The Role of Collagen and Elastin In Your Skin

Beneath every smooth, luminous complexion, there’s a strong and resilient scaffold made mostly of collagen and elastin, the two main proteins that give your skin strength, shape, firmness, and resilience.  

Unfortunately, this supportive dermal scaffolding becomes weaker and less structured as the years go by, mainly because the protein cells that form it become less abundant as you age. 

Let’s explore the key role collagen and elastin play in sustaining youthful-looking skin and how our expert team of board-certified dermatologists at Florida Dermatology Associates help you preserve optimal collagen and elastin levels.

Your foundation for youthful, healthy skin

As many as 4 in 5 of the building blocks that form your epidermal tissues are collagen, a durable structural protein referred to as “the cement that holds everything together.” Its primary function? To give your body’s cells and tissues shape, strength, and stability.  

If collagen is the strong scaffolding that gives your skin its shape, firmness, and resilience, then elastin is the flexible structural protein that gives it supple elasticity. Together, the two proteins do an excellent job of keeping your skin healthy and in a constant state of renewal.

Your epidermal tissues are in a near-constant state of regeneration: cell by cell and layer by layer, they renew themselves — and rebuild their collagen and elastin reserves — every 30 days. Unfortunately, your skin’s collagen and elastin reserves aren’t invincible or indefinite. 

The effects of collagen and elastin depletion 

Your skin’s collagen and elastin reservoirs were brimming — or 100% — when you were about 20 years old. With each passing birthday, however, your collagen and elastin levels decline a bit: your skin loses about 1% of its collagen and elastin structures each year. 

Incremental structural changes

Though it may not sound like much, these gradual, incremental losses definitely add up: the average 40-year-old has 20% less collagen and elastin than they did when they were 20.

Accelerated skin protein depletion

Unhealthy skin habits like smoking and frequent, long-term exposure to the sun’s harmful ultraviolet (UV) light rays can accelerate age-related collagen and elastin depletion.  

Weaker remaining building blocks

Besides causing or accelerating the depletion of your skin’s collagen and elastin stores, age-related physiological changes and sun damage also leave your skin’s remaining building blocks weaker and less stable.

Signs of collagen and elastin loss 

It’s no surprise that collagen and elastin depletion appear on your skin. If you lose the key building blocks that keep your skin looking firm, smooth, supple, and healthy, it sets the stage for fine lines, wrinkles, poor laxity (skin sag), and textural irregularities.  

Restore your skin’s essential building blocks 

Collagen and elastin depletion is a leading and unavoidable driver of skin aging, but it’s by no means irreversible. On the contrary, collagen and elastin loss is one of those rare aspects of aging that you don’t have to accept at face value.

Several skin rejuvenation treatments stimulate the production of fresh collagen and elastin, helping you revitalize your skin from the inside out. Collectively known as collagen induction therapies, these gentle skin-fortifying treatments restore a healthier, more youthful complexion by triggering skin protein renewal through your deep dermal layers. 

At Florida Dermatology Associates, we offer a full scope of anti-aging cosmetic procedures that trigger lasting collagen and elastin production, including:

• Noninvasive laser skin treatments
• Minimally invasive microneedling therapy
• Light, medium, and deep chemical peels

The regenerative effects of these treatments go beyond a single, immediate boost in skin protein production. Restoring higher collagen and elastin levels prompts your skin to continue producing more collagen and elastin on its own, naturally.

If you’re ready to fortify your skin and revitalize your complexion, we can help. Call or click online to schedule a visit at your nearest Florida Dermatology Associates location today. We have five offices in Palm Bay, Melbourne, Cocoa Beach, Cocoa, and Titusville, Florida.