What Causes a Breakdown of Collagen and Elastin?

Collagen is what gives your skin strength, while elastin allows your skin to stretch and bounce back. When we’re young, the skin has plenty of collagen and elastin which helps keep it soft, firm, and resistant to damage. However, as we get older collagen and elastin is produced at a slower rate. Structural changes also occur in the skin which makes skin start to sag and wrinkle. By understanding what causes this breakdown of collagen and elastin, you can find ways to slow down this natural process and regain more youthful looking skin.

Collagen and Your Skin

Collagen can be found in the bones, tendons, muscles, and skin, and is the most abundant protein in the body. It is essentially what holds the body together, giving it strength and structure. As we age, collagen production begins to slow down. Various environmental factors can contribute to the decline of collagen, such as exposure to UV light and smoking. 

However, collagen is also resorbable. While it can be broken down, it can also be absorbed back into the body. The right skin care products can make a big difference in the appearance of your skin and your body’s ability to create new collagen. For example, the eye area is one area that is highly affected by the natural aging process. The skin around the eyes is thin, making is susceptible to wrinkling and sagging. By implementing an eye cream into your daily skin care routine, you can help fight the effects of collagen breakdown.

Elastifirm Eye Repair with Persian Silk Tree Extract is one such eye cream that can help fight the effects of collagen breakdown. This eye repair product contains collagen and other elastin-boosting ingredients that are designed to strengthen, firm, and tighten the skin on the upper eyelid. It can also help smooth out wrinkles and reduce eye puffiness. Elastifirm Eye Repair contains antioxidants which help protect the eyes from free radicals.

Elastin and Your Skin

How your skin ages depend on a number of factors, such as your diet, lifestyle, heredity, and various personal habits. Elastin, a protein that is abundant in organs, is needed in skin to help it stretch and resist outside influences. As the amount of elastin in the skin begins to deplete, your skin is no longer as elastic as before which increases the likelihood of sagging and the development of wrinkles.

Elastin is a protein that is essential to skin structure. Unfortunately, the amount of elastin in your skin will gradually lessen as you age. Various environmental factors can speed up the process, such as excess sun exposure which allows free radicals to damage cells, DNA, and proteins.

Restoring Collagen and Elastin to Skin

While you can’t stop the aging process, you can help restore firmness and elasticity to your skin with the right skin care products. Contact our Harvard-trained skin doctor, Dr. Sylvia Ramirez, today at the Cutis Laser Clinics in Singapore to see how we can help you achieve a more youthful complexion.