Skin’s firmness, elasticity, and bounce don’t just happen by chance - they’re supported by two key structural proteins: collagen and elastin, essential to overall skin health. These proteins form part of the skin’s collagenous structure within the extracellular matrix, helping maintain strength, resilience, and skin hydration and elasticity.
Collagen is the most abundant protein in the body and a key component of connective tissue, supporting not only skin, but also hair, nails, bones, and joints. Multiple types of collagen - including type I, type II, type III, and type IV collagen - each play a role in maintaining structure and function.
As we age, collagen production declines, contributing to visible skin ageing such as fine lines, wrinkles, dryness, and reduced bounce.
invest in skin’s future
But here’s the catch: collagen synthesis slows over time. This biological process - often explored in biochemistry collagen synthesis research - takes place in the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus, where amino acids like glycine, proline, and hydroxyproline form collagen’s triple helix structure.
This process depends on nutrients such as ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) and enzymes like lysyl oxidase, which help stabilize the collagen fiber network.
External factors like sun exposure, stress, and dehydration can disrupt this process and cause collagen loss, accelerating visible signs of aging.
loss of collagen
Our bodies produce less collagen every year, and environmental exposure further accelerates collagen degradation. As dermal collagen fibers weaken, the skin’s extracellular matrix becomes less supportive.
This results in:
Reduced skin hydration elasticity
Visible fine lines and wrinkles
Loss of firmness and resilience
Lower collagen levels also impact blood vessels and overall tissue regeneration, reinforcing the importance of preventing collagen loss early.
loss of elastin
The loss of elastin reduces skin’s ability to ‘bounce back,’ making it more prone to sagging and dullness. Unlike collagen, elastin has limited regenerative capacity.
This is why preventing collagen and elastin breakdown is essential to maintaining long-term skin health and preserving the skin’s collagenous structure.
the solution: collagen + elastin banking
Pro-Collagen Banking Serum, part of Dermalogica’s innovation pipeline and Top 27 focus , is designed to support skin proactively by helping to boost collagen and maintain the integrity of the skin’s collagenous structure.
Elastin works alongside collagen to keep this structure flexible and resilient. Supporting both helps maintain skin hydration elasticity and reduce early signs of skin ageing.
Pro-Collagen Banking Water Cream is clinically proven to help boost collagen by 44% and elastin by 56%*, supporting visibly improved skin in as little as 3 days**.
Formulated with a targeted peptide complex containing collagen amino acids, this formula supports the skin’s barrier and helps create the optimal conditions for boosting collagen production over time.
supporting collagen through daily habits
Maintaining collagen isn’t about a single solution. It depends on the type of support you provide your skin over time:
Protecting skin from sun exposure
Supporting skin with effective topical collagen products
Maintaining a balanced diet rich in amino acids
Understanding how lifestyle factors contribute to collagen loss
Together, these steps help support long-term skin health, tissue regeneration and overall skin resilience.
*Based on in vitro testing versus untreated skin
**Results at 3 days. Expert assessment in an independent clinical study