Signs That Your Skin Is Losing Collagen — And What They Really Mean

Collagen, the protein that is responsible for firm and younger-looking skin depletes gradually over a period of time. Your skin does not show up collagen loss instantly with any kind of dramatic change as it begins to decline quietly after the age of 25. Studies says that, 1% collagen loss takes place by each passing year and when women are around their menopause the dip is major.

Usually people dismiss the signs of collagen loss due to its steady eradication but it can still be noticed through subtle shifts in skin texture, elasticity volume, and firmness. Not just that, people also confuse collagen loss with dehydration. Keep on reading to know more.

Dehydration or Collagen Loss: How To Tell the Difference

When it comes to skincare people often confuse between dehydration and collagen loss as both can make skin look dull and unhealthy. Both dehydration and collagen loss can make your skin appear dry, dull, show visible fine lines, and also affect the texture. But the actual culprit turns out be something else and therefore it becomes very important to identify and act accordingly.

Dehydration vs. collagen loss:

1. 1. Dehydrated skin improves significantly soon after applying a good moisturiser or drinking adequate water. Buy on the other hand, collagen-loss-related dryness do not respond to topical level hydration.
   2. Dehydration-related fine lines appear in crinkle pattern across the skin’s surface. While, collagen-related lines are more deeper and usually visible around muscle movement patterns.
   3. Dehydrated skin does feel tight and rough but the underlying structure — the volume and firmness remains intact. While, when skin faces collagen loss, the shape of the face and volume changes.
   4. The “pinch test“, the dehydrated skin when pinched, shows fine crinkles. When a collagen-deficient skin is pinched, poor recoil appears and skin feels less resilient even without noticeable surface crinkles.

8 Signs of Collagen Loss Your Skin Shows

1. 1. Fine Lines: Early lines forms with facial movement — smiling, squinting and when collagen depletes, these lines stay visible and don’t disappear even when your face is relaxed.
   2. Loss of facial volume: Cheeks that once looked fuller and plump begin to appear flat as the collagen structure gradually begins to weaken,
   3. Bounce Factor: Collagen-rich skin bounce back instantly . Simply pinch the back of your hand. If the skin takes longer to bounce back it indicates towards declining collagen.
   4. Skin appears crepey: One of the most early signs of structural protein loss can be determined by a thin, tissue-paper or crepe texture that’s usually observed on the neck, inner arms and décolletage.
   5. Nasolabial folds deepen: When collagen scaffolding begin to loose the lines running from the nose to corners of the mouth deepen
   6. Jawline softens: Jawline jowling is observed when collagen in the lower face deplete.
   7. Thinning of undereye skin: This skin usually thin  but as collagen level declines, under-eye hollows and darker circles appear more.
   8. Wounds heal slowly: Collagen is responsible to heal wounds and it may take longer to heal cuts, blemishes, or scratches, if your skin’s collagen rate is declining.

Collagen Loss Signs That Appear Beyond The Face

Collagen loss is systemic, not just face it affects the whole body. When Type II collagen thins, your body throws various signs of collage loss. Take a look at the non-facial signs that also indicate towards collagen depletion:

• • Joint stiffness
  • Increased achiness around knees and hips
  • Nails become more brittle and flaky
  • Hair becomes thinner or loses its density
  • Easy appearance of stretch marks even without weight fluctuation
  • Gum recession or dental sensitivity