bones more prone to breaking.
How to Support Collagen Production
Just like certain lifestyle choices can stall collagen production, there are things you can do to support collagen synthesis.
Dietary Options and Collagen Supplementation
Your body needs amino acids, vitamin C, zinc, and copper to make collagen. It gets these vitamins, minerals, and macronutrients through foods, such as lean proteins, bone broth, leafy greens, and citrus fruits.
If you think you may not be getting enough from food, consider supplementing with a daily multivitamin, amino acid complex, hydrolyzed collagen protein powder, or marine collagen supplements.
Topical Treatments and Skincare
You can also counteract the effects of collagen loss with topical skincare products containing collagen-building peptides. Look for palmitoyl tripeptide, copper tripeptide, palmitoyl oligopeptide, trifluoroacetyl-tripeptide-2, or carnosine on the ingredients list. The benefits of peptides in these formulations include stimulating collagen production and enhancing skin elasticity, reducing wrinkles, and promoting a more youthful appearance.
Collagen serums made with stem cells and antioxidants like vitamin C, niacinamide, vitamin E, and bakuchiol can help, too.
Lifestyle Changes to Boost Collagen Levels
What you do every day matters for your skin health and overall health. Healthy habits can go a long way in helping your body make and maintain collagen, such as limiting alcohol and smoking, getting enough sleep, slathering on the SPF, and wearing sun-protective clothing.
How to Support Healthy Skin With CLEARSTEM
CLEARSTEM products are formulated with numerous ingredients that help support collagen synthesis, including peptides, stem cells, and antioxidants like vitamin C, niacinamide, and bakuchiol.
When you browse the collections, you'll find a comprehensive selection of anti-aging skincare products to fight fine lines and wrinkles while reducing other effects of aging and environmental skin damage–without any pore-clogging ingredients, parabens, or phthalates.
We also have acne and aging skincare products that work hard to keep breakouts and photoaging at bay, plus non-comedogenic products that won't leave you with clogged pores.
Sources:
Cleveland Clinic. (2022). Collagen. Health Essentials.
Kubyshkin V. (2019). Stabilization of the triple helix in collagen mimicking peptides. Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry.
Ricard-Blum S. (2011). The collagen family. Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology, 3(1), a004978.
Murakami H, et al. (2012). Importance of amino acid composition to improve skin collagen protein synthesis rates in UV-irradiated mice. Amino Acids vol. 42,6 2481-9.
Chengfei Y, et al. (2022). Effect of copper and zinc ions on type I collagen self-assembly. International Journal of Polymer Analysis and Characterization.
DePhillipo NN, et al. (2018). Efficacy of Vitamin C Supplementation on Collagen Synthesis and Oxidative Stress After Musculoskeletal Injuries: A Systematic Review. Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine.
Varani J, et al. (2006). Decreased collagen production in chronologically aged skin: roles of age-dependent alteration in fibroblast function and defective mechanical stimulation. The American Journal of Pathology, 168(6), 1861–1868.
Cao C, et al. (2020). Diet and Skin Aging-From the Perspective of Food Nutrition. Nutrients, 12(3), 870.
Randhawa M, et al. (2016). Daily Use of a Facial Broad Spectrum Sunscreen Over One-Year Significantly Improves Clinical Evaluation of Photoaging. Dermatologic Surgery. 42(12):1354-1361.
Chen, X., Yang, C., & Jiang, G. (2021). Research progress on skin photoaging and oxidative stress. Advances in Dermatology and Allergology. 38(6), 931–936.
Goodman GD, et al. (2019). Impact of Smoking and Alcohol Use on Facial Aging in Women: Results of a Large Multinational, Multiracial, Cross-sectional Survey. The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology, 12(8), 28–39.
Glynis A. (2012). A Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Study Evaluating the Efficacy of an Oral Supplement in Women with Self-perceived Thinning Hair. Journal of Clinical Aesthetic Dermatology.
Martínez-Puig D, et al. (2023). Collagen Supplementation for Joint Health: The Link between Composition and Scientific Knowledge. Nutrients, 15(6), 1332.
Schagen S. (2017). Topical peptide treatments with effective anti-aging results. Cosmetics. 4(2):16.
