Restore Youthful Skin from Within

Collagen and hyaluronic acid are natural skin components that maintain moisture, support elasticity and promote smoothness.^1,2

Aging, along with sun exposure, reduces the skin's content of collagen and hyaluronic acid.

Loss of these components weakens skin structures, leading to age-related dryness and wrinkles.^1,2

Clinical trials show that oral use of a collagen peptide improves skin elasticity by an average of 7%³ and reduces the depth of eye wrinkles by 20%.⁴

Hyaluronic acid regenerates the skin's underlying architecture by increasing moisture,⁵ stimulating collagen-elastin synthesis,^6,7 promoting tissue repair,^8-11 and combating ultraviolet radiation.¹²

Scientists have developed clinically-effective doses of these nutrients in great-tasting gummies. This enables aging individuals to replenish the collagen and hyaluronic acid found naturally in youthful skin.

Collagen Is Essential for Youthful Skin

Collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body. It is the main component of most types of connective tissue, and is vital for healthy, vibrant skin.¹³

Collagen makes up 70% of the weight of the inner layer of skin.¹⁴ It provides flexibility and is integrated with elastin fibers, the protein that allows the skin to stretch and return to its original shape.

As we age, the number of collagen fibers in the dermis declines drastically. The cells that produce collagen fibers slow down, and the remaining fibers stiffen, break, and begin to lose shape. Elastin fibers also begin to fray and lose elasticity. This deterioration of collagen and elastin leads to skin that appears wrinkled and sagging.¹⁵

To solve this problem, scientists developed collagen peptides that provide the building blocks for collagen synthesis and stimulate the production of new collagen and elastin in the skin. This leads to increased suppleness and elasticity—and reduces skin wrinkles.⁴

Oral Collagen Peptides Block Skin Aging

Preclinical research has shown that hydrolyzed (partially broken-down) collagen peptides increase the expression of collagen, which helps to produce stronger, suppler skin. These collagen peptides also reduce the activity of a "protein-melting" enzyme (metalloproteinase 2) that degrades collagen and hastens skin aging.¹⁶

In a more recent breakthrough, scientists demonstrated in human trials that a collagen peptide oral supplement is clinically effective against the appearance of aging skin.

Researchers conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled study to evaluate the effectiveness of orally-administered collagen peptides on skin elasticity. They gave volunteers either a placebo or the oral collagen supplement for 8 weeks. The test group took either 2.5 grams or 5 grams of the supplement.³

Both doses of the collagen peptides demonstrated the same result, which was an average of 7% improvement in skin elasticity. Even 4 weeks after the last dose, the supplemented group retained higher skin elasticity than the placebo group. The improvement in skin elasticity was greater in the subgroup of women over age 49.³

Next, scientists set up a double-blind, placebo-controlled study to evaluate the effects of collagen peptides on skin wrinkles. Study subjects consisted of 114 women, aged 45 to 65, who were given daily oral collagen peptide supplements of 2.5 grams. Wrinkles were measured regularly during the 8-week trial.⁴

After 4 weeks, the volume of eye wrinkles for the supplemented group had decreased by 7.2%, compared with placebo recipients. And when the trial had run its full 8-week course, those taking the collagen peptide supplements had a stunning 20.1% reduction in the size of unsightly eye wrinkles.⁴

The researchers also studied the effects of collagen peptides on the synthesis of the dermal matrix, the structural framework responsible for skin renewal and vitality.

They did so by evaluating changes in the amount of structural proteins in the dermal matrix. The greater the content of these proteins, the healthier and suppler the skin appears.

Supplemented subjects in this study had a 65% increase in the accumulation of essential type-I pro-collagen and an 18% increase in elastin fibers.⁴

Loss of Hyaluronic Acid Causes Aging of the Skin

Collagen is one of the most well-known components of healthy, youthful-looking skin. But hyaluronic acid is just as essential.

Hyaluronic acid has the capacity to attract and retain up to 1,000 times its weight in water.¹⁷ Although it is found throughout most tissues in the body, more than 50% of the body's concentration of hyaluronic acid is located in the skin.^1,18 There, it is an essential component of the extracellular matrix, a hydrated network that provides structural integrity and cohesion to skin.¹⁹

Hyaluronic acid is one of the most potent weapons for fighting skin aging and preserving youthful skin. But the body produces less of it as we age—a problem worsened by environmental stress, particularly chronic sun exposure.^20-23

Together, these factors lead to skin wrinkling, dryness, and the sagging that is characteristic of aging skin.

Fortunately, scientists made a dramatic finding: Oral supplementation with hyaluronic acid can slow, and even reverse, these effects.

Oral Hyaluronic Acid Replenishes Skin Moisture

A team of scientists analyzed several studies on the skin-improving effects of orally ingested hyaluronic acid.¹

Participants in most of the studies were diagnosed with "chronically rough and dry skin" prior to the trial. For people like them, moisturizers and other treatments did little to help. But hyaluronic acid made a radical difference. Compared to volunteers who received the placebo, the hyaluronic-acid-treated subjects had a significant increase in skin moisture after 4-6 weeks of oral supplementation.¹

Furthermore, the moisturizing effects of oral hyaluronic acid were found to continue for a full 2 weeks after supplementation had been discontinued.¹

The scientific team also reported another benefit: Not only did consuming hyaluronic acid significantly moisturize the skin, but it also reduced the itching that comes with dry skin.¹

Their published review included the clear conclusion that "employing HA [hyaluronic acid] as a dietary supplement makes the skin healthy."¹

A New Way to Take Oral Collagen Peptides and Hyaluronic Acid

Oral supplementation with collagen peptides and hyaluronic acid has been shown clinically to reverse the harsh effects of declining levels of these essential skin components.

But scientists have gone a step further. They've developed a novel and convenient way to orally supplement with potent doses of these nutrients.

These two clinically-validated "beauty-from-within" skin components—collagen peptides and hyaluronic acid—are now available in a great-tasting, easy-to-chew and swallow gummy supplement.

This delivery system is different from other supplement gummies for 2 key reasons. First, taking 4 gummies provides a clinically effective dose of each of these skin-rejuvenating components. Many other gummies provide woefully insufficient doses of nutrients.

Second, while most gummies contain high amounts of sugar as the first ingredient, these gummies have less than 1 gram of sugar per serving —and taste great.

So it is easy to enjoy a few, delicious gummies each day to replenish the skin's decreasing supplies of collagen and hyaluronic acid, which have been clinically shown to:

• Increase skin moisture,
• Improve elasticity,
• Decrease wrinkle depth,
• Boost levels of structural proteins pro-collagen and elastin, and
• Provide more youthful-appearing skin.

Summary

Collagen, when supplemented in the form of specialized peptides, is easily absorbed by the body.

These collagen peptides boost skin elasticity, reduce eye wrinkle depth up to 20%, and increase pro- collagen and elastin levels. This provides strength and resilience to the dermal matrix.

Hyaluronic acid protects and nourishes the skin by pumping up its moisture content, which addresses dry and itchy skin.

Impressive clinical studies have demonstrated that orally taking these two "beauty-from-within" skin components provides noticeable improvements in the appearance of aging skin.

Scientists have developed a novel way to take these 2 key nutrients together—in great-tasting gummies that deliver clinically effective doses.

If you have any questions on the scientific content of this article, please call a Life Extension® Wellness Specialist at 1-866-864-3027.

References

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