Have you ever struggled with skin that is dull, rough, sagging or wrinkled? Most people have. Much of this can be attributed to the breakdown of collagen. Keep reading to see how collagen skin care can keep your complexion plump, firm and smooth.

Does skin look older than your actual age?

In today's world, many people struggle with complexions that look and behave older than their actual age. Modern lifestyles and damaging environmental assault have an impact on the way your skin looks. Just look at the different damaging factors that contribute to a skin taking on age before its time:

• Pollution
• Poor diet
• Lack of sleep
• Incorrect product usage
• Over-aggressive at-home exfoliation
• Over-aggressive professional peels
• Stress
• UV rays

There's a direct connection between stress, pollution, poor diet, UV rays, etc. that increase premature age signs, but can collagen skin care reverse the damage?

The collagen crisis

Is your skin experiencing a collagen crisis? Collagen is the skin's main protein, and it helps keep it plump, firm and smooth. However, the intrinsic and extrinsic actions factors listed above weaken and damage collagen, so skin appears lined, sagged, rough, dull, and lacks the ability to retain water. This is why collagen skin care is an essential part of any modern skin care routine.

Feed the skin with amino acids – produce more collagen

Does topical collagen work? A high quality collagen mask, like Collagen Rehab, will absolutely help revitalize and restore skin.

"To help the skin renew itself you need to feed your skin with the right collagen skin care ingredients that stimulate collagen regeneration. Amino Acids, such as those found inBioelements Collagen Rehab mask, are stimulating building blocks of protein that are essential to the skin's renewal process. Like I've always said, you want to help your skin help itself. This mask will feed the skin with what it needs to change itself from the inside out." –Teresa Stenzel, Bioelements Director of Education

Essentially, collagen is fueled by amino acids, and needs a regular dose to strengthen, repair itself and prevent age signs. Collagen Rehab is formulated with 5 plant collagen amino acids  (rice extract, carrot, soy bean, quinoa, and red ginseng) to deliver a complex of proline, glutamic acid, oxyproline and glycine amino acids that feed skin's collagen.

Collagen Rehab is an ingenious fusion of collagen-supporting amino acids, softening mango and moisture-builders rehabilitate aging, lined and exhausted skin.

Amino acids and other ingredients help support collagen and elastin performance – so lines appear filled, skin looks firmer, and acts years younger. Plus, vitamin F and fatty acid-infused lipids mimic skin's natural ability to maintain elasticity. This saturates skin to create a discernable moisture barrier that lasts up to 72 hours. Wrinkle appearance improves, and skin looks instantly renewed, dewy and firmer.

Collagen skin care benefits are plentiful in this formula:

• Skin replacement lipids + fillers:
  • Help increase production of Collagen I by 179% and Collagen III (youth collagen) by 194%*
  • Increase elasticity by 1.6 x in 15 days*
  • Increase production of elastin by 190%*
  • Increase firmness by 13x in 15 days*
• Aloe helps stimulate collagen as it moisturizes
• The 72 hour moisture reservoir provides more than 50% reduction in flakiness caused by dry skin**

This multi-tasking formula can also be applied to lips for an intensive overnight treatment.

Natural Moisturizing Factor (NMF)

Skin's Natural Moisturizing Factor, or NMF, also plays a huge role in aged, damaged and dehydrated skin. NMF is a naturally occurring human function that maintains, protects and enhances healthy skin function. When your collagen is weakened, your NMF is also weakened.

"How does collagen lose its firming and NMF power? All sorts of environmental assaults can affect our skin at every layer. Pollution, for example, causes free radicals to appear and wreak havoc on the skin by scavenging necessary cellular components such as cellular membranes, lipids and cellular DNA. This creates oxidation, which degrade collagen fibers and hinder their NMF function." –Teresa Stenzel

Basically, if you want hydrated, youthful, and plump skin, you need to protect your skin's Natural Moisturizer Factor, which means protecting and repairing your skin's collagen.

If you have any questions about collagen skin care, sign up for our email newsletter or comment below!

*Source: Ex vivo tests

**Source: In vivo tests