By Shelly Fulks
If you love having full plumped skin, collagen is your best friend. Our bodies make the compound naturally to help the skin protect itself and replace dead cells, but as we get older, they make less and less of it. So what can you do to keep your skin looking youthful and firm? There are numerous types of collagen and ways to add collagen supplements into your routine, so we’ve gathered up a few options for you.
There are 16 types of collagen, but if plumping your skin is your goal, you’ll want to find products with types 1 and 3 in them. The best sources of this type of collagen are fish, because their collagen particles are smaller and they absorb into the skin easily. There are lots of creams that claim to support collagen growth, but the best way to apply topically is through a mask, like this one from Skin Republic.
- Skin Republic Collagen Infusion Mask (£4.99)
You can take capsules like the Marine Collagen ones from Holland and Barnett (£26.99) or you can drink the collagen in products like Skinade. It’s certainly more expensive than the other options on the list, but it also provides exponentially more collagen to the body in one sitting.
Using skin tools for facial massage is another great way to stimulate the body’s production of collagen. You can also promote your body’s natural production of the compound by eating egg whites, cabbage, berries, oranges, broccoli, shellfish, nuts, and drinking lots of water. Avoiding smoking, sun exposure, and sugar is important because they are all damaging to the collagen production process.
There is something for everyone when it comes to how best to add in collagen stimulants to your routine, and with the reward of youthful skin, it’s worth trying them out to see what works best for you!