OK, Big Yikes: Skin Inflammation From Dry Weather Triggers Collagen Loss

Collagen is a precious thing that keeps our skin youthful, texture supple, and our barrier intact: In fact, it serves as the most abundant protein in our skin. Well, as you may know, it depletes with age naturally. This unfortunate skin process starts as early as your 20s continuing thereon after (it also takes a steeper drop during menopause). 

But your natural age progression isn't the only thing that causes collagen decline. In fact, there are several notable examples, including UV damage (perhaps the most famous) and pollution (it's up there too). But what about other environmental factors? Surely it's not just sun and pollution exposure that affect the integrity of our skin structure, no?

OK, so dry skin often upticks during the colder months—this likely comes as no surprise. But dry, parched skin is also an indication that your skin barrier function is weaker, allowing for transepidermal water loss as well as increased inflammation.  

Now, in the short term, a little inflammation can actually boost collagen production. (This is why people recommend gentle chemical exfoliators, like glycolic or lactic acids. They do so by triggering your body's wound-healing response1, which often ends up creating more collagen than what's needed—thus, you get a little boost. However, it's also why dermatologists are so strict on how much you exfoliate (once or twice a week, FYI), as too much of it will backfire. 

So the problem becomes when the skin is subject to long bouts of chronic inflammation: This sort of inflammation is what will cause overall collagen loss in the skin. Essentially, when your inflammation is in overdrive and carries on for extended periods of time, your skin never gets the chance to catch up and replace the lost proteins during its wound-healing period. 

Collagen supplements are expert skin helpers for a variety of reasons. First up: The hydrolyzed collagen peptides are able to be absorbed easily by the body. From there, studies show that these peptides help promote your skin's fibroblasts2, or the parts of the cells that create collagen and elastin.* And the theory goes that healthy fibroblasts come with healthy collagen and elastin production, ideally helping you tip the scale during bouts of skin inflammation. And the research seems to back this up: Studies have shown that these collagen peptides are able to support skin elasticity and dermal collagen density3.* It also helps ease any dryness that comes hand-in-hand with inflammation: One double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial found that participants' moisture levels in the skin were seven times higher4 than those who did not take the supplements.* And with those supported, you're going to see some help in your skin barrier function.