If you’ve ever wondered why you can’t restore your skin to its youthful vibrancy and freshness, it’s time to learn a little bit more about collagen.
As a board-certified dermatologist, Dr. Barbara Bopp helps patients with common skin flaws that become more apparent with age and changes in collagen production. Dr. Bopp understands the power of collagen for healthy skin and offers a variety of in-office, nonsurgical services to boost your skin’s vitality and firmness.
Learn more about what collagen is and what it means for healthy skin.
The backstory on collagen
Collagen is a protein that’s naturally produced by your body. This protein acts as a glue of sorts, keeping your tissues, hair, muscles, and bones connected and making them strong, flexible, and healthy.
Collagen is most notably a building block for youthful skin. Your body produces an abundance of collagen in your younger years, which is why your skin glows and stays wrinkle-free.
However, as you get older, your body begins the gradual slowdown of collagen production. This reduction of collagen does have an effect on your inner structures but may be most obvious in the condition of your skin.
Without a great resource of this vital protein, skin becomes looser and less flexible than before. You start noticing more areas of sagging skin, deeper wrinkles, and groups of fine lines that develop around your facial features.
When you combine the loss of collagen with the effects of the environment — like sun damage and exposure to toxins — you can start looking older than your actual age.
Options for replenishing your collagen
Improving the health of your skin should start with your diet. You can actually get a boost in collagen from eating foods that contain the protein. Some food options to increase collagen intake include:
- Pork
- Salmon
- Egg yolks
- Bone broth
- Chicken skin
Your diet alone may not be enough to increase collagen levels to improve the appearance and texture of your skin though. For this reason, Dr. Bopp offers nonsurgical options to increase your body’s own collagen production.
Treatment options with collagen-boosting benefits
There are several procedures Dr. Bopp performs in her office to stimulate the production of more collagen. Some of these services include:
Laser treatments
Laser treatments using advanced technology like Laser Genesis® and the Halo™ system use laser energy to heat the deep tissues beneath the surface of your skin.
This laser energy stimulates a renewed production of collagen, which develops in the weeks after your procedure to further enhance your results.
Dermal filler injections
Dermal filler injections using products like Radiesse® can add immediate volume to your face and smooth out noticeable lines and wrinkles.
Another injectable, Sculptra®, is also beneficial for new collagen production. Instead of adding filler materials beneath the skin’s surface to address wrinkles, Sculptra injections are designed to trigger the production of new collagen to naturally restore facial volume and fullness.
Microneedling
Microneedling is a minimally invasive procedure that involves the use of a special tool that creates microscopic puncture wounds in your skin.
As a natural healing response to these wounds, your body creates new collagen to repair tissue damage, which boosts the overall firmness and health of your skin.
Nonsurgical facelift
A nonsurgical facelift uses Ultherapy® technology to replenish collagen production. Ultherapy triggers the body to produce more collagen by treating skin tissues with high-frequency ultrasound waves.
This nonsurgical, noninvasive treatment is effective in addressing facial wrinkles and sagging neck skin. As more collagen grows, your skin becomes firmer, smoother, and more youthful-looking.
Forever Young BBL
Forever Young broadband light (BBL) therapy is a noninvasive treatment that uses different wavelengths of broadband light to destroy visible freckles and age spots. The technology can also treat rosacea and other skin discolorations.
The heat of BBL therapy is very effective in triggering your body’s natural healing response, stimulating the production of collagen. New collagen development in the weeks after your treatment boosts the health and texture of your skin, helping you regain your youthful glow.
There are other options for stimulating new collagen for better skin. To learn which options are right for you, call us at Bopp Dermatology & Facial Plastic Surgery today.