Today's tips are written for you by Dr. Howard Murad, M.D., FAAD, Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at UCLA and founder of Murad Inc. The tips deal with collagen loss, which actually shows our age, and how with elastin, they can make our skin stronger, firmer and more younger looking.
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Collagen is a vital fibrous protein that is found all throughout the body; it connects and supports tissues including skin, bone, muscles, tendons, cartilage and organs. It is the main protein of connective tissue and is responsible for skin firmness, moisture, suppleness as well as cell renewal. Elastin is a protein in connective tissue that is responsible for giving structure to your skin and organs. It allows your skin to resume shape after stretching or contracting.
Together, collagen and elastin keep connective tissue firm to help hold its shape. The more collagen we lose, the more fine lines and wrinkles appear which is why it is essential that we work to increase our collagen levels as we age. We accomplish this not only through topical products, but also by living an Inclusive Health lifestyle, which addresses nutritional and emotion needs for optimal skin health. The three broad aspects of Inclusive Health are Looking Better (paying attention to the health of your skin), Living Better (paying attention to what you put in your body) and Feeling Better (paying attention to your sense-of-self), which all lead to the overall goal of being BETTER EVERY DAY.
I recommend the following Inclusive Health tips to help people prevent the loss of collagen and elastin and maintain your youthful glow, free of fine lines and wrinkles:
LOOKING BETTER
Wash, Treat and Moisturize Day and Night
Applying collagen to the face is ineffective since the collagen molecule is too large to penetrate the dermis, so avoid products that make this claim. For building collagen and elastin, I recommend using products that contain antioxidants, such as winged-kelp, which boost anti-aging agents, helping to maintain skin’s collagen and elastin levels, and fight oxidative stress. Additionally, retinol stimulates cell production and helps boost collagen production to reveal firmer, younger–looking skin.
*Product Recommendation: Murad’s new Rapid Collagen Infusion, a fast acting, multi-tasking formula that fights wrinkles and loss of resilience by promoting collagen and elastin production while maintaining healthy hydration levels in the skin. It is clinically proven to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles in 2 hours*
Use SPF Everyday
UVA (aging rays) and UVB (burning rays) rays weaken the skin’s support system of collagen and elastin – thereby accelerating the skin’s aging process. Protect your skin and keep your complexion looking its best by using sunscreen with UVA and UVB protection every day to avoid damaging skin!
LIVING BETTER
You Are What You Put Into Your Body
Food fuels your body and mind and when eating poor foods, it appears on your skin. Try eating foods that are rich in collagen boosting ingredients such as embryonic foods that contain amino acids (I like eggs beans and seeds), antioxidants, which inhibit damage to collagen (I like pomegranates and goji berries) and good fats (I like walnuts and avocado). Also, do your best to avoid exposure to sun, pollution, cigarettes, alcohol, drugs, pesticides, toxins, poor nutrition and stress all contribute to skin damage.
Include Supplements In Your Diet
Think of your daily supplements as insurance that guarantees you’ll maintain the nutrient levels you need to look and live your best. Glucosamine, for example, increases total body water content, while Amino Acids aid in the formation of collagen and elastin. It is important to take care of yourself inside and out in order to ensure your body is performing at its optimal level.
*Supplement Recommendation: Murad’s Youth Builder is clinically proven to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles*. This patented formula attacks aging from the inside out, boosting collagen production, supporting connective tissue and stimulating healthy cell renewal to promote improved skin strength, clarity and tone.
FEELING BETTER
Get More Sleep
Sleep enables the body to reverse everyday free radical damage by replenishing energy, building new cells and repairing connective tissue. Because sleep is an ideal time for cellular renewal and overall repair for the skin and other organs, poor sleep is quite apparent in the complexion.
Stop Stressing Out!
Cultural Stress is the constant and pervasive stress of everyday life that has become a normal part of our society in this day and age. This continuous stress maxes out our tolerance and lowers our stress threshold so that when stressful events happen, like your boss dropping that huge project on you at the last minute, we hit maximum stress capacity. Stress takes a toll on your skin and your body. Take a deep breath and remember that the most important person in the world is YOU!
