The Role of Collagen and Elastin in Your Skin

Beneath what you can see, your skin is made up of several layers and components that keep it looking healthy, firm, and smooth. These include water, lipids, hyaluronic acid, and various proteins, including collagen and elastin.

As you age, your body gradually produces less collagen and elastin. This decline starts in your mid-20s at a rate of about 1% per year. The effects accumulate slowly, causing fine lines to deepen and your skin to lose its firmness. By the time these changes are visible, the decline has already been ongoing for years.

However, aesthetic treatments can help stimulate collagen and elastin production, slowing the process and, in many cases, reversing some of its effects. At Advanced Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology Center PA in San Antonio and Schertz, Texas, we offer a range of aesthetic services that do exactly that. Our team can assess your skin, identify what it needs, and recommend the most effective treatment for you.

What collagen does

Collagen is the primary structural component of the skin. It’s responsible for keeping the skin firm, full, and structurally intact. When collagen levels are healthy, your skin looks smooth and feels firm. When production slows and collagen breaks down, your skin starts to lose its structure, which causes sagging and wrinkles.

There are several types of collagen in the skin, and each has a slightly different function. Types I and III have the most impact on how the skin looks and are the ones most affected by aging. Beyond age, collagen production is also slowed by sun exposure, smoking, poor diet, and chronic stress. UV radiation, in particular, is one of the most damaging external factors.

What elastin does

Elastin is the protein responsible for your skin’s ability to stretch. Every time you smile, squint, or make any facial expression, your skin stretches, and elastin is what pulls it back to its original shape. As elastin breaks down, your skin takes longer to return to its original position, and over time, it stops fully recovering at all.

Unlike collagen, which the body continues producing throughout life, the ability to produce new elastin slows significantly after childhood. The elastin in adult skin is largely what was produced during early life, which means once it degrades, it’s difficult for the body to replace it. 

What happens when they decline

The earliest signs are usually fine lines around your eyes and mouth, where the skin is thinnest and moves most frequently. As collagen and elastin decline, those lines deepen, your skin starts to look less full, and areas like the cheeks and temples begin to hollow out.

Skin with healthy collagen levels tends to be smooth and even. As collagen declines, the surface becomes rougher, pores look larger, and skin tone becomes less uniform. These changes accumulate gradually over the years, which is why addressing them early produces better results.

How aesthetic treatments help

Aesthetic treatments that target collagen and elastin work by prompting the skin to produce more of both. Some of the most effective include:

Microneedling, which creates small, controlled injuries in the skin, which activate your body’s  natural healing response and stimulate the production of new collagen and elastin. 

Radiofrequency treatments deliver heat into the deeper layers of the skin, which stimulates your skin to increase collagen production. 

Chemical peels remove the outer layer of dead skin cells, signaling the skin to regenerate and produce fresh collagen in the process. 

Biostimulator injectables introduce substances directly into the skin that actively stimulate collagen production over the months following treatment.

Results from these treatments develop gradually, but the improvements are long-lasting when maintained properly. Which treatment is most appropriate depends on your skin, how much collagen and elastin have been lost, and what outcome you’re looking for.

Collagen and elastin decline are the main drivers of visibly aging skin. The process starts earlier than most people realize, but you don’t have to accept it. Aesthetic treatments that stimulate collagen and elastin production are an evidence-backed way to address it.

To find out which treatments are right for your skin, schedule an appointment with us today.