Exposure To Air Pollution Proven To Lower Collagen Levels In The Body, Experts Say

Illustration of Facial Skin (Pexels/Pixabay)

JAKARTA - Nutrition specialist dr. Yohan Samudra, Sp.GK said that exposure to air pollution is one of the factors that can reduce collagen production in a person's body. Not only that, smoking habits, consumption of alcoholic beverages, the habit of staying up late and excessive sun exposure are also the cause of the decline in collagen in the body.

"A lot of UVA exposure, collagen can drop, spots can appear, increase the risk of skin cancer," said Yohan as quoted by ANTARA, Saturday, August 20.

He advised people to avoid being exposed to the sun for too long, being exposed to air pollution such as from vehicle fumes, excessive stress, staying up late and consuming unhealthy foods.

Collagen is the main structural protein in connective tissue and a component of extracellular tissue matrix, which is present in the formation of fibroblasts, keratinocytes, melanocytes, and special cells of the skin immune system in the human body. The dual action of collagen on the skin is to provide building block components for the skin (and elastin), and to bind to receptors on fibroblasts located in the dermal layer to stimulate the synthesis of collagen and hyaluronic acid.

However, the human body's ability to produce collagen decreases drastically with age and some external factors from lifestyle, such as smoking, lack of sleep, lack of nutrition, sun exposure, and others. The reduction in the quantity and quality of elastin and collagen in the dermis makes the skin's elasticity decrease so that it looks empty or increases in wrinkles, loss of elasticity, and changes in skin color.

Yohan said, many studies have proven that intake of collagen drinks can help increase the amount of collagen in the body. It appears that the use of 2.5 grams of collagen peptide every day, for 60 - 90 days can help improve hydration and elasticity and reduce wrinkles, increase fibroblast bioactivity and collagen synthesis.

Collagen drinks also protect cell function from the harmful effects of UVA, nourish the digestive tract, so that it can improve the condition of sarcopenia, arthritis, wound healing, and increase the body's immune system.