I remember my friend, Sharon, falling into depression when she noticed the formation of wrinkles in her under-eye area? She lost her self-confidence and couldn’t even look into my eyes during a conversation. It was that bad!
Well, many of us, like Sharon, dread the signs of skin aging. Do not worry! I have got good news for you. Oops! Let me start with the not-so-good news: “Aging is a natural process we all must embrace.” However, the good news is that you can actually slow down the development of signs of aging.
Aging signs are strongly associated with collagen depletion in your skin. But there are many natural ways in which you can help your body produce more collagen, thereby reducing the signs of skin aging.
Taking collagen supplements like “collagen powder drink” has been found to help many people slow down signs of aging and rebuild collagen under the eyes.
What does collagen mean?
You might have heard the name “collagen” or seen collagen products on the shelves of pharmaceutical or beauty stores, and wondered what it means. Well, I’ll keep it simple for you.
Collagen is the most abundant protein in the body. In fact, it takes up about 75-80% of the skin. Apart from the skin, collagen makes up an important part of muscles, organs, bones, tendons, ligaments, and blood vessels.
What does this abundant protein do to your skin? Collagen, along with elastin, helps prevent wrinkles and fine lines from forming. Do you now see why collagen is a major ingredient in most anti-aging products you find in beauty stores?
How come the under-eyes area loses collagen?
Since collagen is abundant in the body, you might be asking, “how come the under-eye area loses this protein?” Well, the reason is simple. Aging and poor diet are two factors that cause a decrease in skin collagen levels.
Your body produces natural collagen from a combination of amino acids in protein-rich foods. The body also needs a good supply of zinc, copper, and vitamin C to make collagen.
However, as you age, your body finds it hard to absorb and synthesize these needed nutrients to make collagen. Hence, your collagen level begins to drop by 1% each year. This usually starts in your early twenties.
Other factors like smoking, stress, pollution, and over-consumption of refined carbs affect collagen production.
As your collagen level drops, you begin to notice the development of wrinkles and fine lines. More so, loss of collagen leads to joint pains, weakening of muscles, and stiffening of ligaments and tendons. You may also experience gastrointestinal issues.
How to rebuild collagen under eyes
First, you need to know that the skin in your under-eye area is very thin and sensitive. Moreover, this skin area is prone to dryness. When you lose collagen, you experience signs of aging under the eyes through the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
However, you don’t have to be disturbed if you’ve noticed any of these signs in your under-eye area. Here are some natural measures to help boost your collagen production in your skin:
Collagen supplementation
Taking collagen supplements is a good way to rebuild collagen under the eyes. However, note that collagen is too big to pass through the skin, so using collagen creams may not produce your desired result. Instead, taking collagen drinks works better to reduce wrinkles and give you firm skin.
Take more vitamin C
Vitamin C offers many benefits to the body. This strong antioxidant helps counter the damaging effect of free radicals. In addition, vitamin C is important for the repair and growth of tissues in your body.
However, your body neither produces nor stores vitamin C. You need to get vitamin C from natural food sources such as Oranges, mango, watermelon, pineapple, tomatoes, potatoes, leafy green vegetables, etc.
Also, it is important to note that vitamin C is water-soluble. This means you need to be hydrated enough for vitamin C to travel around the body.
Stay hydrated always
Apart from supporting the action of vitamin C, staying hydrated offers more benefits to your body and skin. Water is naturally needed for collagen synthesis in the skin.
So when your skin is dehydrated, it becomes hard for the collagen content to repair itself. Drinking water also helps your epidermis, your skin’s outer layer, to stay healthy.
Apart from drinking water, you can also get good hydration by eating foods like spinach, watermelon, and other vegetables and fruits.
Limit your skin exposure to sunlight
The UV rays cause great damage to the skin. Too much exposure to sunlight can leave your skin dry and leathery. Worst still, you may be at risk of developing skin cancer.
Now to your collagen, sun exposure breaks up collagen fibers, leading to the formation of wrinkles and other signs of aging.
Hence, avoid prolonged exposure to sunlight. Always use sunscreen with at least SPF 30 to effectively block out harmful UV rays.
Use Aloe Vera Gel
Aloe Vera offers many benefits to the skin. This plant contains active ingredients that boost collagen production. Using aloe vera gel has been shown to change collagen composition and cross-linking, hence reducing fine lines, wrinkles, and other signs of skin aging, making your under-eye skin more elastic.
Closing Remark
Rebuilding collagen under the eyes may sound impossible, but many people have seen good results with smoother skin under the eyes using the measures highlighted above.
By taking a collagen supplement, taking collagen boosting and vitamin C-rich foods, staying hydrated, reducing your skin’s exposure to sunlight, and including Aloe Vera gel in your routine, you can increase collagen production in the skin around your under-eye area.
However, you should quit smoking and limit your caffeine intake to prevent collagen from breaking down. You can talk to your doctor today to learn more ways to rebuild collagen underneath your eyes.