Everyone wants healthy, youthful-looking skin. Unfortunately, starting in our thirties, certain elements of the skin begin to break down, leading to fine lines and, eventually, wrinkles.
While there is no Fountain of Youth to return skin to the glory of its early twenties, several skincare products available on the market today can help reduce fine lines and restore some of that youthful glow. Among these products, collagen serum is one of the most effective.
Plenty of products on today’s skin care market make lavish promises of drastically reducing the signs of aging and returning skin to its glowing, youthful state. Unfortunately, most of these promises remain unfulfilled.
However, collagen serum does provide proven benefits in battling the signs of age, particularly regarding fine lines around the eyes and lips.
What is Collagen Serum?
Collagen is a protein found in the human body. In fact, of all the proteins present in the body, collagen is the most plentiful, making up roughly one-third of the total proteins located in the human body. Collagen is found throughout the human form, in muscles, bones, tendons, ligaments, teeth, and skin.
Collagen exists in sixteen different forms, subdivided into four types. Here’s a brief overview:
- Type I supplies structure for bones, teeth, connective tissue, and skin.
- Type II provides insulation in the joints.
- Type III reinforces the structure of organs, muscles, and arteries.
- Type IV resides in the skin and serves a filtration function. This last type is the one relevant for collagen serums.
Because the body’s collagen production slows with age, many people take collagen supplements of one type or another. Most of these supplements are in powder form, although liquid and capsules are also available.
The human body’s production of collagen is the result of combining amino acids. Eating foods rich in specific proteins and vitamins can aid this production: glycine, proline, Vitamin C, copper, and zinc. However, consuming the correct amounts of these crucial elements is difficult to achieve through diet alone. Hence, the popularity of collagen supplements.
In addition to aiding skin hydration, collagen supplements are known to mitigate pain associated with osteoarthritis. There is some indication that these supplements may also provide aid with blood sugar and blood pressure levels, although studies are not yet conclusive on these benefits.
Aging skin manufactures less collagen than it did in its youth, and some of the collagen it does produce is of lower quality. This breakdown in collagen production can lead to fine lines, reduced skin elasticity, a loss of skin firmness, and dark spots. Including a collagen serum in one’s skin care routine can help mitigate these effects.
Collagen serums encourage the production of collagen, which helps reduce fine lines and prevents more from forming. Serums are skin care products designed to be applied to the skin after it has been washed but prior to the application of moisturizer. The purpose of these skincare products is to infuse vitamins and other beneficial substances directly into the skin.
Serums generally contain higher amounts of active ingredients than creams or lotions. They also tend to be lighter than these skin care products.
Serums are often used to combat dry skin or oily skin. These serums often contain skincare elements like Vitamin B5, salicylic acid, and Vitamin E. Vitamin C serums are also popular since this vitamin encourages collagen synthesis.
In the case of collagen serums, the beneficial substance being applied to the skin is collagen itself. Topical collagen serums cannot replace lost collagen, but they can reduce some of its effects and boost skin hydration. When used in daily skin care, collagen serums can improve elasticity and firmness and can even reduce cellulite.
When choosing a collagen serum for daily skin care, it is essential to take skin type into consideration. Oily skin, dry or damaged skin, and sensitive skin all require specific supplements and care techniques. Choosing the facial serum with the necessary skin care ingredients for your skin’s particular needs is vital.
For oily or combination skin, a water-based serum is preferable. Oil-based products will only add to the skin’s oiliness and leave oily or combination skin feeling greasy.
Dry skin requires a collagen serum with added moisturizing agents like hyaluronic acid. While collagen serum is a moisturizing agent, the hydrating qualities of the serum alone will not be enough to counteract consistently dry skin.
Skin prone to acne is best treated with a collagen serum that includes salicylic acid in its ingredient list. Salicylic acid helps clear away dirt and oils, which can lead to outbreaks.
Why Collagen Serum with Hyaluronic Acid?
For dry skin, a collagen serum with hyaluronic acid is an excellent choice. Hyaluronic acid is another substance found naturally in the human body. Its primary function is to retain hydration. A hyaluronic acid supplement, therefore, is a suitable remedy for dry skin.
Hyaluronic acid provides several health benefits and medical uses outside of skin care. It is a vital bodily substance in the healing of wounds. Hyaluronic acid is also used in joint pain relief, treatment of acid reflux, and dry eye relief. Increased bone strength is another benefit of hyaluronic acid.
A topical hyaluronic acid application can help make skin look more youthful in much the same way as collagen serum; hyaluronic acid serums are popular in their own right. Combining the hydration properties of hyaluronic acid with the qualities of a collagen booster is doubly beneficial.
Hyaluronic acid is included in many facial hydrating serums because, like collagen, hyaluronic acid production in human skin slows as the body ages. This results in a loss of moisture. Luckily, this moisturizing element can be absorbed directly through the skin, providing top-notch hydration for even the driest skin types.
Hyaluronic acid binds with water, resulting in skin that looks fuller and firmer. As hyaluronic acid levels in the skin decrease, the skin begins to sag and wrinkle due to the lack of skin moisture. A face serum containing both collagen and hyaluronic acid provides hydration, which prevents this trend.
Regular moisturizers can help with the problem of dry skin to a certain extent, but a serum containing hyaluronic acid and collagen will be more effective. Hyaluronic acid serums and hyaluronic acid creams are popular moisturizers because the hyaluronic acid molecule has such a drastic effect on skin texture.
Because of the water-retention provided by hyaluronic acids, collagen is supplied with plenty of moisture to stretch to its fullest extent without tearing. This hydration effect of hyaluronic acid makes it possible for collagen to do its job in providing skin elasticity, creating fuller, firmer skin with fewer fine lines and wrinkles.
Collagen Serum Treatment Regimen
Collagen serum should be applied according to the following regimen:
- The serum should be applied twice a day, in the morning and the evening.
- Wash your face first.
- Apply toner as needed.
- Apply the collagen serum as directed.
- Apply moisturizer only after the collagen serum has been applied.
Apply the serum with a gentle massaging motion. Allow your skin to absorb the serum for several minutes before applying any other products.
Collagen serums need to be applied before moisturizers because moisturizers create a skin barrier that will not allow the vitamins to penetrate.
If you have oily skin, a separate moisturizer may not be necessary. For dry skin, use a moisturizer after each application of the collagen serum.
For a collagen serum regimen to produce the desired results, it must be consistently followed on a daily basis. It usually takes up to four weeks for collagen serum treatments to show results. The results should continue as long as the treatment regimen is followed.
Collagen Serum Ingredients
Each collagen serum will have a slightly different ingredient list, but the following are common ingredients found in most serums.
- Vitamin E – this vitamin is an antioxidant that reduces UV damage in the skin.
- Sodium Hyaluronate – this form of hyaluronic acid mitigates inflammation and retains moisture, helping curb dryness and prevent wrinkles.
- Hydrolyzed Collagen – peptides derived from cows or pigs that increase elasticity in the skin.
- Vitamin B5 – this vitamin helps the body process proteins, including collagen.
- Retinol – derived from Vitamin A, this ingredient slows melanin production, repairing damaged skin cells.
- Collagen Peptides – collagen amino acids derived from animal sources that slow the signs of aging.
- Ceramides – form a protective barrier to keep moisture intact.
- Antioxidants – protect the skin from UV damage.
- Vitamin C – reduces the appearance of wrinkles and evens out skin tone.
- Alpha Hydroxy Acids – remove dead skin, reduce age spots.
- Beta Hydroxy Acids – cleanse skin of dirt, oils, and pollution.
- Hyaluronic Acid – retains moisture in the skin.
- Vitamin A – this vitamin helps repair damaged skin cells.
All of the above ingredients provide proven benefits in creating more youthful skin with fewer fine lines and more elasticity. While every component may not be found in every collagen serum, high-quality serums will contain some combination of several of the above ingredients.
Other Age-Defying Products
Collagen serums are not the only products on the market that slow the hands of time when it comes to skin care.
Products like Admire My Skin’s Retin A can significantly reduce lip lines and are less costly than tretinoin treatments. This Clinically Effective Retinoid Cream is the most powerful non-prescription retinoid cream available.
It is an exfoliant that gently removes the outermost layer of dead skin cells to make provide significant improvement in skin tone and texture. This cream reduces the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines, increases the smoothness and firmness of the skin, and helps clear away acne and prevent breakouts.
This powerful retinoid cream produces visible results while avoiding many of prescription products’ unfortunate side effects. In studies, over 90% of participants using this product detected an improvement in smoothness, firmness, wrinkles, and fine lines within six weeks.
Admire My Skin Citrus Glow Drops are another excellent choice for rejuvenation. The antioxidants in this robust blend transform skin from dull to glowing. These drops also target fine lines and wrinkles along with hyperpigmentation.
This lush dry facial oil comprises an effective blend of Argan Oil, Liposomal Vitamin C, Sea Buckthorn Oil, and Rosehip Oil. It can be directly applied to the skin or mixed with a primer or cream foundation for a youthful, healthy appearance.
Final Thoughts
While no product on the market is likely to magically reverse the passage of time and return your skin to its Prom Night glow, several products on the market, including (but
