The industry of anti-aging products is growing as more people strive to look younger than their years for as long as possible. Dermatologists offer procedures in the office to erase lines and wrinkles or medications to reduce the signs of sun exposure. You can purchase over-the-counter machines to exfoliate, massage and improve a youthful glow. The simple act of taking vitamins can also increase the elasticity and strength of your skin and improve your overall appearance.
Collagen
Collagen is an important structural protein that gives strength to your tissues, skin and organs, according to the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Your skin is composed of nearly 80 percent dry weight of collagen. While collagen provides the structure, elastin allows the skin to stretch and recoil. Damage to either will result in wrinkles and aging skin. The most common type of damage to collagen comes from sun exposure and smoking. Both will degrade the collagen, leading to the appearance of aging skin.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is also known as ascorbic acid and is water soluble. Doctors at the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University warn that you do not have the ability to make your own vitamin C in your body and so must get it from foods and vitamin supplementation. Vitamin C is very important in the production of collagen in the body. In severe vitamin C deficiencies resulting in scurvy, the symptoms of bleeding, bruising, joint pain and swelling, and hair and tooth loss appear to be the result of weakening blood vessels and connective tissue from collagen loss.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is a term that encompasses a large number of related compounds that are fat soluble and are important to the body for collagen production, vision, regulation of gene expression, immunity and red blood cell production, according to the Linus Pauling Institute. Deficiencies can result in night blindness and a rise in infectious disease, while supplementation has been used for some diseases of the skin. In a study published in the "Journal of Investigative Dermatology," researchers found that treatment with vitamin A stimulated collagen synthesis in people who had suffered sun damage.
Zinc
Zinc is a mineral required by your body to maintain normal skin repair. Early research published in "Surgery, Gynecology and Obstetrics" in 1981 showed that zinc plays a vital role in the development of collagen in wound healing. More recently this link was confirmed by researchers from Korea, who published their findings in "Nutrition Research and Practice," demonstrating that zinc increases bone healing through the production of collagen in cells that produce bone. Zinc supplements are available at the pharmacy, often sold as lozenges to support your immune system during a cold.
References
- The Patient's Guide; Collagen a Major Skin Protein; Dr. E. Bernstein
- Linus Pauling Institute: Vitamin C
- Linus Pauling Institute: Vitamin A
- "Journal of Investigative Dermatology"; Vitamin A Antagonizes Decreased Cell Growth and Elevated Collagen-Degrading Matrix Metalloproteinases and Stimulates Collagen Accumulation in Naturally Aged Human Skin; J Varani, et al.; March 2000
- "Surgery, Gynecology and Obstetrics"; Influence of Zinc on Synthesis and the Accumulation of Collagen in Early Granulation Tissue; I Tengrup, et al.; March 1981
- "Nutrition Research and Practice"; Zinc May Increase Bone Formation Through Stimulating Cell Proliferation, Alkaline Phosphatase Activity and Collagen Synthesis in Osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 Cells; HJ Seo, et al.; October 2010
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