• One 90-Minute Anti-Aging Hydro-Microdermabrasion Facial with LED Light

Collagen: Animals’ Most Common Protein, Hidden Within Our Skin

One key protein—collagen—can help keep your face looking youthful thanks to the effects of modern treatments. Check out Groupon’s guide to the invisible foundation of healthy skin.

Youthful-looking skin relies on a key protein known as collagen, which provides the skin with the strength and flexibility to maintain a plump, vigorous appearance. Experts have identified more than 20 unique types of collagen, but the most common form is what makes up the fibrous tissues within our skin, tendons, organs, and bone. The most common protein in the animal kingdom, collagen is produced by nearly every living creature, though the protein is most abundant in mammals, making up anywhere between 25 and 35 percent of the proteins in their entire bodies. The term itself stems from kolla, the Greek word for glue, and it literally translates to “glue producer”—a fitting name, since it practically holds the skin together and keeps the googly eyes from falling off our faces.

While natural collagen fibers have a great tensile strength, time wears on the cells. Every smile places a strain on existing collagen, and the body produces fewer natural fibers as it ages—two factors that together lead to the formation of fine lines and wrinkles. Though other mammals must rely on making masks out of coconuts to hide their aging faces, humans can treat sagging skin with topical creams that contain retinoid or retinol to improve cell turnover, stimulate the natural production of collagen through treatments such as microdermabrasion, or use injections of synthetic collagen to fill in for lost cells.