You’ve probably heard of collagen, the protein that’s essential for healthy skin. But what exactly is collagen for? What role does it play in our bodies? And why does it help us achieve beautiful skin?
What is collagen?
Before diving into the benefits of collagen, it’s important to understand what this remarkable protein actually is. Collagen is the most abundant protein in our body. It plays a vital role in the cohesion, elasticity and regeneration of skin tissue.
The benefits of collagen for skin:
- Preserving firmness and elasticity: Collagen gives your skin that beautiful tension, that bounce, that little “snap” that makes it look youthful and fresh.
- Skin hydration: Think of it like watering your plants. Without water, they wilt. Without collagen, our skin struggles to retain moisture, leaving it dry and dull. With a healthy dose of collagen, you get that dewy, morning-glow effect every day!
- Joint support: Think of collagen as the oil in the cogs of a machine. It helps lubricate and protect your joints so everything keeps running smoothly.
- Bone support: Just as calcium is essential for strong bones, collagen also plays a key role. It contributes to bone density and helps reduce the risk of fractures.
- Body tissue revitalisation: Collagen helps regenerate and repair tissues, which is essential for maintaining beautiful, healthy skin.
How does our body produce collagen?
Cell synthesis: Fibroblasts — a type of cell found in our skin — are the main “production factories” for collagen. They create this protein using specific amino acids, which we obtain primarily through our diet.
Vitamin C to the rescue: This vitamin is essential for collagen production. It acts as a kind of booster, helping fibroblasts synthesise collagen. That’s why a vitamin C deficiency can leave skin looking dull and less elastic.
Minerals & other vitamins: Beyond vitamin C, other vitamins and minerals — such as proline, copper and zinc — also play an essential role in collagen production.
How collagen changes with age
Our body starts producing collagen from a very early age and continues throughout our lifetime. However, there’s a catch…
Youth and adolescence: At this stage, the body is in “full production mode”. Skin is plump, elastic and radiant thanks to the high levels of collagen being produced.
From your twenties onwards: Production slowly begins to decline. Around the age of 25, we can start losing approximately 1% of our collagen per year. It doesn’t sound like much, but over the years, it really adds up!
After menopause: For women, after menopause, this decline accelerates further due to hormonal changes.
Ageing: As we get older, collagen production continues to slow down, leading to the appearance of wrinkles, skin sagging and other signs of ageing.
But don’t worry! Even if natural collagen production decreases with age, there are many ways to support and stimulate it — whether through a balanced diet, food supplements or skincare products.
What forms of collagen can you take?
- Collagen powders (hydrolysed): These powders can be mixed into hot or cold drinks. You can easily add them to smoothies, coffee or soups. Hydrolysed collagen is also readily absorbed by the body.
- Collagen capsules: Convenient to take with a large glass of water, they are also easily absorbed by the body.
- Effervescent tablets: Such as our Cellublue Collagen Effervescent Tablets — the perfect blend of marine collagen and vitamin C to help rejuvenate and firm your skin. With a delicious peach flavour, each tablet dissolves into a sparkling drink.
- Creams: Certain targeted creams contain active ingredients that encourage the skin to produce more collagen, helping to strengthen its structure, improve elasticity and combat the signs of ageing.
- Collagen-rich foods: Some foods are rich in the essential nutrients that play a key role in collagen synthesis. Oily fish and seafood, for example, are packed with essential amino acids and omega-3s that support collagen formation.
- Collagen injections: Used in aesthetic medicine to reduce the appearance of wrinkles.
At Cellublue, we understand how important collagen is for radiant, toned skin. That’s why we offer a complete range of firming body products, specially formulated to boost collagen production.
Also discover our Firming Programme, designed to be your ideal ally for maintaining skin that’s both firm and elastic!
