Collagen & Your Skin
Learning about the connection between collagen and your skin and how to increase protein production will ensure that you maintain healthy skin as you age.
What is Collagen?
What are the Benefits of Collagen?
Simply put, collagen gives your skin strength, plumpness, structure, and elasticity.
Ways to Increase Collagen
Radiesse
This injectable filler can plump folded areas or wrinkles on your face. After it is gently injected, Radiesse works to stimulate your body’s natural collagen, filling existing wrinkles and assisting your skin in the development of new collagen. It is very effective in treating wrinkles around the mouth and nose and restoring any volume loss in the face.
Ultherapy
For those who shy away from injectables, this noninvasive skin-tightening procedure can lift drooping skin on the face while improving fine lines and wrinkles. Ultherapy is an innovative skin treatment that boasts natural-looking results and no downtime, so you won’t have to take any time off work. It is also the only FDA approved non surgical face, neck and chest lift. Ultherapy is the only treatment that targets the collagen at the exact temperature to cause neocollagenisis – the creation of new collagen. Ultherapy enables the user to visualize the collagen layers via ultrasound where it matters most, in the skin’s subcutaneous tissue, since skin thickness varies from person to person.
Microneedling
This minimally invasive procedure is best known for stimulating collagen production. During a procedure, one can expect to feel tiny needle pricks around the area of their concern. Microneedling, or collagen induction therapy, is always done with sterilized needles. Because it does leave you with some slight redness and swelling, 24 to 48 hours of “down time” is suggested after the treatment. Procedures that gently permeate the outer layer of the skin are significantly effective in stimulating collagen production by increasing blood flow and circulation.
PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma)
This skin rejuvenation procedure is otherwise known as a “vampire facial.” In addition to promoting the body’s natural production of collagen, PRP is also used to treat acne scars, hyperpigmentation, and dull skin tone. During the procedure, a medical professional will take a blood sample from the patient. After blood is collected, they use a device called a centrifuge to spin the sample and separate the platelets from the other blood components. Platelets are then extracted and carefully concentrated within the plasma. Once this platelet-rich plasma is created, it’s injected into the target areas on your face. The platelet-rich plasma increases the concentration of growth factors to restore volume, regenerate, and heal the skin. Like microneedling, one to two days of recovery is suggested.