Boosting the quantity of collagen in your skin is something that becomes more pressing as you get older. When you’re young, everything is plump and dewy. But once the years start to accumulate, losing collagen from the skin eventually becomes more of a problem.

The good news is that there are strategies you can use to fight back. These bump up your natural collagen production, or even artificially stimulate it, causing you to look more youthful. Sometimes, it feels like you have your old face back!

So, what do you need to do?

Manage Your Stress

The first (and perhaps most important) thing to do is to manage your stress. Keeping yourself calm most of the time is a highly effective way to prevent collagen loss from the body, particularly the face. (Easier said than done!)

Relaxation works because it reduces the production of cortisol, the body’s stress hormone. Having some of this in your system in small quantities is okay. But if you accumulate a lot of it, then it can lead to a thinning of the collagen-based pads under the face.

The usual recommendation is to apply mindfulness to your life. A better approach is to simply change the structure of how you live. If you’re in a situation that causes chronic stress, look for a sustainable way to leave it.

Use Red Light Therapy

Another popular method for boosting collagen is to use red light therapy. This technique works by stimulating cells to produce more collagen, thereby causing the face to plump up.

The technical term for this is “hormesis” or “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” Shining red light on cells causes mild stress that forces them to get themselves into shape, churning out more collagen than they normally would.

Ultimately, this process (if you continue it for long enough), leads to a reduction in wrinkles and an overall more youthful appearance. Skin texture improves, and the whole thing starts to shine more.

Use Facial Massage

If that doesn’t work, you could also try a facial massage. Simply rubbing the skin on the face in the right way prompts more collagen and elastin production, leading to a reduction in wrinkles and firmer skin overall for a more youthful complexion.

Facial massage is something you can pay for. But it is also something you can do yourself after a shower or bath. These days, you can buy all sorts of facial skin massage products that allow your fingers and thumbs to glide more smoothly so you don’t wind up with friction burns.

Add Hyaluronic Acid To Your Routine

Another technique is to add hyaluronic acid to your routine. While you can apply it directly to your face, it is much better to swallow it in pill form. Research shows that this latter approach can reduce wrinkling and other signs of skin aging more than putting it on topically.

Don’t worry, hyaluronic acid is abundant in the body and safe to consume. In fact, cells couldn’t survive without it. Most people see results from as little as 200 mg of the compound per day, with up to 400 mg also showing results in testing.

Get Polynucleotide Treatment

Polynucleotides treatment (PT) can also improve collagen production in the face through similar mechanisms. These substances signal to cells to behave more youthfully, creating a targeted age-reduction effect at the site of administration.

However, PT also works through a second mechanism: encouraging the skin to hold onto more of its water. This ability allows moisture to stay inside the cells, improving plumpness and significantly reducing brown spots.

Furthermore, PT doesn’t come with the risks often associated with dermal fillers. The technique doesn’t simply add volume but instead uses latent capabilities inside cells to drive greater collagen production.

Take A Collagen Supplement

Perhaps the most publicized and obvious collagen-boosting method is to simply take a supplement. These days, numerous manufacturers sell various varieties, targeting everything from complexion to bone health.

Initial research suggested that collagen supplements couldn’t have a direct effect because the stomach breaks down the protein into smaller parts before it can enter the body. However, later investigations suggested that despite this breakdown, more collagen winds up inside cells in people taking these substances compared to those who don’t.

Naturally, this finding has created some consternation and controversy in the industry. The mechanisms explaining why this happens are entirely unclear. However, the outcomes that you care about (more collagen in your skin), are largely undeniable.

Add Vitamin C To Your Routine

An inexpensive way to boost collagen in your skin is by using vitamin C. It is cheap, abundant, and easy to apply (with minimal side effects). Interestingly, a recent study found that vitamin C serums were actually slightly more effective than prescription retinoids for protecting the skin.

Vitamin C serums work because they act like a sun protection barrier. When the sun’s UV rays hit the skin’s surface, they are far more likely to interact with vitamin molecules than they are with DNA, thereby reducing the risk of skin cancer.

Eat Foods That Contain Collagen

If you don’t like the idea of taking a collagen supplement, you could also eat more food that contains it naturally. Bone broth, egg white, and tuna are all options.

The best way to prepare high-collagen meals is to make soups using parts of the animal that many people wouldn’t usually cook. Adding more bones to broths is highly effective and can provide you with extra nutrients you wouldn’t usually get in high quantities, like iron and zinc.

Practice Sun Avoidance

Lastly, it is a good idea to practice sun avoidance if you want to maintain the amount of collagen in your skin. That’s because, as mentioned earlier, the sun’s UV damages structures within the dermis, including the cellular machinery required to make collagen.

The trick here is to stay inside for the brightest parts of the day, usually from 10 am until 4 pm (but it can vary depending on where you live). Don’t forget sunscreen, even if it is a cloudy day.

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