Preserving Your Natural Collagen
During the mid to late 20s to early 30s, the body slows collagen production by one percent each year, and that decline gradually increases as you age. While you can’t stop the natural aging process, you can take some steps to prevent accelerated collagen loss. Sun exposure, smoking, and unhealthy lifestyle habits break down existing collagen, eventually affecting your skin’s appearance and health.
To preserve your natural collagen and slow aging, avoid excess sugars and refined carbohydrates, and always use quality sunscreen, even on a cloudy day, to protect your skin from ultraviolet rays. Avoid smoking at all costs, as it contributes to accelerated collagen loss.
If you want younger-looking skin, you need to undergo treatments that build collagen. With the natural aging process comes a decline in collagen production that continues every year. The only way to fight back and reverse aging is through collagen-building treatments that stimulate natural collagen production. At Believe Image, we know just how important collagen building is, which is why we offer collagen-building procedures that can naturally rejuvenate the skin and ward off the aging process long-term.
Why Is Collagen So Important?
Collagen is a protein that naturally supports your skin’s structure, helping it recover from daily wear and tear. As we age, collagen production decreases, which can lead to fine lines, wrinkles, and less elasticity in the skin. When we stimulate collagen building, it helps your skin retain its strength and bounce back more easily, keeping it looking youthful and refreshed for longer.
If collagen is declining, you might start seeing fine lines around your eyes and mouth or notice that your skin feels looser and less resilient. Over time, wrinkles can become more noticeable, and skin may lose its natural glow or start to feel rough or uneven. You may see changes in the shape of your face, with pre-jowls along the jawline or bags under the eyes.
What Is a Regenerative Treatment?
Regenerative treatments use your body’s healing processes to restore and revitalize your skin. These treatments promote collagen building from within, help improve skin texture and elasticity, and encourage your skin to repair itself naturally. Regenerative treatments can also be used in other areas of the body like joints or tendons, to promote tissue recovery. These methods work with your body to promote long-lasting healing rather than simply addressing surface-level concerns.
What Can Regenerative Treatments Do?
Reduce Acne Scars
Acne scars often leave behind uneven texture and discoloration. Regenerative treatments can target these scars by encouraging your skin to heal itself from within. By stimulating collagen building, these treatments help repair damaged areas, gradually softening the appearance of scars and creating smoother, more even skin. Over time, you’ll notice that your complexion looks clearer and more uniform.
Improve Skin Texture and Tone
If your skin feels rough or lacks its natural glow, regenerative treatments can help renew its texture and tone. By focusing on skin rejuvenation, these treatments encourage the production of fresh, healthy skin cells, leading to a smoother and more radiant complexion. The result is skin that feels softer to the touch and looks more vibrant with improved evenness in color and texture.
Minimize Fine Lines and Wrinkles
As collagen production decreases, fine lines and wrinkles become more visible, especially around areas like the eyes, mouth, and forehead. Regenerative treatments can target these signs of aging by stimulating your body’s natural collagen-building process. This helps smooth out fine lines and reduce the depth of wrinkles.
Enhance Facial Volume
Loss of facial volume is a common concern as we age, leading to a hollow or sunken appearance in areas like the cheeks and under the eyes. Regenerative treatments work to restore this lost volume by stimulating collagen production deep within the skin. Over time, you’ll notice fuller, more youthful contours in your face, helping to restore the natural shape and definition that tends to fade with age.
Tighten Sagging Skin
When skin begins to sag, especially around the jawline or neck, regenerative treatments can provide a non-surgical option for tightening and lifting. By promoting collagen building, these treatments help your skin regain its elasticity, offering a firmer, more sculpted look. This gradual tightening process helps redefine the contours of your face and neck, making your skin look and feel more toned and youthful.
What Are the Benefits of Collagen-Building Procedures?
- Treatments are chemical and medication-free
- Treatments are completely natural
- Results appear gradually in the months following treatment
- Regular treatments can increase collagen production long-term
- We can combine collagen-building treatments to maximize the results
While lifestyle choices can preserve your existing collagen and prevent collagen from breaking down, they won’t force your body to increase collagen production, which is where collagen-building treatments come in. When you schedule one of our collagen-building services, you’ll undergo a treatment that will stimulate natural collagen production. Your body will respond to the methods used during treatment to produce more of this anti-aging protein and restore youth to your skin.
Hyaluronic acid-based dermal fillers provide an immediate solution for those who want to restore natural volume to the skin, but the results are only temporary. The benefit of our collagen-building procedures is that they actually build collagen; they don’t just mimic it. The collagen produced from the treatment process is 100 percent natural and permanent.
The Truth About Collagen-Building Supplements and Products
Collagen exists and is produced in the skin’s dermal layers. Many different topical anti-aging products claim to contain natural collagen and that regular use can increase production, and there are plenty of oral supplements that do the same. Still, they can’t force your body to produce collagen the way that our collagen-building procedures can. These products may support skin health and overall health, but they won’t make your body produce more collagen in the dermal layers.
Getting the Most Out of Your Treatments
We can combine any of our collagen-building treatments for optimal results. Once we meet with you for an initial consultation, we can evaluate your problem areas and make treatment recommendations. We can incorporate our different collagen-building procedures into your treatment plan to restore your youth and improve your problem areas.
PRF
PRF stands for platelet-rich fibrin, and it’s derived from the blood for our collagen-building procedures to increase skin volume and rejuvenate the face. PRF contains a high concentration of platelets, which contain growth factors and healing properties that reduce inflammation, encourage the body to create new fibroblasts, repair damaged skin cells, and stimulate natural collagen production.
PRF is even more effective than the popular PRP because it undergoes a specialized process to isolate it from the remaining red blood cells, resulting in a higher concentration of growth factors we can use during treatments. The slower spin speed during the isolation process increases the growth factors available. These growth factors are released slowly after application or injection for collagen-building purposes and to enhance and extend the treatment results.
PRF EZ Gel
PRF EZ gel is an injectable form of PRF that we can administer to different areas of the face. It’s an alternative to a dermal filler and contains growth factors, healing properties, platelets, leukocytes, mesenchymal stem cells, and fibrin scaffolds. Once injected into different areas of the face, it can encourage collagen production, reduce the appearance of facial folds, enhance the jawline, add volume to the cheeks, and fill under eye hollows.
We can customize a treatment plan using PRF EZ gel to naturally address signs of aging on your face and ensure you achieve beautiful, natural, and long-lasting results.
PDO Thread Lifts
The PDO thread lift is a popular collagen-stimulating treatment that promotes natural collagen production using absorbable PDO threads. These threads are surgical sutures that are made of a material called polydioxanone and are fully absorbable. During the treatment, we inject the dissolvable suture into different areas of the face to lift and tighten the area.
These threads come in different shapes and types and can address aging-related concerns. They can rejuvenate and tighten the skin, deliver a non-surgical facelift, and address the signs of aging on the face, neck, jawline, under-eye area, cheeks, and more.
PDO Smooth Threads
PDO smooth threads are a specific type of polydioxanone thread designed to tighten the skin and improve skin texture. These threads can treat the lines, wrinkles, and facial folds that result from volume loss. Once injected beneath the skin’s surface with a cannula, they’ll adhere to the skin tissue and lift the area.
The body will respond to the threads by increasing natural collagen and elastin production at the treatment site. The results can last two years or longer post-treatment, and maintenance sessions can help you combat the aging process long-term.
Microneedling
Microneedling, also known as collagen induction therapy, is one of the most popular collagen-building treatments that can stimulate natural collagen production, improve the skin, and treat the most common skin concerns. It can improve the appearance of acne, treat hyperpigmentation, improve skin tone and texture, reduce the appearance of acne scars, and give your skin a healthy glow.
In the field of microneedling, we are at the forefront of innovation, introducing the latest breakthrough in skincare treatments — exosomes. We proudly present MG-EXO-SKIN, the cutting-edge exosome serum from DPDerm that has taken the skincare world by storm. Exosomes have revolutionized the way we rejuvenate and revitalize your skin.
How It Works
We use the Dermapen® to perform our microneedling treatments. This automated microneedling device has 12 tiny microneedles that repetitively puncture the skin, creating micro-wounds that elicit a healing response from the body during and after the treatment.
The body responds with an immune reaction that cleanses the skin and eventually begins replacing dead and damaged skin cells with healthier ones while also increasing natural collagen and elastin production to heal the micro-injuries. The treatment process is minimally invasive, with no social downtime or discomfort. The results are evident within a few months of the treatment, and you’ll see the gradual effects of increased collagen and elastin production.
Lifestyle Tips for Supporting Collagen-Building Treatments
Nourish Your Skin With Proper Nutrition
What you eat can impact how well your skin responds to collagen-building treatments. Incorporating foods rich in vitamin C like citrus fruits and leafy greens can help support natural collagen production. Amino acids found in protein-rich foods are also important for your skin’s structure. In some cases, supplements like collagen peptides or vitamin C can further boost your skin’s ability to repair and maintain itself, giving you even better results from your treatments.
Focus on Daily Skincare Habits to Preserve Collagen
Your daily skincare routine maintains the results of your collagen-building treatments and boosts skin health. Using a broad-spectrum sunscreen every day protects your skin from UV damage, which can break down collagen over time. Incorporating products with ingredients like retinol or peptides can encourage your skin to continue producing collagen, keeping it firm and youthful. Regular cleansing and moisturizing also help keep your skin in its best condition, supporting the work we’ve done in the clinic.
Rest and Hydrate
Getting enough sleep is essential for your skin’s overall health and recovery. During sleep, your body works to repair and regenerate cells, which includes collagen-building processes. Aim for 7-9 hours of restful sleep each night to support the healing and rejuvenation your skin needs. Staying hydrated is equally important—drinking enough water keeps your skin hydrated from the inside out, maintaining elasticity and preserving the results of your treatments.
FAQs About Regenerative Treatments
The best way to choose the right treatment is by having a consultation where we’ll assess your skin concerns and goals. Based on this, we’ll recommend the most suitable option, whether it’s PRF, PRF EZ Gel, PDO thread lifts, or microneedling. Each treatment has its own benefits, and we’ll ensure that your choice aligns with your skin type and desired outcome.
The results of regenerative treatments can last for several months to a year, but your skin will still be subject to the natural aging process. While no treatment can stop aging altogether, regenerative treatments help restore the health and vibrancy of your skin, making it look fresher and more youthful regardless of your age. Regular maintenance can also extend the effects over time.
Results from regenerative treatments often take several weeks to become visible, as collagen stimulation is a gradual process. It takes time for your body to naturally produce and remodel collagen within the skin. Generally, you may notice some improvement in 3-4 weeks, but the most significant changes typically occur after about 3 months as new collagen strengthens your skin’s structure.
Most collagen-building treatments have little to no downtime. You might experience some mild redness, swelling, or tenderness in the treated area, but these effects typically resolve within a few days. This means you can return to your normal routine relatively quickly, making these treatments convenient for busy schedules.
The frequency of treatments depends on the type of regenerative therapy you choose and your skin’s individual needs. Generally, for treatments like microneedling or PRF, we recommend scheduling sessions every four to six weeks to allow for optimal collagen building. However, we’ll customize a treatment plan for you.
We offer several different collagen-building treatments, all with the same goal. Each naturally rebuilds collagen, forcing your body to increase the production of this anti-aging skin protein. Collagen is a protein your body makes to keep the skin healthy, plump, and firm. It makes up the foundation of your skin, providing structure, support, and elasticity.
Rebuild Your Natural Collagen With Regenerative Treatments in Greenville
You no longer have to spend money on oral supplements or topical products that promise to stimulate natural collagen production but fail to deliver collagen-building results. At Believe Image in Greenville, SC, our treatments can uncover your youthful glow and restore volume to different areas of your face to smooth away lines and wrinkles, fill hollow areas, and improve skin texture. Whether you’re looking for comprehensive skin rejuvenation or targeted collagen-building treatments, we are here to help. Contact us today at (702) 635-5912 to learn more about how we can enhance your natural beauty and keep your skin looking refreshed.