What causes wrinkles and how can collagen supplements help?

What causes wrinkles and how can collagen supplements help?

Wrinkles on the skin are a natural part of ageing. They are most pronounced on areas of the skin that get the most exposure to sunlight – the face, the neck, forearms and hands. Genetics are a significant factor in the structure and texture of skin, but sun exposure is actually one of the primary causes of wrinkles, particularly for people with a light skin tone. Other factors include pollutants, smoking and stress.

Collagen supplements are a powerful way to fight back against wrinkles as you get older if wrinkles are bothering you. Combine them with a good skincare routine and a few lifestyle changes and you may even see a reduction in the appearance of wrinkles in your skin.

Read on to learn more.

What are wrinkles?

We have all seen wrinkles on others – elderly people often have quite deep, pronounced wrinkles on their skin. They are lines and creases that form in the skin, particularly around areas where the skin frequently moves and folds along with your movements. In older people, these wrinkles can form virtually everywhere and can become deep furrows. They are often most noticeable around the mouth, eyes and neck.

Wrinkles are very normal things, but if you have concerns about how your skin looks then you should consult a doctor. If anything is a cause for concern, they can refer you to a dermatologist who can assess your skin and create a personalised plan if necessary. A dermatologist may also be able to recommend treatments for wrinkles.

What causes wrinkles?

Generally speaking, wrinkles are caused by a combination of factors. Some of these are within your control, while others are not. Here are the main causes of wrinkles:

Age: As we get more advanced in age, our skin naturally loses much of its elasticity and becomes more fragile. We lose collagen faster than our bodies can replace it, our natural oils diminish and skin dries out, causing a more prominent appearance of wrinkles. Beyond this, the fat in the deeper layers of our skin diminishes, resulting in skin at the surface appearing loose and saggy. This causes the lines and crevices to show up even more.

Exposure to sunlight (UV light): Ultraviolet radiation is known to speed up the ageing process and it is the main cause of early wrinkles. When our skin is exposed to the UV radiation in sunlight, it breaks down the collagen and elastin fibres that lie in the dermis. Without these things supporting your connective tissues, skin loses its flexibility and strength, causing it to sag and wrinkle sooner than it needs to. This is why collagen supplements are such a huge trend in the beauty industry.

Smoking: Cigarettes can also accelerate the ageing process of your skin, leading to the onset of wrinkles. This is believed to be due to the effect smoking has on your collagen.

Stress: The stress hormone cortisol can have a number of negative effects in the body and breaking down collagen is, unfortunately, one of them.

Repeated facial expressions: Facial movements like smiling, squinting or puffing on a cigarette can gradually lead to the formation of fine lines. Each time a facial muscle contracts and pulls the skin in a certain way, it causes a groove to form in the skin. As this same movement is repeated again and again, and skin loses its suppleness and strength, it loses its ability to keep springing back into place. The grooves become permanent features, often around the eyes and mouth.

As you can see from the above, there are certain things you can change to help protect against wrinkles and certain things you can’t. We can’t stop getting older, and we also can’t be expected to not make facial expressions. But we can address the issues of sun exposure, smoking and stress, and we can also make other positive changes like taking collagen supplements and improving our diet.

What are collagen supplements?

Collagen supplements are just like any other supplement – you take them orally and they supply your body with key nutrients. In this case, those nutrients are based around collagen. A good collagen supplement contains a high dose of collagen peptides derived from animals such as fish, cows, pigs or chickens.

We say ‘collagen peptides’ because you don’t want the complete collagen molecules in your supplement – these are difficult for the digestive system to absorb. Collagen peptides are what result from breaking down collagen into smaller, more bioavailable amino acid chains.

How do collagen supplements work?

Contrary to popular belief, collagen supplements do not simply supply collagen that your body can send wherever it is needed in the body. The digestive system doesn’t work like that. Instead, the supplements supply the raw materials – amino acids from collagen – that your body can use to boost its own collagen production. By increasing the rate at which collagen is synthesised in your body, they help fight against wrinkles as well as issues with your joints, bones, muscles, gut and more.

Collagen is abundant throughout the body, so collagen supplements can have beneficial effects that go far beyond just fighting wrinkles. But if it is wrinkles you are worried about, the key role that collagen plays in maintaining the strength and suppleness of your skin means you need to be doing all you can to minimise collagen breakdown and maximise the production of new collagen.

What makes Kollo stand out among other collagen supplements?

Kollo is one of the leading collagen supplement brands in the UK, having won numerous awards, earned thousands of 5-star customer reviews, sold over a million doses and featured on ITV This Morning since coming to market in 2020. When developing our product, we followed the science closely at every stage. Here are some things that make Kollo great:

• We use premium-grade marine collagen peptides with high purity and integrity
• We supply a consistent daily dosage of 10g, which research shows delivers on all the benefits
• Our liquid suspension ensures your body can access the active ingredients fast
• We fortify the formula with B vitamins, vitamin C and l-lysine for added potency
• Kollo is easy to incorporate into your daily routine – simply empty a sachet into water and enjoy the great taste from natural, sugar-free tropical flavourings
• Kollo is Informed Sport certified for maximum quality and trust

We are supremely confident that you will not find a more potent or effective collagen supplement than Kollo on the market. Our product is made by people who care about your wellbeing so we offer complete transparency about everything on our website. Please take some time to explore the information we provide and we believe you will see why Kollo is a no-brainer for collagen supplementation.

Are collagen supplements all I need to reduce wrinkles?

It is possible that taking collagen supplements will provide your body with all you need to fight back against the early signs of ageing like wrinkles. But if you are really serious about it, you will want to go a lot further to increase your chances of success. Collagen supplements like Kollo will provide your body with the fuel it needs to boost collagen production but there is much more you can do.

Here is some advice:

Avoid excessive sun exposure: Since UV radiation is public enemy number 1 for collagen, you need to reduce your exposure to it. Always wear sunscreen, even if you don’t think the sun is particularly strong. There are many moisturisers that offer some SPF protection. When the sun is particularly intense, consider staying indoors or, at the very least, sticking to the shade when you are out.

Quit smoking: If you are a smoker, you are already doing one of the worst possible things for your collagen. It can be difficult to quit smoking, but there are many benefits to doing so in addition to slowing your ageing.

Reduce your stress: Again, there are many negative health effects related to having too much cortisol in your system. If life is stressing you out too much, you are damaging your collagen and much more. Seek ways to reduce or manage stress in your life.

Improve your diet: For your collagen production to be maximised, you need a wide range of nutrients in your body. In addition to taking your collagen supplement, you should eat foods that are high in protein, B vitamins, vitamin C, copper, zinc, chlorophyll and more. A healthy, balanced diet is great for collagen and much more.

Skincare: Establishing a good skincare regime is an excellent way to keep your skin protected against the sun and hydrated so that all the chemical exchanges happen at an optimal rate.

Learn more about collagen supplements

The blog section on our website has a wealth of information about Kollo and collagen supplements in general. If you want to learn more about this area, that is a great place to start, and we encourage you to educate yourself if you want to become better at fighting back against the early signs of ageing.

If you still have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Our team would love to hear from you.