Why collagen matters for skin health
Collagen is one of the most talked-about ingredients in the skincare and wellness world—and for good reason. As the most abundant protein in the body, collagen plays a major role in how your skin looks, feels, and ages.
Over time, collagen production decreases, but with diet, lifestyle, and supplementation, you have a lot of control over how your skin looks and feels.
What is collagen?
Collagen accounts for 30% of the protein in the body. As a supportive framework for skin, muscles, bones, and connective tissue, collagen provides structure, strength, and elasticity to tissues throughout the body. For skin specifically, collagen helps keep skin firm, elastic, and hydrated—all important for youthful-looking skin.
At least 28 different types of collagen exist, but Type I, II, and III are the most important for skin, bones, and cartilage:
- Type I: Provides structure to skin, bones, tendons, and ligaments
- Type II: Found in elastic cartilage, which is important for joint support
- Type III: Found in muscles, blood vessels, and organs
How collagen works in the skin
Collagen forms a network of fibers within the dermis (the middle layer of skin), which is what keeps your skin strong and resilient. It supports skin health in four main ways:
- Structure and support: Provides the framework that keeps your skin from sagging.
- Elasticity and firmness: Collagen works with another protein, elastin, to give skin its bounce. When collagen declines, skin starts to lose firmness and becomes thinner and more fragile.
- Moisture retention: Helps maintain the skin’s ability to maintain moisture, so your skin looks and feels better. It also supports hyaluronic acid production, another compound that supports skin hydration.
- Repair and renewal: Whether it’s sun exposure, injury, inflammation, or simple everyday use, skin damage is unavoidable. Collagen steps in to help with healing and tissue regeneration.
Healthy collagen production is one of the most important components of skin health, helping to keep skin strong and resilient as well as to support plumper, younger-looking skin.
What causes collagen loss?
Collagen production starts to decline some time in your mid-20s, and from there, your body makes about 1% less collagen each year. This is part of the body’s natural aging process, but other factors can affect collagen decline as well:
- Hormonal changes: The biggest collagen decline happens during menopause, when estrogen decline accelerates collagen loss
- UV exposure: UV rays from the sun (and tanning beds) break down collagen fibers and accelerate the appearance of wrinkles, sun spots, and sagging skin
- Smoking: Smoking damages collagen and elastin and impairs the skin’s ability to repair itself, which can lead to deep wrinkles
- High sugar intake: Glycation occurs when sugar binds to collagen, forming stiff and damaged proteins. This makes skin less elastic and more prone to wrinkles.
- Chronic stress: High levels of cortisol—the stress hormone—can slow down collagen production
- Poor sleep: Beauty rest isn’t just a thing people say—skin regenerates at night, so if you’re not getting enough quality sleep on a consistent basis, your skin won’t be able to do as much R&R
- Pollution: Air pollutants generate free radicals, which can damage collagen
- Excess alcohol: Alcohol is dehydrating, and it also interferes with vitamin absorption
- Nutrient deficiencies: Low levels of vitamin C, zinc, copper, and amino acids can impair your body’s ability to make collagen
Signs your collagen is declining
Our bodies can tell us a lot, but we need to be listening and watching out for certain signs. Declining collagen is one of the easier trends to spot, as it affects your appearance as well as how your skin feels:
- Fine lines and wrinkles
- Thinning, sagging skin
- Dryer skin
- Hollowing under cheeks and eyes
- Slower wound healing
These signs are your body’s way of telling you that it’s making less collagen than it needs. Once you know what signs to watch out for—and what those signs mean—you can start making some changes to address the underlying problem.
How to support collagen production naturally
You can support or rebuild collagen naturally in three main ways: nutrition, lifestyle, and supplementation.
Nutrition
While collagen may be the most abundant protein in the body, it needs certain nutrients to keep producing what your body needs. These include:
- Vitamin C: Essential for collagen synthesis. Citrus fruits, berries, bell peppers, and broccoli are all high in vitamin C.
- Zinc and copper: Cofactors in collagen-building enzymes. Found in oysters, nuts, seeds, leafy greens, and legumes.
- Amino acids: Proline, glycine, and hydroxyproline are the primary building blocks of collagen. They’re found primarily in animal products like bone broth, eggs, and meat.
- Antioxidants: Helps protect existing collagen from damage caused by free radicals and oxidative stress. Fruits, vegetables, dark chocolate, and nuts are all good sources of antioxidants.
Collagen production requires a wide range of nutrients that work together, so a well-balanced, varied diet is essential to support this process.
Lifestyle
What you eat matters, but so does what you do. These lifestyle habits also support collagen production:
- Wear broad-spectrum SPF sunscreen (30+) daily. Excessive sun exposure breaks down collagen, so make regular sunscreen application a habit.
- Quit smoking. Smoking reduces blood flow to the skin and depletes vitamin C. If you smoke, quitting is one of the best things you can do for your skin.
- Limit sugar and alcohol. Excessive sugar and/or alcohol promotes the breakdown of collagen and can cause your skin to age prematurely.
- Manage stress. Chronic stress elevates cortisol, which can degrade collagen. Be sure to engage in stress-relieving activities as often as you can, which can include exercise, meditation, or hobbies you enjoy.
- Get more sleep. Collagen rebuilds while you sleep. To aid this process, aim for 7–9 hours of quality sleep each night.
Supplements
While a healthy diet and lifestyle will help your body maintain collagen levels, external support may still be needed, especially as you age. Consider trying one of these supplements:
- Collagen peptides (marine or bovine)
- Hyaluronic acid (for skin hydration)
- Vitamin C
Keep an eye out for collagen-support and skincare products, coming soon from Shed!
Collagen: Your skin’s silent support system
Collagen quietly keeps your skin looking youthful, firm, and strong, but it naturally declines with age. The good news is that your daily habits play a huge role in how well your body holds on to it. Shed will soon have more resources and products coming your way to support your skin from the inside out, so stay tuned!
