Collagen is a protein found in your skin that contributes to your skin's structure. Collagen helps your skin retain its elasticity. People often lose collagen as they age or if they sustain sun damage. Collagen can regenerate itself under the right circumstances, to plump up your skin again. Protecting yourself from the sun as well as taking advantage of some cosmetic procedures may help stimulation collagen production in your skin.
Step 1
Wear protective gear when you are outside in the sun. A September 2008 "Medical News Today" article reports that photo-aging--skin that has sustain damage from years of sun exposure--can cause collagen levels to drop. Applying sunscreen and wearing a hat and sunglasses can help you avoid sun damage such as fine lines and wrinkles, and can stop the loss of collagen.
Step 2
Ask your doctor if you are an ideal candidate for using estradiol cream to stimulate collagen production. Studies reported in the September 2008 issue of Archives of Dermatology show that participants who used an estradiol cream--a type of estrogen--on skin that had been protected from the sun showed an increase in collagen production. Skin that had been aged by the sun did not show the same level of results. Estradiol cream is available in a variety of concentrations, ranging from 0.01 percent to 2.5 percent.
Step 3
Stimulate collagen production through microdermabrasion treatments. This type of procedure essentially sands the top layer of your skin off, bringing a fresh layer of skin to the surface. Dr. Darius J. Karimipour of the University of Michigan explains that through microdermabrasion, your skin may produce more collagen, as if it were trying to heal a wound.
Step 4
Stimulate collagen production to combat deep wrinkles by undergoing a cosmetic procedure known as a "filler." Materials such as your own fat harvested from other areas of your body, collagen and hyaluronic acid can all be injected into your wrinkles to smooth them out. The process prompts the body to build more collagen, as well. Researchers at the University of Michigan Medical School found that the injections stretched the skin cells out, which sends a message to the body to stop breaking down collagen and to grow more of the protein.
Things You'll Need
- Sunscreen
- Hat
- Sunglasses
- Estradiol cream
- Cosmetic treatments
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