Collagen-boosting skincare after filler is crucial for preserving plump, youthful skin and extending the effects of your procedure. While dermal fillers naturally increase collagen production, using the proper skincare products and techniques can intensify this effect over time, resulting in healthier skin. In this guide, you’ll find the best ingredients, techniques, and tips to maximize filler results and keep a glowy skin.
What is Collagen?
Collagen is a structural protein that makes up about 30% of the total protein in the body. It is the basic building block of skin, bones, cartilage, muscles, ligaments, tendons, and other connective tissues.
It is made up of three amino acids (proline, hydroxyproline, and glycine) that form a triple-helix structure with the help of vitamin C, copper, manganese, and zinc.
Collagen is produced and maintained by fibroblasts, and as we age, the function of fibroblasts weakens and collagen production becomes slower, with other changes leading to signs of aging such as loss of skin volume and wrinkles.
Collagen Types and Benefits
It’s interesting to know that there are 28 types of collagen, but only five main types, which differ in various aspects, such as molecular assembly, added cell components, and where collagen is used in your body.
What are the 5 types of collagen?
The main five types of collagen include:
- Type I Collagen: Is the most abundant type, making up 90% of the collagen in your body, used to give structure to skin, tendons, ligaments, and bones.
- Type II Collagen: Forms elastic cartilage, which supports joints.
- Type III Collagen: Is found in internal organs, arteries, and muscles.
- Type IV Collagen: Is found in the skin layers.
- Type V Collagen: Present in certain skin layers, hair, placental tissue, and eye cornea.
Health benefits of collagen
Collagen provides structural support for tissues and plays a crucial role in various cellular processes, including:
- Regeneration of skin tissue.
- Replacement of dead skin cells.
- Enhancing skin structure, elasticity, and strength.
- Aiding in blood clotting.
- Providing a protective covering around the body’s organs.
How to Stimulate Collagen Production in Skin Naturally
You can easily help your body produce more collagen by eating a healthy diet that contains the essential ingredients to boost collagen production and modifying certain lifestyle habits that may negatively affect collagen levels.
Collagen-boosting foods
Collagen is made up of a combination of amino acids and other vitamins and minerals. To support collagen production, you should include the following nutrients in your diet:
- Proline: Found in dairy, egg whites, mushrooms, peanuts, and cabbage
- Glycine: Found in chicken skin, red meats, gelatin, and protein-rich foods.
- Vitamin C: Found in citrus fruit, kiwi, bell peppers, guava, and other food.
- Copper: Found in shellfish, organ meats, nuts, sesame, lentils, and dark chocolate.
- Zinc: Found in oysters, shellfish, pumpkin seeds, chickpeas, milk, cheese, and nuts.
- Manganese: Found in whole grains, leafy vegetables, coffee, tea, and oysters.
Lifestyle modifications for more collagen
To help your body make more collagen and slow the aging process; eat a healthy balanced diet that includes the foods mentioned above, along with bone broth, and fish with the skin on.
Limit the exposure to direct sunlight, and use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with SPF at least 30 or higher.
Avoid smoking, alcohol consumption, excessive sugar intake, and ultra-processed, and fried foods to help delay collagen loss and support its maintenance for healthier skin.
Limit caffeine intake, as it reduces the collagen production in the body.
Collagen-Boosting Skincare After Filler
Dermal fillers (such as HA, PLLA, PMMA, and CaHA) stimulate new collagen synthesis by creating space for fibroblasts and blood vessels to enter and produce collagen.
Using skincare containing collagen-boosting ingredients and collagen-boosting techniques enhances the fillers’ collagen-stimulating effects and prolongs their results, giving your skin a more youthful and refreshed appearance.
Collagen-boosting skincare ingredients
To maintain the results of your fillers and enjoy younger-looking skin, be keen on incorporating collagen-stimulating ingredients into your daily skincare routine, such as:
- Hyaluronic acid: Helps in collagen production and skin moisturizing.
- Vitamin C: An important vitamin for collagen production that also provides additional sun protection when combined with sunscreen and has a lightening effect. Use it at least 48 hours after filler injection.
- Retinol: A vitamin A derivative, it prevents collagen breakdown caused by UV rays and stimulates collagen production. Use it at least 48 hours after filler injection.
- Niacinamide: Increases collagen production, supports skin regeneration, protects the skin against oxidative stress, and helps treat acne.
- Aloe vera: May increase collagen and hyaluronic acid levels while providing deep hydration.
- Peptides: Prompt collagen and elastin production, moreover, have anti-inflammatory and anti-wrinkle properties, and improve the skin barrier.
Sunscreen: Use an SPF 30 or higher with broad spectrum protection against UVA and UVB rays, don’t forget to apply it daily and reapply every 2 hours. UV rays cause collagen breakdown.
Collagen-boosting skincare techniques
In addition to skincare products, several treatments promote collagen production and can be incorporated into your collagen-boosting skincare after filler, such as:
- Light therapy: Such as red light therapy, increases fibroblast activity, which boosts collagen production and may help reduce bruising after filler injection.
- Massage: Light, gentle massages twice daily can help distribute the filler evenly. Avoid vigorous massages, as they may cause filler migration. Wait at least one week or until bruising subsides before performing facial massages using your hands, a jade roller, or a gua sha stone.
- Laser resurfacing: Promotes collagen production and removes damaged skin, the fillers are placed deeper into the skin than laser penetration. Dermatologists recommend waiting at least one week between treatments.
- Chemical peels: Boosts new collagen production. Dermatologists advise waiting at least two weeks after filler injection before undergoing a chemical peel.
- Microneedling: Stimulates collagen and elastin production. It is recommended to wait at least three weeks after a filler injection before undergoing microneedling.
Can Collagen Supplements Boost Collagen in the Skin?
Topical collagen is difficult for the skin to absorb because it is a very large molecule. Therefore, consuming collagen-boosting foods and using collagen-boosting skincare products are the most effective ways to increase collagen in the body.
There is not enough evidence that collagen supplements benefit the skin, as collagen itself cannot be absorbed by the body, it must first broken down into peptides to be absorbed and effectively utilized.
To increase collagen in your skin, focus on applying collagen-boosting skincare products rather than relying on oral collagen supplements.
If you choose to take oral collagen supplements, opt for products rich in prolylhydroxyproline and hydroxyprolylglycine, which are better anti-wrinkle agents and improve skin moisture.
Incorporating collagen-boosting skincare after filler into your routine is a crucial step in maintaining the results of your fillers and keeping your skin youthful, fresh, and plump. To ensure the best outcome, consult your dermatologist to select the most suitable collagen-boosting products for your skin type.
Resources
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/23089-collagen
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/collagen
https://www.webmd.com/diet/collagen-health-benefits
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/317151#fa-qs https://www.healthline.com/health/beauty-skin-care/niacinamide#benefits
https://www.healthline.com/health/peptides-for-skin#how-they-work
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/considering-collagen-drinks-and-supplements-202304122911
https://fillers.org/dermal/should-i-massage-my-lips-after-filler/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
https://www.realself.com/question/calabasas-ca-laser-treatments-after-filler
https://www.realself.com/question/face-peel-after-injucting-fillers
https://www.realself.com/question/eugene-microneedling-fillers