Upgrade AND Simplify your Beauty Regime in just one pretty capsule

THE NEW BEAUTY HACK

Yes, collagen supplements really can help you upgrade AND simplify your beauty regime. With the right ingredients you can target your skin, hair and nails all in one daily convenient capsule.

Face creams and salon hair treatment target from the outside. Hair and face masks do just that – they mask the exterior. Whereas when you supplement you are targeting and nourishing from the inside – where it really matters.

Our cells are responsible for how we look and how we feel AND they are responsible for having healthier, longer stronger hair and nails and responsible for having firmer, more hydrated and healthier looking skin. So it pays to nourish from the inside out rather than the outside in approach.

BEAUTY STARTS FROM WITHIN

Your skin comprises 2 main layers, both of which serve a purpose.  The epidermis is the top layer of your skin which is visible to the eyes. It’s thicker than you might expect & it has 5 sublayers. Your epidermis is constantly shedding outers layers of dead skin cells and replacing with new healthy cells that have grown in the lower layers.

YOUR SKIN EXPLAINED

The dermis is thicker and contains oil & sweat glands, hair follicles, connective tissues, nerve endings and lymph vessels. Whilst the epidermis covers your body in a visible layer, the dermis is the layer of skin that really enables its function. It’s the dermis that contains collagen and elastin that helps support the structure of skin that we visibly see. Whilst the body naturally produces collagen in abundance when we are younger, it’s production starts to go into decline after around age 25 and continues to decline as we age.

POST MENOPAUSE SKIN

Post menopause collagen production decreases further as the body goes through it’s many changes. Skin noticeably changes, making it an even more important time to focus on nourishing the skin from within with targeted nutrition that works on a deep cellular level feeding the dermis layer with the nutrients it needs to shine through the outer layers so you can look and feel your visible best.

WHAT IS COLLAGEN

So what is collagen? Collagen is the most abundant protein in the skin and makes up 75-80% of your skin.

When you have skin that is firm and taut you can thank collagen and when you skin starts to sag and wrinkle you can thank the lack of collagen. The number one cause of skin ageing is the loss of collagen.

Collagen and elastin ward off wrinkles and fine lines but it’s not just your face it rejeuvenate. It’s one of the major building blocks of your bones, skin, muscles, tendons and ligaments and is also in your blood vessels, corneas and teeth. It can best be described as the glue that hold all these together.

Collagen literally does mean glue, it’s derived from the Greek word for glue “kolla”.

It was used for thousands of years to create glue and it’s still used today to create strings for musical instruments. (a fact I did not know until today!). It’s also used to create gelatin and used for the casing of sausages. It’s also used in the medical industry as a filler in plastic surgery and dressing for severe burns.

There are around 20 types of collagen, but the 4 main types are I, II, III and IV.

Type 1 accounts for 90% of the collagen in your body and provides structure to skin, bones, tendons, cartilage, connective tissues and your teeth.

Type II is found in elastic cartilage which cushions your joints

Type III supports the structure of muscles, organs and arteries

Type IV helps with filtration and is found in the layers of your skin.

As we age the body produces less and less collagen and that results in THE one visible sign which we are all familiar with, older looking skin which is less firm and less supple. These visible signs of less collagen are usually most noticeable on the face.

Our skin loses its integrity and overall volume diminishes, that includes volume in our lips too so we can kiss goodbye to plump lips as we age too. This decline starts earlier than you might expect. It starts in our 20’s and continues at a rate of around 1% per year.

When we are younger our body naturally produces more collagen than it breaks down, however by mid-life this balance tips the other way and our skin starts to noticeably change.

Can you relate? At what age did you start to notice your skin loosing firmness and fine lines appearing?

Age, lifestyle and environmental factors all play a role in the rate at which our body’s collagen declines. Skin is known to age in 2 ways, intrinsically – genetically and extrinsically with external environmental factors at play.

Intrinsic genetic factors include:

• The rate at which your collagen breaks down
• Your skins ability to maintain moisture
• Speed of skin cell regeneration
• How fast your skin recovers from skin damage

Environmental factors:

• Exposure to sun and wind
• Smoking and alcohol consumption
• Dietary factors, such as sugar intake. Too much sugar or refined carbs interferes with the collagens ability to repair itself.
• Lack of Hydration
• Lack of sleep
• Exposure to pollutants
• Poor skin care habits
• Medication and drug use

The good news is the list of what you can control is bigger than what is outside of your control. You can support your skin and collagen.

So start now and take control. Be proactive, not reactive, as the plumper and firmer your skin is with minimal lines when you start to take control then you’ll likely see bigger improvements than if your skin is already more aged with loss of elasticity & sagging and deep lines & wrinkles.

PRETTY PEA COLLAGEN SUPPLEMENT BENEFITS

More and more, research is showing that collagen supplements support the skin in key ways.

For the skin to appear youthful and be at it’s healthiest best the structure of the dermal layer must be maintained, but as we age the structure suffers as aged fibroblasts produce less collagen.

Collagen production starts to go into decline at about age 25 and continues to decrease in both quantity and quality. This decline continues significantly post menopause.

Skin Elasticity

The research shows that collagen peptides are able to support skin elasticity and dermal collagen density. How? Well collagen peptides have been shown to help promote your body’s natural production of collagen and other molecules that make up the skin.

Skin hydration

Studies and clinicals on collagen supplementation and skin hydration show that with regular use it supports your skin’s hydration levels.

One double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial found that participants’ moisture levels in the skin were seven times higher than those who did not take the supplements.

I don’t know about you but I’ll take those odds.

Smooth the appearance of fine lines

Likely due to a combination of the above factors, studies show that collagen can support skin elasticity and potentially make fine lines appear smaller.

One double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial found that when a group of women took a collagen supplement that was also formulated with hyaluronic acid and a few other actives, they reported a significantly smoother appearance of wrinkles

Hair growth & strength

Hair is mainly made up of the protein keratin and structural lipids. For the body to build keratin, it needs several types of amino acids, many of which are part of collagen peptides.

Manage oxidative stress

Oxidative stress is one of the main contributors to hair aging along with the rest of the body.

Collagen supplements may act as an antioxidant and help neutralize free radicals from oxidative stress.

The anti-photoaging effect of antioxidant collagen peptides from silver (marine collagen) is preferable to tea polyphenols and casein peptides.

Scalp health

Your scalp is simply your skin, just with more hair follicles. So what benefits your skin benefits your scalp. As collagen supplements can support overall skin health, they can also support scalp health which in turn promotes hair health and growth.

Nail health

Along the same lines of skin and hair health, one study found that when patients took collagen daily for 24 weeks, it helped support their nail health, including better growth rates, reduced breakage, and improved appearance. 

How to boost collagen naturally

Collagen food sources

Collagen is found in the connective tissues of animal foods, for example it’s found in chicken and pork skin. Bone broth has been hyped up of late, it’s made from boiling the bones of chicken and other animals. Not exactly however the vegetarian or vegan dream!

There is however debate over whether consuming collagen rich foods actually automatically correlates into increasing levels of collagen in the human body because when we eat protein it’s broken down into amino acids and then reassembled. Meaning it doesn’t necessarily follow that it translates into higher collagen levels in the body because these amino acids have many functions.

What we do, however, know is that collagen supplements have already broken down the large protein into smaller peptides and therefore are better absorbed by the body.

Nutrients to increase collagen production

Vitamin C All collagen begins as what’s called procollagen and your body makes this by combining 2 amino acids (glycine and proline) and this process uses all important Vitamin C. As Vitamin C is essential for collagen synthesis it should be a staple in your collagen supplement.

Vitamin C is found in bell peppers, acerola cherry, strawberries and citrus fruits.

Protein, your body needs a high quality protein that contains the amino acids required to make new protein. Sources include Meat, poultry, dairy, seafood, legumes, tofu and of course Pretty Pea protein powder.

Protein is recommended at every meal no matter your goal, be it glowing skin, weight management or health – protein is a must at ever meal. I recommend my client’s to base every meal around a source of protein and build from there.

Glycine is mainly found in protein sources, including pork skin, chicken skin and gelatin. Gelatin is essentially cooked collagen.

Proline is found in egg whites, dairy produce, mushrooms, cabbage, asparagus and wheat germ.

Copper is also required and is found in organ meats, cashews, cocoa powder, lentils and sesame seeds.

If you’re vegetarian, vegan or simply don’t consume much red meat you’ll see from these food sources that you’re on the back foot. And when it comes to typical collagen supplements (typically made from bovine) and what they are made of well, when it comes to bovine collagen we are literally talking feet, well cows hooves. Collagen is made from boiling their bones and other cattle by-products … which, well, isn’t exactly everyone’s cup of tea.

If you are considering a bovine collagen supplement pretty please opt for ‘grass fed‘ considered a more ethical choice. (if it doesn’t state grass fed on the front of the label then it most likely isn’t). Like everything in life you get what you pay for and it’s up to us as the consumer to control the supply and demand of ethically produced produce.

Marine Collagen

Pretty Pea’s Hair, Skin & Nails formula uses marine collagen. Definitely no bovine here. The pretty formula contains Type I & II collagen.

Type I is where the beauty benefits lie. Marine collagen is higher in bioavailability as the molecules are smaller, better for the body and also sustainably produced. This means with Pretty Pea you can check the tick box for both the body and for the environment.

What additional ingredients to look for in collagen supplements

Quality collagen supplements will likely incorporate additional synergistic ingredients such as Vitamin C. Pretty Pea’s formula has a blend of 15 pretty fabulous ingredients in total. Here’s a few important ones to look out for when choosing your collagen supplement:

Vitamin C

Vitamin C plays a major role in collagen formation in the body and is a vital molecule for skin health. It is included in collagen supplements to give your body’s natural collagen production additional support.

Hyaluronic acid

A molecule found in the skin that works to keep it plump and well hydrated. Unfortunately, as with collagen, its production decreases as you age. Ingestible forms of HA have also been shown to support skin hydration.

Biotin 

Biotin is a form of vitamin B—vitamin B7, specifically. Research shows that if you have low levels of biotin, it can actually lead to hair loss. Biotin is thought to support healthy hair growth because it is involved in the production of keratin, the main component of hair.

In one study, women with thinning hair reported significant regrowth when supplementing with biotin.

Pretty Pea blends collagen, hyaluronic acid, vitamins, minerals and synergistic herbals for a targeted formula, it includes:

• Marine Collagen
• Vitamin C
• Hyaluronic Acid
• Biotin
• Vitamin B3 (Niacin)
• Copper
• Zinc
• Selenium
• Vitamin E
• Astaxanthin
• Silica
• Pomegranate
• Pine Bark
• Rosemary Leaf
• Grapefruit Seed

That’s some list and what’s not to love! You can order your Pretty Pea powerful Hair, Skin & Nail formula and take a step to simplifying your beauty regime the easy way.

For a limited time you can get a 6 month supple of Pretty Pea’s Hair, Skin & Nails – check out the pretty packages on offer.

IMPORTANT ALLERGY ADVICE: Not suitable for anyone with fish allergies. Supplements should not be used as a substitute for a varied diet and healthy lifestyle. Consult your doctor before taking any supplements or changing your diet. 60 capsules per pot. Dairy Free & Gluten Free.

Read more about the changing body, what every woman at 30 should know about her body at 40 and menopause weight gain.