A woman in her 30s wearing stripes.

When you look into anti-aging skincare and ingredients, there's no doubt you will come across, collagen. This form of protein plays a significant role in providing structure to your skin. It's responsible for giving us plump, youthful-looking skin by encouraging the renewal of cells.

However, due to aging and external factors, our collagen breaks down as we get older. The good news is, there are many collagen-boosting solutions in the market, from creams to supplements to chicken soup. Keep reading to find out what is collagen and how it make your skin look younger. 

What is Collagen?

Collagen is the most abundant form of protein in the human body, found in tissues of the muscles, bones, blood vessels, tendons, and the digestive system. However, collagen is mostly associated with the skin and how it makes skin look younger. Collagen levels are high in , resulting in supple, firm, and smooth skin.

This is because collagen helps in cell regeneration and restores dead skin cells. So not only does it keep joints healthy, collagen is also responsible for skin elasticity.

Why Do Women Above 30 Need It?

According to Harvard Health, the body’s natural production of collagen slows down as we reach our 20s. This decline becomes significant once we hit our 30s, resulting in our skin losing its elasticity. Excessive , smoking, and consuming lots of sugar speed this process up, even more, resulting in sagging skin, fine lines, and wrinkles.

If you’re in your 30s, you may start reaching for products that promise to make skin appear more youthful or address fine lines and wrinkles — what these products do is mainly stimulate collagen production in the skin. 

Here are some ingredients that you should be looking for if you want to boost collagen. You can also try POND'S anti-age products to do the trick.

Load up on vitamin C.

Vitamin C plays a vital role in protecting the skin, reversing sun damage, preventing , and stimulating new collagen growth. It helps in healing connective tissues, and the body can’t form collagen without it. Eating vitamin C-rich foods – including broccoli, kale, oranges, and strawberries – can help boost levels of , which is an essential compound for collagen production and naturally decreases as we age. 

Add hyaluronic acid to your routine.

Hyaluronic acid and collagen work together in giving your skin elasticity. Although it doesn’t penetrate the skin deep enough because of its large molecular size, hyaluronic acid helps the body’s ability to produce and use collagen by providing a moisture-rich environment where collagen can thrive without breaking.

For the skin, hyaluronic acid provides plumpness and firmness by drawing and holding moisture and also makes fine lines appear smoother and the skin dewier.

Slather on some retinol.

There's a reason retinol is the ultimate ingredient for addressing fine lines and wrinkles: it is an antioxidant that is known to effectively stimulate the production of new collagen in the skin. It also helps prolong the lifespan of existing collagen by protecting it. This skin-restoring ingredient helps strengthen skin and reduces the appearance of wrinkles and sunspots. Harvard Health recommends using lotions or creams with retinol as an active ingredient.

Take note, though, that retinol can make your skin more sensitive to the sun, so it’s crucial to apply SPF daily.

Boost skin renewal with the best anti-aging face serum for your skin. POND’S Age Miracle Youthful Glow Double Action Serum is enriched with 30x skin renewal actives. It renews skin while providing intense hydration and nourishment. As the second step of a skincare regimen, you can apply it after washing your face.

If you’re jumping on the anti-aging bandwagon, these products boost your collagen and can help combat fine lines and wrinkles, as well as maintain skin elasticity.