Your skin is your body’s largest organ. It’s your shield against the elements. It’s what you show to the outside world. When it comes to your skin, you always want to put your best foot forward. 

Did you know that the innermost layer of your skin consists of proteins like collagen (80% of your skin’s structure), which helps with firmness and strength, and elastin, which provides elasticity and helps your skin stay tight? [17] It’s important to maintain the health and integrity of these proteins to keep your skin looking and feeling its best. But, how?

Keep reading to find out.

What causes the loss of elasticity in the skin? 

Changes in the integrity of our skin are a natural part of the aging process. Your skin’s elasticity is its ability to stretch and snap back into its original shape. When we lose this elasticity, it’s called elastosis, a condition that can make skin look saggy, crinkled, or even leathery. 

Many factors can cause our skin to lose elasticity and tightness, such as: 

1. Excessive sun exposure. We’ve all heard time and time again to make sure you lather up with sunscreen before going anywhere. That advice is science-backed. The sun we love and crave emits ultraviolet radiation (UVR) that can destroy collagen and elastin fibers needed for skin elasticity and strength. [12]
2. Air pollution. Senescent cells are special cells that, at some point, stop multiplying yet don't die off. Instead, these cells remain, releasing chemicals that can trigger inflammation. Recent research discovered that air pollutants promote this cellular senescence and thus premature skin aging. [10,11] 
3. Poor nutrition. Healthy eating affects more than you might think. A balanced diet can help reduce the loss of collagen, so a poor diet speeds up that loss, leading to premature aging, wrinkling, and sagging. [9]
4. Smoking. Tobacco smoke has a ton of harmful chemicals in it that degrade the building blocks of your skin, leading to premature aging and wrinkles. [8]
5. Weight loss. A healthy loss of weight can be a good thing, but in some cases, it can leave you with lots of loose skin. 
6. Dehydration. If you’re not drinking enough water daily, you may notice that your skin is dry, flaky, and wrinkled. Ever heard of the ‘skin pinch test?’ This test measures skin turgor, or skin elasticity, and follows that the more hydrated you are, the more elastic your skin - easily bouncing back into place after pinching it. If you’re dehydrated, the skin takes longer to return to normal. [6]
7. Stress. Did you know your skin is an immediate stress perceiver? Stress increases the production of cortisol which worsens inflammatory responses in the skin, leading to premature collagen and elastin breakdown, thus a loss of firmness and tightness. Plus, stress is often correlated with red, sensitive, and acne-prone skin.[7]
8. Collagen degradation. Keep reading to learn more about how you can lose collagen. 

How can I get that elasticity back? 

The good news—elastosis doesn’t have to be permanent. Your skin’s elasticity can be improved, and elastosis can even be prevented.

Wondering what to do? Check out some of our researched suggestions to get started. 

1. Relieve Your Stress

We want to dial the stressors down. Here are some ideas to do just that: 

2. Get More Sleep

Beauty sleep is real. 

Sleep is a foundation for not just general health and wellness, but your skin, too. While you’re getting in some quality snoozes, your body is working overtime to detoxify your skin and other organs, removing waste, repairing cells, rebuilding collagen, and even reducing wrinkles and age spots. It’s pretty easy to tell if you got a poor night’s rest when your skin isn’t giving an “I woke up like this” appearance: [15,16]

So, make sure you’re getting the recommended 7 to 9 hours of sleep each and every night. It’s also good practice to wash your face before turning it in, making sure to put on a topical overnight moisturizer to keep your skin healthy and hydrated. 

3. Start Eating Healthier & Stay Hydrated

Opt for antioxidant-rich, anti-inflammatory foods. You’ll want plenty of phytonutrients and polyphenols to help promote healthy skin cells. That means lots more nutritious plant dishes—fresh fruits, yummy veggies, herbs, spices, teas, and more. [14]   Try incorporating foods like: 

A balanced diet for skin health also means staying hydrated! For super soft, supple, tight skin, your body needs H2O. Drink 8 glasses or more every day. When you’re thirsty, listen to your body. Drink up! Hydrating foods like cucumbers or apples are great, too. 

To further a healthier diet, add a daily multivitamin. You’ll want one that includes vitamins like A, E, and C. Why? These types of vitamins are helpful in fighting free radicals and oxidative stress, supporting a normal inflammatory response, promoting a healthier skin barrier, and even helping the natural turnover of skin cells—all vital processes in overall skin health. [13] 

Our Pattern Wellness Multivitamin is formulated for whole body health, with a high potency of 19 naturally-derived essential vitamins and minerals. 

4. Take Collagen Supplements

Collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body, decisive in things like skin physiology, skin structure, and cartilage. It is an essential powerhouse compound in our biological makeup that is jam-packed with amino acid goodies like Glycine, Proline, Hydroxyproline, and Arginine. [2,5]

Why is that important? Those rich amino acids help you stay healthy. More specifically, those amino acids are keeping your hair, skin, nails, and body tissues strong. [2] 

As we age, collagen production begins to decrease—typically by the age of 60. But collagen depletion can happen at any age from naturally occurring environmental factors, among other things.

Why is this a problem? Collagen is the ‘glue’ that holds it all together, maintaining your skin’s strength and flexibility. When the integrity of collagen in the body declines, your skin loses elasticity, wrinkles can form, and cartilage can weaken.[1,3] 

That’s where Pattern Wellness Collagen Peptides come in. 

What are Collagen Peptides? 

We’re so glad you asked. 

Collagen peptides are a hydrolyzed form of collagen. They are made from the same amino acids as collagen, however, collagen peptides are more easily absorbed by the body. [4] 

Collagen peptides come mostly in the form of powder and can be added to almost anything—water, smoothies, your morning coffee, and even your favorite recipes. They are convenient and easy to use to supplement your body’s natural production of collagen. 

Our Collagen Peptides Powder is made with a formula you can trust—certified hormone-free, flavorless, USA-manufactured, and 100% non-GMO—so you can maintain skin elasticity and smoothness with ease for a glowing, youthful look. 

Searching for more ways to stay in tip-top shape? Click right here. Pattern Wellness offers you nature’s best and purest ingredients so you can easily jumpstart your health from within. 

Resources:

1. David M. Reilly, & Jennifer Lozano. (2021, January). Skin collagen through the life stages: importance for skin health and beauty. Plastic and Aesthetic Research. Retrieved from https://oaepublishstorage.blob.core.windows.net/31d21692-1f43-4888-b39d-c1e25032fcda/3863.pdf 
2. Gauza-Włodarczyk, Marlena, et al. “Amino acid composition in the determination of collagen origin and assessment of physical factors effects.” International journal of biological macromolecules vol. 104, Pt A (2017): 987-991. doi:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2017.07.013 
3. de Paz-Lugo, Patricia et al. “High glycine concentration increase collagen synthesis by articular chondrocytes in vitro: acute glycine deficiency could be an important cause of osteoarthritis.” Amino acids vol. 50,10 (2018): 1357-1365. doi:10.1007/s00726-018-2611-x
4. León-López, Arely, et al. “Hydrolyzed Collagen-Sources and Applications.” Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) vol. 24,22 4031. 7 Nov. 2019, doi:10.3390/molecules24224031 
5. Bolke, L., Schlippe, G., Gerß, J., & Voss, W. (2019). A Collagen Supplement Improves Skin Hydration, Elasticity, Roughness, and Density: Results of a Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Blind Study. Nutrients, 11(10), 2494. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11102494 
6. Meri T. Goehring, Ph.D. Joni Farran, DPT Courtney Ingles-Laughlin, DPT Sarah Benedista-Seelman, DPT Betsy Williams, MSLIS. (2022, April). Measures of Skin Turgor in Humans: A Systematic Review of the Literature. Hmpgloballearningnetwork.com. Retrieved from https://www.hmpgloballearningnetwork.com/site/wmp/empirical-studies/measures-skin-turgor-humans-systematic-review-literature 
7. Chen, Y., & Lyga, J. (2014). Brain-skin connection: stress, inflammation and skin aging. Inflammation & allergy drug targets, 13(3), 177–190. https://doi.org/10.2174/1871528113666140522104422 
8. Yazdanparast, T., Hassanzadeh, H., Nasrollahi, S. A., Seyedmehdi, S. M., Jamaati, H., Naimian, A., Karimi, M., Roozbahani, R., & Firooz, A. (2019). Cigarettes Smoking and Skin: A Comparison Study of the Biophysical Properties of Skin in Smokers and Non-Smokers. Tanaffos, 18(2), 163–168. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7230126/ 
9. Cao, C., Xiao, Z., Wu, Y., & Ge, C. (2020). Diet and Skin Aging-From the Perspective of Food Nutrition. Nutrients, 12(3), 870. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12030870 
10. Martic, I., Jansen-Dürr, P., & Cavinato, M. (2022). Effects of Air Pollution on Cellular Senescence and Skin Aging. Cells, 11(14), 2220. https://doi.org/10.3390/cells11142220 
11. NIH, National Instittue on Aging (2021). Does cellular senescence hold secrets for healthier aging? Research Highlights, Aging Biology, NIH. https://www.nia.nih.gov/news/does-cellular-senescence-hold-secrets-healthier-aging 
12. Rittié, L., & Fisher, G. J. (2015). Natural and sun-induced aging of human skin. Cold Spring Harbor perspectives in medicine, 5(1), a015370. https://doi.org/10.1101/cshperspect.a015370 
13. Michalak, M., Pierzak, M., Kręcisz, B., & Suliga, E. (2021). Bioactive Compounds for Skin Health: A Review. Nutrients, 13(1), 203. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13010203 
14. Evans, J. A., & Johnson, E. J. (2010). The role of phytonutrients in skin health. Nutrients, 2(8), 903–928. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu2080903 
15. Sundelin Tina, Lekander Mats, Sorjonen Kimmo and Axelsson John 2017 Negative effects of restricted sleep on facial appearance and social appealR. Soc. open sci.4160918160918, http://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.160918 
16. Tina Sundelin, MSc, Mats Lekander, Ph.D., Göran Kecklund, PhD, Eus J. W. Van Someren, Ph.D., Andreas Olsson, PhD, John Axelsson, PhD, Cues of Fatigue: Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Facial Appearance, Sleep, Volume 36, Issue 9, 1 September 2013, Pages 1355–1360, https://doi.org/10.5665/sleep.2964 
17. Spritzler, F. (2021, August 3). How to tighten loose skin after weight loss. Healthline. Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/loose-skin-after-weight-loss