Collagen Secrets to Fix Your Dark Spots and Wrinkles

Hey Beautiful!

Before we get to my #1 holy grail product for all things collagen related, let’s talk about your options when it comes to all fading those stubborn age spots and softening your wrinkles.

When considering a treatment, there is one ingredient that tends to be the superhero for fixing dark spots, softening wrinkles and of course - increasing collagen production, but more on that in a minute.

While there’s lifestyle, medications, allergies, and diet that play into this equation, of course, about 80% of the damage that’s done to your skin comes from the sun. 

So it’s imperative for you to wear sunscreen when we’re going to be outdoors if you want to correct and protect your skin.

If you’ve tried all the creams, lotion and potions and are frustrated with your results, you either haven’t tried the right ingredient, or it may be time to consider a prescription.

Some bleaching creams, while controversial, contain hydroquinone to help fade age spots over time because it works.

A few other prescriptions to talk to your dermatologist about when it comes to fading dark spots are Tretinoin, Azelaic Acid and Tranexamic Acid.

Alternative ingredients to consider are, but not limited to, Arbutin, Licorice Extract, Kojic acid, Niacinamide (Vitamin B3), Bearberry, and of course Vitamin C.

We recommend using our Vitamin C + Correcting Serum during the day under our Whipped Olive Oil Face Butter for best results to help lighten, brighten and even your skin tone over time, while keeping it hydrated to prevent water loss.

If your skin is sensitive, compromised, uneven, acne-prone and/or lacks balance, we recommend incorporating our Youth Restoring Balancing Serum into your routine that can be worn under your day or nighttime cream(s).

Q-Switched Lasers are another option to consult with your dermatologist about. These are laser beam treatments that may help remove dark spots and lesions.

Microdermabrasion is a rejuvenating and exfoliating treatment that uses a special instrument that sands the skin and lessens the appearance of age spots and wrinkles.

Dermaplaning uses a stainless still instrument to remove dead skin cells. As a bonus is helps remove vellus hair and may also remove some very superficial hyperpigmentation, especially when paired with other treatments, like chemical peels. This is also a great alternative if you have sensitive skin and want to avoid chemicals altogether.

Cryosurgery uses liquid nitrogen to freeze skin tissue for the removal of age spots.

Light Chemical Peels are powerful treatments administered by your licensed esthetician or dermatologist that not only help reduce age spots, but can also strengthen the skin to boost collagen production. 

In short, a chemical peel is a controlled burn that involves applying an acid to your skin to remove the outer layer,  forcing new skin to rise to the surface. 

To maintain your at-home results, we recommend our Brighten and Reveal Exfoliating Pads that will help increase your cell rate turn over and make sure that your products are able to penetrate your skin properly. 

Fraxel and Pixel are among some of the more popular laser treatments to smooth skin and remove age spots.

Now back to Collagen and how these signs of aging are related:

Collagen Supplements are controversial and while there’s some evidence (Cosmetic chemist, Michelle, with Lab Muffin points to collagen studies here) to support that it may have some benefits on your skin -- there’s more to consider if you have skincare goals that target specific areas.

To oversimplify, since collagen is broken down into amino acids, there’s no way for it to be target specific when it comes to your FACE (i.e., targeting certain dark spots or wrinkles you’d like to fade). Because of this, I find it more results oriented to use a topical cream to address my skincare goals.

In addition, you can also make your own bone broth at home, which is a great source of collagen and may improve the hydration and elasticity of your skin.

When it comes to “collagen creams” I prefer to go with what's been studied for years -- RETINOL.

The difference between a Retinol like our Advanced Retinol Night Repair Creme and prescriptions, is that prescriptions tend to dry out the skin and our formulation doesn’t because we also combine nourishing butters, Hyaluronic Acid, and Aloe to prevent water loss.

To double down on your anti-aging results, increase collagen and revitalize tired, dark, or crepey skin around your EYES, consider our Age Defying PM Kit.

The Collagen takeaway is that while there may be some over all benefits to ingesting a good quality collagen, there are more studies to support using a Retinol topically to stimulate collagen if you're wanting to target your dark spots and wrinkles. 

Remember, the more you know the more you glow!

xoxo

Jentri