Let’s talk about skin care & anti-aging supplements. @Fawn | Skincare Stacy is the skin care GOAT & has amazing advice on how to take care of your skin. From my research, there are 2 supplements that can help your skin from the inside & slow the aging process: Coenzyme Q10 & collagen

1. Coenzyme Q10 Also known as CoQ10 & ubiquinol, coenzyme Q10 supports mitochondrial function. It’s an antioxidant that cells use for energy & to protect against oxidative damage & free radicals. CoQ10 plays a key role in cell growth & maintenance, particularly in the skin.

When we are young, skin cells get energy from mitochondria, which are the cell’s power plant. But as we age, energy production switches to a non-mitochondrial pathway. Scientists believe this triggers a breakdown in skin structure, i.e. wrinkles and sagging.

CoQ10 helps to preserve the mitochondria in your skin and prevents the cells from switching to non-mitochondrial energy production. CoQ10 also turns on genes that make skin structure proteins and turns off genes that make collagenase, an enzyme that breaks down collagen.

Studies have shown that daily ubiquinol supplementation of 50-150mg over 12 weeks reduced several signs of again in the skin relative to a placebo, including improved hydration, skin thickness, elasticity, and the appearance of wrinkles.

Research also suggests that CoQ10 protects your skin against free radicals and oxidative damage from the sun and pollution. Other benefits of CoQ10 backed by research include: -supporting heart health & reducing the risk of major cardiovascular issues

-helping to lower blood pressure in patients with hypertension -supporting brain health & slowing deterioration in cognition -helping exercise performance by decreasing oxidative stress in cells & improving mitochondrial function

Your body produces CoQ10 naturally, but production declines with age. Food sources include organ meats, cruciferous veggies, oysters, avocado, mackerel, and sardines. But you’d have to eat huge amounts of these foods to get enough.

You should be taking 50-150mg of a ubiquinol supplement like this one: amzn.to/3wOzqAd

2. Collagen Collagen is the most abundant protein in your body. It makes up the connective tissue in your skin, hair, joints, bones & muscles. Collagen makes up 80% of the skin and works with elastin to strengthen the skin and increase its elasticity.

Your body produces less collagen as you age. After 25, your body breaks down more collagen than it makes, losing about 1% of its collagen per year. (This is why CoQ10 + collagen is a powerful combination — CoQ10 stops collagen breakdown while you replenish your collagen stores)

Research shows that collagen supplements improve skin elasticity, reduce wrinkles, boost hydration & increase the density of the cells that produce collagen. Further research suggests that collagen strengthens the joints, reduces joint pain & boosts cartilage density.

Collagen is also an important supplement for gut health: It’s a building block of the gastrointestinal tract. It repairs tissue damage in the stomach and digestive lining that is the result of poor diet (i.e. seed oils & processed food).

Collagen also supports digestion by stimulating the production of hydrochloric acid and attracting water into the GI tract to move food along. Research has shown that one of the amino acids in collagen, L-glutamate, supports the intestines by neutralizing oxidative stress.

The link between gut health and skin health is well established by scientific research. When your gut health is out of whack, the skin is often the first place you notice problems.

You can get collagen from foods like bone broth; pork, salmon & chicken skin; egg yolk; and non-muscle meats like tendon, tripe & oxtail. Most of us aren’t eating those things so an easy way to get more collagen is by taking collagen peptides like this: amzn.to/3xcxD8r

Subscribe to @Fawn | Skincare Stacy substack to fix your skin & become Jacked, Tan, and Handsome. And consider adding CoQ10 & collagen to your supplement stack to help your skin from the inside out & slow the aging process. Follow me for more about improving you health with supplements.