This protein keeps the skin plump, youthful, and hydrated for optimal elasticity.

As we age, the body naturally produces less collagen, and our skin gets thin and wrinkled, showing signs of aging, pigmentation issues, and dryness.

This consistent loss of collagen is responsible for the foundational structural change in the skin. This is one of the main contributing factors to aging.

The best approach to help delay signs of aging is to support and stimulate your body's natural collagen production, which helps maintain skin firmness and elasticity.

Regardless of age, it is highly beneficial to focus on replenishing the body’s collagen stores.

Stimulating collagen production at the cellular level with high-quality skincare ingredients is necessary for rejuvenated skin, and similarly, your body needs specific nutrients to make fresh collagen and stay supported.

Few popular diets focus on skin health or anti-aging, but your food can provide the best building blocks for cells to produce collagen.

While specific diets provide some essential building blocks, you need a diet that brings it all to your skin and tissues; doing so helps you support your skin functionally and aid your anti-aging skincare routine.

For example, a carnivorous diet high in protein is great for amino acids, but if it excludes fruits and vegetables and lacks essential nutrients such as Vitamin C, you aen't going to receive the full collagen-boosting benefit.

You must balance these nutrients to achieve youthful, healthy skin with optimal collagen production.

The best diet for youthful, beautiful skin for life requires the following components:

Amino acids are essential building blocks for protein, which is vital for the growth and maintenance of tissues in the body, including the skin.

Three specific amino acids, proline, lysine, and glycine, are particularly important for skin health. Proline and lysine help to produce collagen, the protein responsible for skin's structure, while glycine plays a key role in collagen synthesis.

These amino acids help the body repair and and reduce inflammation, making them critical for maintaining healthy skin.

To ensure that your body gets enough of these important amino acids, you can incorporate them into your diet by consuming foods such as:

• Lean Meats
• Fish
• Eggs 
• Dairy 
• Nuts 
• Legumes
  
  

Getting a balanced intake of minerals and vitamins is essential for maintaining healthy skin, and several nutrients are especially important for skin health.

Vitamin C: a powerful antioxidant, helps to promote collagen synthesis, reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and protect the skin from UV damage.

Zinc: another mineral that plays a critical role in skin health, helping to control inflammation and maintain healthy immune function, which can improve skin's overall appearance.

Copper: while needed in smaller amounts, is also important for skin health, as it helps to support collagen production and skin regeneration.

Foods rich in these vitamins and minerals include:

• Citrus Fruits
• Berries
• Leafy Greens
• Oysters 
• Nuts
• Seeds
• Legumes
• Liver
• Shellfish
  
  

Antioxidants are essential for healthy skin as they protect the skin from oxidative stress and damage caused by free radicals. Free radicals are unstable molecules that can damage cells, including those in the skin, leading to premature aging and a host of skin issues.

Antioxidants help to neutralize free radicals, reduce inflammation, and support healthy collagen production.

Some of the most valuable antioxidants for skin health include vitamins A, C, and E, beta-carotene, selenium, and polyphenols.

You can find these key antioxidants in the following foods:

• Fruits - specifically blueberries
• Vegetables 
• Nuts 
• Whole Grains
• Green Tea
• Dark Chocolate
• Red Wine
  
  

If you are adhering to a vegan diet, you will want to be sure to include the following in your diet to ensure sufficient protein for collagen synthesis:

• Beans
• Lentils
• Chickpeas
• Almonds
• Chia Seeds 
• Hemp Seeds
  
  

Now, let’s take a look at what you should NOT eat if you want to improve your skin’s health:

• Highly processed foods
• Foods rich in refined sugar
• Dairy for acne-prone skin

These foods don’t provide the building blocks your body requires to repair and maintain your skin.

When you replace these with healthy foods high in amino acids, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, you’ll notice a visible improvement in your skin’s quality and elasticity.

In addition to a balanced diet to support collagen synthesis and simulation, here are some other skincare principles to follow to support your body's natural collagen production.

Sun Protection

First and foremost: sun protection. The sun’s rays break down collagen at a rate much faster than you can rebuild it, so protecting your skin with a mineral-based sunscreen is critical for effective anti-aging. 

Healthy Lifestyle

And clearly as outlined above, you need a balanced diet to support this increased collagen synthesis and stimulation.

But, in addition to this, physical activity is an often overlooked, highly beneficial component of anti-aging skincare.

It provides increased blood flow, detoxification, cleansing through sweating, and helps to decrease stress. A balanced lifestyle will help to provide a healthy foundation for glowing skin. 

Office-Based Treatments

Office-based treatments are an excellent addition to stimulate your body's natural collagen production.

Regular microneedling, laser treatments, and chemical peel sessions produce collagen and complement the results of your skincare routine.

Active Ingredients

Lastly, your skincare & topical agents matter and should include the following collagen stimulators:

• Retinol
• Vitamin C
• Niacinamide
• Peptides

The entire reason for putting skincare products on your face is to get your cells to produce collagen again.

You are wasting your time and money if you’re not using a product that gets down to the cellular level and triggers the cells that boost collagen production.

When I formulated the Trifecta, I wanted to develop a product that stimulated collagen for the long run and was easy to use daily to reverse collagen loss over time.

This simple, easy-to-follow skincare routine helps people change the signs of age while achieving luminous, supple skin. I built these products around getting the body to produce collagen again at an increased level.

I’m always talking about how consistent skincare and sun protection are essential for youthful, beautiful skin for life. And, another crucial aspect of looking as young as you feel is your diet.

To learn more, you can check out my Skin School video, which dives into your diet's role in your skin health and talks about what you should eat to age gracefully.