People who are interested in maintaining youthful skin and reducing wrinkles have heard about collagen. Collagen makes up about 75 percent of healthy skin so when collagen fibers get damaged or production of collagen decrease, major differences in your skin's health are noticeable. Some of these health differences consist of wrinkles, fine lines, and older looking skin. From the age of approximately 25-35 years onwards the body loses collagen at a rate of 1.5% per year. What should you avoid to prevent collagen breakage? How can we naturally stimulate production of collagen in the body?

Collagen is a type of protein. (a biological polymer consisting of amino acids. Collagen connects and supports body tissues, such as skin, bone, tendons, cartilage and muscles. Collagen can be referred as a glue that holds the body together. Without it, the body would, quite literally, fall apart.

Dermis, the inner layer of the skin, contains large amounts of collagen whose fibers form a supporting mesh responsible for skin's mechanical characteristics such as strength, texture and resilience.

Many factors contributing to accelerated collagen breakdown can be fully or partially neutralized. They include sun damage, free radicals, some age-related hormonal changes, smoking and improper weight management.

Sunlight has a profound effect on the skin causing premature skin aging, skin cancer, and a host of skin changes. Exposure to ultraviolet light, UVA or UVB, from sunlight accounts for 90% of the symptoms of premature skin aging. UV radiation causes collagen to break down at a higher rate than with just chronologic aging. UV radiation is one of the major creators of free radicals.Many skin changes that were commonly believed to be due to aging, such as easy bruising, are actually a result of prolonged exposure to UV radiation. When the skin repeats this imperfect rebuilding process over and over wrinkles develop.

Another factor of collagen destruction is in improper weight management. When a person gain weight or loses weight quickly, the natural order of collagen fibers is disrupted. The fibers are stretched, and we see what we know as stretch marks and sagging skin.

• Make sure you get enough antioxidants through diet and supplementation. Vitamin C plays a major part in collagen synthesis and is also a powerful antioxidant. It will prevent free radical damage to your skin.
• Drinking 1 1/2 liters of water daily helps disperse nutrients into the body and aid the detoxifying and regeneration process.
• Collagen production can also be stimulated if you remove the dead skin cells o the surface of your skin. This encourages new skin cell growth. Exfoliation with alpha-hydroxy and poly-hydroxy acids is one of the best at home ways to clear dead skin out of the way.
• Collagen creams trigger collagen synthesis in your skin. Collagen Skin Care products can give the face a dramatic boost, by simply replenishing what the skin is naturally loosing. This treatment will result in a natural younger looking face, and delay the need for Cosmetic Surgery. By combining a Collagen skin care routine with the application of natural makeup a much younger cleaner face can emerge.
• Apply sunscreen every time you exposed to the sun and of course.
• Avoid smoking.

We are all getting older every year and you can't prevent that, but you can always prevent premature aging naturally.