What Is Collagen and Why Is It Important?

Collagen - you know it has something to do with your skin. You know more would be better. You know less is bad. But beyond that.. most guys don’t know much about collagen or what it does.

Do men need collagen? And if so, what are the benefits of collagen for men?

It’s time to educate yourself on collagen, its role in your skin health, and how to increase collagen production for anti-aging benefits.

What Is Collagen?

Collagens are proteins that make up about 30% if your body’s total protein mass. Most of that is concentrated in your bones, connective tissue, and skin. Men's collagen gives structural support, strength, and firmness.

When it comes to skin and men, collagen is critical. It’s a part of the dermis - the layer of your skin where new cells grow. You need collagen to replace your old, dead skin cells with new cells. This also means there are benefits of collagen for skin tightening and benefits of collagen for loose skin. 

What Is Elastin?

Elastin is a protein that is found in many of the same connective tissues as collagen. It’s a bit different - especially because of its elastic properties.

When your skin or other tissue is stretched out, elastin is what allows it to get back into place. It can be compared to a rubber band, giving your tissue the ability to always return to its original shape.

How Do Collagen and Elastin Work Together?

Collagen provides the rigid structure for your skin and other connective tissue. It's strong and has massive tensile strength.

This pairs well with elastin, which is less plentiful and less rigid, but just as important. It's found mostly in your skin’s mid-layers and allows for healthy skin functioning.

Collagen, Men, and Aging

Collagen levels in your skin are directly related to the aging process.  Reduced levels of collagen and elastin lead to more wrinkles, sagging, and fine lines.

Have you ever thought about what a skin wrinkle really is? Essentially, it’s skin that won’t go back into its original position. The sagging, lined areas of your wrinkled skin are being affected by a reduced production of collagen and elastin.

As you get older, your body produces progressively less collagen and elastin. Your taut, smooth skin is also damaged by UV rays over the course of your lifetime. Eventually, your skin’s smooth appearance is left marked with wrinkles and fine lines.

When collagen levels decrease, your skin’s lower layers become even weaker. That further accelerates the development of wrinkles.

This occurs with elastin as well. As you get older, your body produces less elastin. That means your skin becomes less elastic and tends to droop and sag. This is especially noticeable around the neck, jaw, and eyes.

Should You Use Collagen Products for Men?

A variety of products and supplements for bone, joint, and skin health promote collagen as a key ingredient. Are they right for you? Consider these important details.

Collagen Supplements

Collagen supplements taken orally have been shown to help keep skin hydrated and can have benefits for bones and joints. However, taking collagen supplement pills does not increase your body's collagen levels or support its ability to produce more of the protein.

Topical Collagen Cream

Skincare creams for men that contain collagen can moisturize your skin and keep it soft. They will not, however, increase the amount of collagen in your skin. So they are not effective for anti-aging or skin tightening.

How to Boost Men's Collagen Levels

The key to collagen for sagging skin is not to apply it directly to your skin. Rather, you need to promote increased collagen production by using other natural ingredients. Here are some of the best ways to do that.

Vitamin C

Topical application of vitamin C helps stabilize the collagen in your skin and promotes increased collagen production. Therefore, it's an excellent ingredient in anti-aging products for men and a key part of using collagen for sagging skin.

Want to get it in your skincare routine? Try our Repairing Night Serum. Its concentrated formula includes vitamin C, plant stem cells, and MSM. Use it each night after washing your face and before applying other products like anti-aging cream or eye cream.

In the morning, you can get vitamin C on your skin with our Resurfacing Anti-Aging Cream. It's designed for daytime use with vitamin C, MSM, and borage oil. Together, its ingredients contribute to tighter, brighter, firmer skin.

Collagen Peptides for Men

Protein peptides can also help support increased collagen production - which is critical to fighting the aging process. In 2012, a review was published in the journal Dermato-Endocrinology that found that “through topical application, polypeptides have the ability to stimulate collagen synthesis and activate dermal metabolism.” It further stated that peptides “act directly on the collagen metabolism and stimulate the production of collagen and elastic fibers.”

Clearly, collagen peptides for men are an important way to keep your skin firm and avoid wrinkles. That's exactly why they're a key ingredient in our anti-aging products.

Restoring Eye Cream

Get a powerful dose of collagen for skin tightening in our Restoring Eye Cream. It's made with Matrixyl 3000 - a unique combination of protein peptides proven to reduce wrinkles by 45% in two months by boosting collagen production.

Reviving Day Serum

Each morning, apply a few drops of our Reviving Day Serum to supply your skin with peptides that boost collagen for sagging skin. This lightweight, fast-absorbing product won't weigh down your skin or give you an oily complexion.

Men's Collagen FAQ's

Many men have heard of the benefits of collagen, but aren't clear on what it is or how to leverage increased collagen for better skin. Here are answers to some of the most common questions about collagen men ask.

Do Men Need Collagen?

Your skin has plenty of collagen in it - so yes. But you don't necessarily need to take collagen supplements or use topical creams in order to get more. Since men's collagen levels steadily decrease with age, you need to find effective ways to promote collagen production in your skin if you want to fight wrinkles and other common signs of aging.

Can Men Use Collagen?

Yes - but the most anti-aging and skincare benefits come from boosting collagen levels with other ingredients like vitamin C and protein peptides.

What Are the Key Collagen Benefits for Men?

Some of the best collagen benefits for men are firmer skin, less sagging, reduced wrinkles, and prevention of early onset of other common signs of aging.

Is Collagen or Hyaluronic Acid Better for Skin?

Some guys want to know if collagen or hyaluronic acid are better for skin - but the answer is they're both important. It's not either/or, it's yes/both. That's why many of our anti-aging products contain both hyaluronic acid and ingredients that stimulate increased collagen production - like vitamin C and protein peptides.

Is There Collagen for Skin Tightening?

Instead of taking a collagen product or using a collagen cream, get collagen for skin tightening by encouraging your skin to naturally produce more. Our vitamin C and peptide products help with this.

Is It Good to Use Collagen for Sagging Skin?

Using topical collagen for sagging skin will not reduce wrinkles - it will only hydrate and soften your skin. While those are clear benefits and may be right for you, it takes increased collagen production to actually combat wrinkles and loose skin.