To understand the importance of rebuilding and maintaining collagen as we age, let's take a look at collagen's job in the body. Collagen is a type of protein and one of the most plentiful proteins present in our bodies, making up about 25% of total body protein. Fibrous in nature, its job is to connect and support other body tissues such as skin, bone, muscles, tendons and cartilage. Collagen can be thought of as the glue that holds the body together. Without it, the body would, quite literally, fall apart.

Your familiarity with collagen may be mostly in relation to its presence in the skin. Collagen works with keratin to provide the skin with strength, flexibility and resilience. As people age, however, collagen degradation naturally occurs, leading to wrinkles and sagging skin. For those looking to fight the visible effects of aging, rebuilding collagen becomes an important quest.

The question is: are there treatments available that can actually stimulate the production of collagen? What about products that make similar claims? The answer from our experience here at Living Young is yes to both questions. Here's what we have found that works to rebuild collagen:

IPL PhotoFacial. In our opinion, every aging face will derive great benefits from an IPL PhotoFacial. The key to obtaining long-lasting benefits is to make an IPL PhotoFacial an annual treatment, followed up with good skin care routines in the interim. Our esthetician will be more than happy to offer you a complimentary skin care consultation so that you will know what skin care routine is best for you.  Not only will the PhotoFacial stimulate the production of collagen, but it will also provide other extraordinary visible benefits such as the elimination of brown spots, and removal of uneven redness and discolorations caused by small capillaries.

Radiesse Dermal Filler. In addition to its role in filling in those deep nasolabial folds, Radiesse has an additional very beneficial side effect: it stimulates the production of collagen. Radiesse is made from calcium hydroxyapatite spheres reconstituted in an aqueous gel. After injection, as the water is absorbed by the body, new collagen synthesis is stimulated around the hydroxyapatite spheres to create a long lasting effect, up to two years. 

Topical Vitamins are clinically proven to boost collagen levels. These come in a variety of percentages and strengths. Vitamins A, C and E are very beneficial and can improve the overall health, texture, tone and clarity of the skin, as well as improve collagen, brighten and fight free radicals or environmental factors. Both our Obagi and Remedy Skin Care lines have many options which incorporate vitamins in prescription and non-prescription form.

To learn more about what might be right for you, schedule a complimentary Visia Skin Analysis with Linda today.