The Skin Nerd: What is collagen and why do you need it?

We often talk about collagen in heroic terms and that’s for a good reason - it's an essential skin component that’s responsible for keeping our skin plump, firm and hydrated

The Skin Nerd: 'When collagen degrades, the structure of the skin can weaken. In a nutshell, our skin can lose its bounciness and “spring”.

Have you heard about collagen? We often talk about collagen in heroic terms – and that’s for a good reason. To briefly sum up, collagen is an essential skin component that’s responsible for keeping our skin plump, firm and hydrated. It also helps give our skin its ability to “snap” back into place.

Collagen is a structural protein that’s often referred to as the skin’s “scaffolding”. It’s the most abundant protein in the human body, and within the skin collagen helps to form a network of cells called fibroblasts. These fibroblasts are very important because they encourage new skin cells to grow, which keeps our skin healthy and fresh. They also play a vital role in replacing and restoring dead skin cells, which is essential for wound healing.

The sad truth is that our stores of collagen naturally decline as we get older, as well as from preventable exposure to harmful environmental aggressors. You might be surprised to learn that the rate we produce collagen starts to slow from the age of twenty-five. Notably, women’s collagen supplies significantly decrease after menopause.

Extrinsic factors (aka environmental causes) such as UV rays, smoking and pollution can degrade our collagen and accelerate premature skin ageing. In fact, it’s believed that UV rays can cause up to 80% of the visible signs of skin ageing. 

Exposure to UV rays can cause the skin to enter a state of oxidative stress, which is when free radicals (read: unpaired electrons) attack our precious collagen.

When collagen degrades, the structure of the skin can weaken, which can lead to fine lines and wrinkles setting in, as well as dryness, skin laxity and a “crepey” appearance. In a nutshell, our skin can lose its bounciness and “spring”.

But it’s not all doom and gloom – I promise! Since prevention is easier than cure, one of the best ways that you can prevent accelerated collagen degradation is to apply a daily broad-spectrum SPF. 

I prefer to use an SPF such as Neostrata’s Sheer Physical Protection SPF50 (€29.80, theskinnerd.com), because it protects against the harmful effects of UVA and UVB rays, as well as free radical activity thanks to antioxidant-rich ingredients green tea, lactobionic acid and vitamin E.

Unfortunately, collagen is too big to permeate the skin and make a difference to skin health, which is why we don’t tend to use skincare that contains the vital skin component. 

Instead, use topical skincare with hero ingredients that work to increase collagen production within the skin. Vitamin A, found in Zelens Power A Vitamin A Concentrate Serum (theskinnerd.com, €125) is a hero antioxidant that boosts collagen production. 

In a nutshell, vitamin A speeds up cell renewal and re-educates the skin, while prompting the generation of collagen in the skin for a plumper, tighter appearance.

Or you could use a skincare product that contains peptides – short chains of amino acids, which make up key proteins in our skin. Peptides are responsible for sending important messages to our fibroblasts to synthesise key proteins like collagen – the exact skin components we’re after in bucket loads. 

You can find peptides in IMAGE’s Max Stem Cell Wrinkle Smoother (theskinnerd.com, €98), which helps to diminish the appearance of wrinkles.

I would also recommend that you eat a balanced, healthy diet – that means plenty of fruit, veg and protein. It’s true that we are what we eat and I’m a big believer of feeding my skin from within. Our bodies cannot produce collagen without the necessary amino acids that we get from our diet to process them.

The Nerdie Pick

Advanced Nutrition Programme Skin Moisture Lock (€91)

The Advanced Nutrition Programme Skin Moisture Lock supplements do as exactly as you’d expect – they help to “lock-in” and retain moisture within the skin. 

The capsules contain hyaluronic acid, a humectant that works like a magnet to draw water into the skin, and ceramides, a skin-native lipid (aka fatty molecule) that helps to reinforce the skin barrier and protect our skin’s moisture stores.

Advanced Nutrition Programme Skin Moisture Lock (theskinnerd.com, €91)