Collagen peptides are a controversial subject, especially when it comes to collagen benefiting hair, skin and nails. But more research is being done with promising results showing that collagen peptides may in fact reach the skin, and even stay there for up to two weeks per a study done by researchers in Japan on rats. So if we assume this is the case in humans as well, then how can we make the collagen peptides even more effective at preventing skin aging and wrinkles? Here are 3 easy ways to ensure your collagen peptides are doing their job!
Combine Your Collagen Peptides With Vitamin C
This doesn’t mean that you have to ingest vitamin C at the same time you take your collagen peptides, but making sure you have a regular supply of vitamin C reaching your skin everyday is vital. This is because vitamin C is a cofactor in the synthesis of collagen and elastin. This is just a fancy way of saying that vitamin C is essential for our bodies to naturally produce collagen. It’s a powerful antioxidant that fights against free radicals known to break down collagen in our skin that cause damage and wrinkles.
Click to read: Are Antioxidants the Key to Glowing Skin and Wrinkle Prevention? to get more tips on anti-aging skincare from the inside out!
The good news is this can be done in a variety of ways. Whether we get our vitamin C from eating whole foods (the best way to get it!), supplementing with powders or pills, or getting it into our skin topically with serums, drops or creams, these are all effective ways at getting our collagen peptides to work harder.
Wear Your Sunscreen!
You’ve heard it over and over again but that’s because it’s so important. Photoaging is the premature aging of the skin due to UV light aka the sun. This is something that affects anyone who goes outside on a regular basis no matter where you live. And if you don’t actively protect your skin from it, it won’t matter how much collagen peptides and vitamin C you take, you’re just canceling it out. So make sure you’re wearing SPF 30 or higher everyday to ensure that your collagen peptides are most effective. And if you’re outside for a longer period of time, reapply every two hours. Sunglasses and a hat helps too!
Optimize Your Sleep
Our skin goes into ultra repair mode while we sleep and the deeper the sleep, the faster it gets. As skin regenerates collagen is produced which means the more deep sleep we get, the more collagen we make. As a mom I know first-hand how hard sleep is to control. There are so many factors that are out of our hands. But there are a few things that we can control to help our chances of getting a good night’s sleep whenever life allows for it.
- Get to bed before 11 pm.
- Sleep in a cool room. Our skin temperature needs to cool down in order to repair itself!
- Sleep in a completely dark room (even digital clock light can mess with our melatonin) or wear a sleep mask.
- Aim for 7 to 8 hours a night. Yes this means that if you wake up at 6 am, it should be lights out by 10!
Optimizing your chances for a good night’s sleep means the collagen peptides you’re taking during the day are hard at work at night preventing wrinkles and keeping your skin plump and beautiful!
Whether or not you take collagen peptides, the 3 things listed above are important, but you can rest assured that is you are taking collagen peptides and doing these 3 things you are giving them the best possible chance to do their job and help keep your skin smooth, supple and radiant!
