Collagen Collapse

Collagen collapse is a prelude to wrinkles. We can't stop it happening but we can slow it down and retard its effects. Collagen shrinks with age and weakens, losing its elasticity and resilience. "Cross-linkage" takes place as collagen fibres intertwine, forming a hard mass instead of a series of malleable strands. As elasticity goes, so does that youthful complexion.


To counteract collagen collapse:

• Protect your face(and rest of you) from destructive ultra violet sun waves. They viciously attack collagen. Besides wrinkles, a sun-abused face can be left feeling like leather, with skin cancers and dehydration other unhealthy consequences.
• Adequate sun protection means wearing sunscreen, a shady hat and never exposing your face directly to the sun. For extra protection, wear a foundation that contains a sunscreen. You may like the so-called healthy look of tan but remember that cross-linking is most accelerated by UV rays.
• Alcohol, cigarettes and coffee also spur on the process of cross-linking, as well as depleting body of vitamin C, which produces collagen. So cut back on these skin hazards and step up your intake of citrus fruits, salads and coffee substitutes.
• Low concentrations of topical Vitamin A - retonic acid- applied daily are also said to speed up collagen formation.
• Consider having a course of collagen implant replacement injections. Injected collagen can't make lines disappear but it perceptibly softens and blurs them. It's a relatively simple, safe, non-surgical and painless procedure and results are almost immediate.
  
  Using an ultra-fine needle, a specially trained, a qualified doctor injects a tiny amount of highly purified collagen into the top layer of skin. A small amount of anaesthetic is included in each shot to minimize discomfort. The treatment is most effective on frown lines on the forehead and between the eyebrows, the creases from the nose to the corner of the mouth, crows feet, lines around the mouth and neck creases.