2) Supplements!
So although natural collagen production is very definitely achievable through a healthy and balanced diet, there are a plethora of collagen supplements on the market.
Obviously, it’s advisable to check with a health practitioner or the supplement representative before adding a supplement to your diet to ensure it is safe for you and going to give you the desired results.
They are recent studies (and more emerging!) that show ingesting collagen regularly for at least a minimum of 3 months, either through collagen peptides or collagen hydrolysate (which are tiny pieces of collagen that get absorbed into the blood stream and carried to the rest of the body) can improve the quality of the skin.
By taking the collagen in this form, the body is tricked into thinking some damage has been done and it needs to be repaired. Thus, collagen production is stimulated! For example: the fibroblasts in the dermis layer of your skin are kickstarted to produce more collagen to repair the perceived damage.
These supplements are often (not always!) from bovine or marine sources, so come from the bones and connective tissues found in animals. However, studies show that marine sources tend to be less inflammatory and more easily absorbed into the body.
But what about vegan options? For the most part, vegan options contain the important nutrients to help the body produce collagen, so rather than giving the body extra collagen, the supplement is providing the key ingredients the body needs to make more collagen naturally! These include but not limited to:
Aloe vera – increases collagen production and accelerates skin healing
Biotin – otherwise known as vitamin H, is a B vitamin that can be found in bananas, seeds and nuts
Vitamin C – needed for the maintenance and protection of collagen
Zinc – to help repair cells and protect collagen