Enjoy Healthy Skin from the Inside Out
What do collagen supplements, vitamin C, and staying hydrated all have in common? They all
promote smooth, healthy skin. With a healthy balance of all three, you can look and feel as
young as you are at heart.
In this post, we’ll discuss the benefits of all three, and they work together to improve your health.
What is Collagen, and How Much Do You Need
Collagen is your body’s most abundant protein and serves many essential functions, including
strengthening your bones and providing your skin with structure. It’s also the main component of
connective tissues like your muscles, ligaments, tendons, and skin.
Your body loses collagen as you age. When you reach 40, you may lose up to 1% of your body’s collagen annually. Excess sun exposure, smoking, alcohol consumption, and your diet
can also impact how much collagen you lose.
Clinical studies found that taking 2.5–15 grams of hydrolyzed collagen peptides (collagen
supplements commonly found in capsule or powder form) daily can be safe and effective, depending on your need. Smaller doses could benefit skin health, hydration, and joint pain,
while larger doses can improve bone density, muscle mass, and body composition.
Health Benefits of Collagen
Collagen supplementation offers numerous potential health benefits, including but not limited to:
Heart Health
Collagen helps give structure to your arteries, making it easier for your blood vessels to transfer blood from your heart to the rest of your body. In one study, 31 healthy adults consumed 16 grams of collagen every day for six months and experienced a “significant reduction” in artery stiffness.
Muscle Mass
As the most abundant protein in your body, collagen plays a pivotal role in skeletal muscle. In a 12-week study, 53 men aged 68-72 participated in an exercise program. Twenty-seven of them took collagen supplements, while 26 did not. By the end of the program, the men who took collagen supplements gained substantially more muscle mass.
Bone Loss Prevention
Your bones are also abundant in collagen. When you begin losing collagen, you also lose bone mass, which can lead to conditions like osteoporosis. In a 12-month study, 66 post-menopausal women consumed five grams of collagen supplements daily and experienced a 7% increase in their bone mineral density.
Joint Pain Relief
Collagen helps maintain the structure of your cartilage, which protects your joints. When collagen production decreases, you may experience degenerative joint disorders. Conversely, collagen supplements can relieve joint pain by maintaining cartilage integrity.
Improve Skin Health
Collagen promotes skin strength, elasticity, and hydration, so it makes sense that decreased collagen production can lead to wrinkles and dry skin. Multiple studies have found that collagen supplements or peptides can slow your aging process. Collagen supplements might also promote elastin and fibrillin production—proteins that help structure your skin.
Understanding Vitamin C and How Much You Need
Collagen does wonders for your body, but it hardly works alone. Vitamin C helps collagen production while simultaneously forming your bones’ blood vessels, muscles, and cartilage.
Vitamin C is an antioxidant found in a variety of foods, including citrus fruits, berries, tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, spinach, broccoli, and more. It protects your body against free radicals, which your body produces when exposed to the sun, tobacco smoke, or breaking down food. Free radicals can play a crucial role in cancer, cardiovascular issues, and other diseases.
Physicians recommend adult men and women consume 90mg and 75mg of vitamin C daily,
respectively.
Health Benefits of Vitamin C
Here are a few of the many benefits of vitamin C:
Accelerated Collagen Production
Topical vitamin C can increase collagen and elastin production, keeping your skin firm and plump. Maintaining consistent collagen levels can prevent premature aging, while maintaining or restoring smooth, youthful skin.
Helps Treat Hyperpigmentation
Vitamin C can prevent signs of aging due to sun damage, and helps reduce dark spots on your skin. It also inhibits the production of enzymes that generate melanin, further preventing hyperpigmentation.
Reduces the Circles Beneath Your Eyes
No one likes dark circles under their eyes. These circles are actually a network of blood vessels that form after a few nights of inadequate sleep. One clinical study found that vitamin C helps prevent and reduce these circles by strengthening the delicate, thin skin below your eyes.
Reduces Redness
Vitamin C’s antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties can minimize redness. It also helps fix the damaged capillaries responsible for causing redness in the first place, simultaneously smoothing your skin and improving its complexion.
Hydrates Your Skin
Lastly, vitamin C helps your skin retain water so it can remain smooth and plump without becoming dry or oily. Research shows that people who consume the daily recommended amount of vitamin C are more likely to sustain skin elasticity and hydration improvements.
How Much Water Do You Need?
You need to stay hydrated if you want your body to function correctly. Your skin is an organ—the
largest in your body—and it’s mostly made of water.
Your body loses water daily through breath, urine, bowel movements, and perspiration. To
replenish your body, experts recommend a daily fluid intake of 15.5 cups for men and 11.5 cups
for women. Keep in mind that about 20% of your daily fluid intake often comes from food and
other beverages.
Your recommended water intake may vary based on your overall health, environment, how
much exercise you’re getting, and numerous other factors.
Health Benefits of Staying Hydrated
Here are just a few of the many benefits of staying hydrated:
Faster Healing
Drinking more water can help your body heal faster. For example, it can speed up the healing process of getting a sunburn.
Wrinkle Reduction
Water improves your skin’s elasticity by helping it remain moist. The more elastic your skin is, the fewer wrinkles you’ll experience. Skin elasticity also helps tighten skin throughout your body, including your stomach, arms, legs, and jawline.
Improved Complexion
Staying hydrated helps your digestive system flush out your body’s toxins. As a result, it improves your skin’s complexion and combats skin problems like eczema and psoriasis. One study found that even drinking as little as two cups of water per day can increase blood flow to the skin and improve complexion.
Reduced Itchiness
Dry skin can flake, crack, and cause itchiness. Staying hydrated prevents your skin from drying out and reduces your chances of it becoming itchy.
Healthy pH Balance
Maintaining a healthy pH balance helps keep your skin glowing and blemish-free, so keep drinking water—or start drinking more now!
Enjoy More Health Benefits at Boston Direct Health
From aesthetics to primary care to sexual wellness, Boston Direct Health has everything you need for enhanced, optimal wellness. Whether you’re deciding on the right collagen supplements to buy or want to discover the perfect skincare routine for you, we’re here to help you feel better—inside and out.
Dr. Steve Zivich
My name is Dr. Steve Zivich, and I am the owner of Boston Direct Health. I attended the Commonwealth University School of Medicine and completed my Surgical Internship at the prestigious Boston Medical Center. I am passionate about sharing my knowledge of chronic illness management, obesity, diabetes, metabolic diseases, body contouring, and more. As a proud member of the LBGTQ community, I am dedicated to providing compassionate, comprehensive healthcare services to people from all walks of life. My goal is to listen to your health concerns and create a plan to help you look and feel your best. Your health is my priority.
