Spending time in the sunshine lifts your mood and gives you a vitamin D boost that keeps your bones and your immune system strong. But it also leads to UVB-induced skin damage and premature aging, like wrinkles, fine lines, and loss of skin elasticity and hydration.
Now, a once-daily supplement has been found to have the power to not just prevent, but reverse that damage and restore youthful skin.
UVB exposure and photoaging
You may have heard of the supplement before. It’s one of the most extensively studied collagen supplements on the market — BioCell Collagen®.
It can be taken in either powdered or pill form and delivers a naturally occurring matrix of hydrolyzed collagen type II, chondroitin sulfate and hyaluronic acid. Basically, the idea behind it is that since much of the signs of aging that show up on our faces begin with collagen loss, if you add back what you’re losing, you can slow down and walk back the process.
Related: 4 ways to boost collagen and love the skin you’re in
And previous studies have shown that it can do just that.
In fact, I reported on one such study that found taking BioCell increased skin collagen content by 12 percent, significantly reduced lines and wrinkles and improved elasticity in just 12 weeks.
Those are the type of results that make you want to place an order right away!
Yet, while the findings were impressive, the supplement still hadn’t been put to the test against the photoaging and damage that results from exposure to UVB rays that are responsible for the majority — a whopping 90 percent — of visible changes to the skin over time.
What it came down to
Conducted by an independent research team, a new study evaluated the use of BioCell in hairless mice (which experience the same levels of UV absorption and damage as we do) to find out how the supplement stood up to photoaging.
After 14 weeks of either taking the collagen supplement or not, here’s what it came down to…
Related: 6-minute collagen boost for pain-free joints
Supplementation reduced the negative effects of UVB rays on:
- The formation of wrinkles, including the number, area, length and depth of wrinkles
- Skin elasticity
- Skin hyaluronic acid content (this is the molecule that holds water in your skin cells)
- Two things commonly attributed to UVB-induced skin aging: trans-epidermal water loss (in other words, it keeps skin hydrated) and matrix metalloproteinases enzyme content (the enzyme that helps your skin heal damage and form new cells)
Put simply, the researchers say that, “Pairing daily oral supplementation of BioCell Collagen with a quality topical sunscreen to prevent damage can be the foundation of a good year-round skincare routine.”
This is especially important to remember as we head into the summer months when you’re more likely to spend time outside in the sun, giving those UVB rays the chance to cause photoaging.
How much collagen to take
So, if you’re ready to add BioCell to your skincare regimen, how much should you take?
According to the researchers the amount used in the study was equivalent to one to three grams per day, depending on your goals.
For my money, it’s an easy way to look younger, longer without turning to injections of toxins to freeze my lines and wrinkles or filler to plump my skin. It’s a win-win.
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Sources:
- Study shows biocell collagen ingestion reduced signs of UVB-induced photoaging — BioCell Technology
