Collagen’s Role in Our Youthful Appearance

Collagen is the protein in our skin that gives its structure, strength, elasticity and volume. Your facial volume is made up of collagen, bone density and fatty tissue.

Facial volume gives support and structure to the skin, thereby keeping your skin firm around the cheeks, eyes, jaw-line and mouth.

Your face begins to show the signs of aging because of the loss of facial volume. Picture a balloon deflating – as the balloon loses air or volume, it becomes lax, sags, and wrinkles. Unfortunately, a similar unrelenting process is occurring in our faces, as seen here:

As we age, we lose facial volume deep below the skin, which affects the structure and appearance of our face. For example, the loss of facial volume in our temples can cause our eyebrows to droop creating a hollowed appearance to our upper face.

How do I rebuild collagen?

Tretinoin: Tretinoin is an excellent treatment for rebuilding collagen. A study in 1990 showed that applying tretinoin for a year increased collagen in the skin by 80%.

Further studies have shown that even a few months of tretinoin treatment can improve collagen levels in the skin and improve skin tightness and texture.

While retinol also showed some benefit in collagen production, it was found to be very unstable and easily degraded.

• Vitamin C: Vitamin C also enhances collagen production. Collagen requires Vitamin C to cross-link and lay down strong supports in your skin. Topical Vitamin C use can enhance your skin’s plump, moist appearance. The absorption of Vitamin C into your skin can be variable based on the serum used, so it is important to utilize forms that are appropriately made and stabilized for maximum efficiency. Often, using Vitamin C with Vitamin E can enhance its penetration through the top layer of the skin. Intravenous

Vitamin C, as is found in the Beauty Elixir at The IV Lounge at Enliven Aesthetics, can be an additional way to fights off free radicals induced by sun damage and also helps to improve skin tone issues.

• Collagen Protein Powder: Multiple studies investigating the anti-aging properties of collagen have found that hydrolyzed collagen used among women aged 35–55 once a day for eight weeks significantly improved skin elasticity, skin moisture, skin dryness and skin roughness, all with little to no side effects.

Additionally, when skin loses its elasticity as a result of decreased collagen, there’s another side effect: more visible cellulite.

Because your skin is now thinner, there’s no more hiding what’s happening below the surface. Collagen for skin helps its elasticity and helps reduce potential cellulite dimpling. Lastly, collagen protein is also the building block of your fingernails, hair and teeth. Adding collagen peptides into your diet regimen can help keep your nails strong and possibly reverse signs of hair loss.

Make sure to opt for hydrolyzed collagen products like collagen peptides to optimize the bioavailability and digestion of your supplement. Make sure to intake Vitamin C along with your collagen peptides, to ensure your body can convert the collagen into a useable protein. Dr. Axe’s Multi-Collagen Protein Powder, sold at Enliven Aesthetics, is one of the best natural inside-out beauty foods we’ve found so far.

The Power of Sculptra® Aesthetic Sculptra:

For those looking to restore or maintain youthful contours and revitalize facial features, Sculptra may be the right treatment for you. Europeans were raving about Sculptra’s incredible results for over a decade before it was used in the United States. Sculptra was initially introduced to correct the facial thinning in those inflicted with HIV. In 2009, the FDA approved Sculptra for cosmetic use in the United States.

Most current fillers like Juvederm, Restylane and Versa are excellent gels, but typically are placed only in superficial lines or folds. In contrast, Sculptra is placed deep in the tissues, providing optimal volume correction where it’s most needed.

Secondarily, Sculptra works by stimulating your own tissues to produce collagen, and is in a class of its own, called a bio-stimulator.

Not only does Sculptra slow the progression of the aging face, it also begins to makes you look younger with sequential treatments.

Furthermore, the results of Sculptra last at least two years.

HOW TO GET STARTED?

1. Complete this “Contact Us” form to have our patient care coordinator reach out to you about the Sculptra booking process.

2. Book a Complimentary Consultation

3. Text 858-609-0866 or email info@joywellnesspartners.com to reach us directly.

At Enliven Aesthetics, we perform the treatments in a series, with treatment sessions typically spaced every 6 to 8 weeks apart. Most patients require three to four treatments to meet their goals. Our ‘rule of thumb’ is ‘one vial of Sculptra for every decade of age.’ So a fifty-year-old would need five vials.

MORE advantages of Sculptra include:

• Virtually no downtime
• Minimal discomfort
• Gradual, natural results, so your friends, family, and co-workers will not know that you’re having anything done.

Consequently, Sculptra has become one of the most popular filler alternatives for our clients.

Enliven Aesthetics offers Sculptra, Tretinoin, Vitamin C Serums and IV Infusions.

References:

Clark Friedrich Schierle, Laurie A. Casas, Nonsurgical Rejuvenation of the Aging Face With Injectable Poly-L-Lactic Acid for Restoration of Soft Tissue Volume, Aesthetic Surgery Journal, Volume 31, Issue 1, January 2011, Pages 95–109, https://doi.org/10.1177/1090820X10391213

Restoration of Collagen Formation in Photodamaged Human Skin by Tretinoin (Retinoic Acid). N Engl J Med 1993; 329:530-535 doi: 10.1056/NEJM199308193290803

Proksch E1, Segger D, Degwert J, Schunck M, Zague V, Oesser S. Oral supplementation of specific collagen peptides has beneficial effects on human skin physiology: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Skin Pharmacol Physiol. Epub 2013 Aug 14;27(1):47-55. doi: 10.1159/000351376.

Pullar JM, Carr AC, Vissers MCM. The Roles of Vitamin C in Skin Health. Nutrients. 2017;9(8):866. Published 2017 Aug 12. doi:10.3390/nu9080866