11 Tips to Boost Collagen Production During Menopause

Skin is an endocrine organ that responds to hormones like estrogen and is one of the first parts of the body to show signs of menopause. The natural decline in estrogen during the menopausal transition can affect the skin’s extracellular matrix (ECM), which provides firmness and resilience. Collagen, a key protein within the ECM, relies on estrogen for support.⁽¹⁾

Collagen is produced by specialized cells like fibroblasts and plays a key role in maintaining skin health. These fibroblasts, along with keratinocytes in the outer layer of the skin, rely on hormones like estrogen to regulate their activity. Estrogen stimulates processes like collagen synthesis, keratinocyte proliferation, and repair, ensuring the skin retains its firmness and elasticity. However, as estrogen levels decline during menopause, these processes slow down, leading to noticeable skin changes like sagging, dryness, and reduced thickness. Nearly 70% of women experience increased skin laxity, and more than half report worsening dryness after menopause.⁽¹⁾

Research indicates that during perimenopause, skin collagen levels may decrease by up to 30% in just 5 years. This decline may continue at about 2% per year for the next 15 years, accompanied by a skin thickness reduction of approximately 1.1% annually. This ongoing depletion underscores the need to support collagen production to maintain skin health and vitality during menopause.

Factors like genetics, lifestyle choices, UV exposure, smoking, stress, and sleep patterns can further impact collagen production. These 11 tips can help boost collagen production naturally, supporting the skin’s health and vitality during menopause.

11 Tips to Support Collagen Production

Here are effective ways to address the decline in skin thickness during menopause. Implementing the following strategies can help support collagen production and maintain skin health during this transitional phase and beyond.

1. Considering Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)

HRT offers an effective way to manage the effects of menopause, including skin changes. By replenishing estrogen levels, HRT can help manage changes such as dryness, sagging, and wrinkles. 

Estrogen is essential for collagen synthesis, as it activates growth factors like transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) that regulate fibroblast activity. It also boosts keratinocyte proliferation, thickens the epidermis, and enhances hydration by promoting hyaluronic acid production.⁽¹⁾

Research supports these benefits. Women who use HRT often experience thicker skin, increased collagen levels, and better hydration. Topical estrogen treatments, such as estrogen creams, help support collagen production and protect the skin’s structure by reducing the activity of enzymes that break it down.

Progesterone is an essential addition for women who still have a uterus. Estrogen alone can lead to the overgrowth of the uterine lining, a condition known as endometrial hyperplasia, which increases the risk of endometrial cancer. Adding progesterone balances this effect, protecting the health of the uterus while still providing the benefits of estrogen for the skin, collagen production, and overall well-being.

However, not all HRT options are created equal. Bioidentical hormones have a molecular structure identical to the hormones naturally produced by the body. This structural similarity allows them to mimic the body’s hormones more closely, potentially leading to better absorption and fewer side effects compared to synthetic alternatives. Because of this, bioidentical hormones are often considered a more natural approach to addressing the symptoms of menopause, including those that impact skin health and collagen production.⁽¹⁾

2. Adding Retinoids to a Skincare Routine

Retinol, a form of vitamin A, can penetrate the outer layer of the skin, known as the stratum corneum, and reach the dermis, where deeper repair happens. Once inside skin cells like keratinocytes, it binds to receptors and triggers a range of beneficial effects.

Retinol encourages keratinocytes to multiply, strengthening the skin barrier. This helps reduce water loss and improve hydration. It also protects collagen by blocking enzymes that break down the ECM. By supporting fibroblasts, it further boosts collagen production, helping the skin

stay firm and elastic.⁽²⁾

Another option is a combination cream containing tretinoin (a retinoid) and estrogen, which provides the dual benefits of vitamin A and HRT. The combination of these two ingredients targets fine lines and wrinkles, boosts cellular turnover, and improves skin texture and tone.

3. Trying Topical Vitamin C

Collagen synthesis starts in the cell’s nucleus, where a blueprint guides the formation of collagen fibers. This process depends on enzymes that strengthen collagen by stabilizing two key amino acids: proline and lysine. Vitamin C is essential for these enzymes to work, ensuring collagen is properly formed and stable.

Vitamin C also directly boosts the production of type I and type III collagen, improving skin firmness and reducing fine lines and wrinkles. Its antioxidant properties further protect collagen from damage caused by free radicals, slowing down skin aging and promoting a youthful appearance.⁽³⁾ 

4. Managing Stress

Stress triggers the body to release cortisol, a hormone that can weaken collagen production and break down existing collagen. High cortisol levels significantly affect fibroblasts, the cells responsible for collagen production.

Research shows that fibroblasts exposed to high cortisol can lose up to 70% of their collagen-producing ability. This leads to thinner skin, slower wound healing, and an accelerated aging process.

Managing stress can help lower cortisol levels and protect collagen. Practices such as mindfulness, regular exercise, and quality sleep can help regulate stress and support healthy collagen production.⁽⁴⁾

5. Exercising Regularly

Collagen levels naturally decline with age, leading to thinner skin and a breakdown of the ECM. Regular exercise can help slow this decline by reducing inflammation and protecting collagen. Aerobic exercises, such as walking, jogging, and cycling, promote the release of cytokines and myokines — proteins that aid in tissue repair and collagen preservation.⁽⁵⁾

Resistance training, like weightlifting or bodyweight exercises, also improves muscle tone and skin elasticity. Combining aerobic activities with resistance exercises can further support collagen production.

6. Reducing Alcohol Intake

Alcohol can disrupt collagen production by interfering with the function of fibroblasts. It reduces the activity of prolidase, an enzyme critical for collagen synthesis, and lowers the levels of key proteins like β1 integrin and IGF-IR, which are essential for collagen formation.

Additionally, alcohol decreases the activation of signaling proteins that stimulate collagen production and promotes cell damage. This can trigger apoptosis, a process where cells self-destruct, further limiting fibroblasts' ability to produce collagen. Reducing alcohol intake can help protect collagen and support healthier skin.⁽⁶⁾

7. Getting Adequate Sleep

The body’s ability to produce collagen can be influenced by both internal and external factors, including sleep patterns.⁽⁷⁾

Research shows that sleep plays a critical role in restoring immune system function, which is closely linked to collagen synthesis. During sleep, the body undergoes repair processes that support the production of collagen and other proteins essential for skin integrity. Lack of sleep can disrupt these processes, leading to a weakened skin barrier and compromised mucous membranes.

Getting adequate sleep is one of the simplest ways to support collagen production and overall skin health. It helps the body restore its natural balance, repair damage, and maintain the integrity of the skin’s structure.

8. Applying Sunscreen

UV radiation from the sun can break down collagen fibers in the dermis and inhibit the production of new collagen by increasing the activity of enzymes that degrade the ECM. This damage compromises the skin’s structure, resulting in reduced elasticity and firmness.⁽⁸⁾

Using sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher is one of the most effective ways to protect collagen from UV-induced damage. Broad-spectrum sunscreens shield the skin from both UVA and UVB rays, which are responsible for collagen degradation and other harmful effects like pigmentation changes and thickening of the outer skin layers. Studies have shown that regular sunscreen use prevents these changes and supports the preservation of collagen and other skin components.⁽⁸⁾

In a 2021 study, subjects who used daily broad-spectrum sunscreen for 52 weeks experienced significant improvements in skin texture, clarity, and pigmentation.⁽⁸⁾ 

9. Incorporating Protein in the Diet

Protein-rich foods play a vital role in supporting collagen production, as collagen itself is a protein that makes up about 25%–30% of the total protein content in the human body. Collagen formation requires specific amino acids, particularly glycine, proline, and lysine, which are key building blocks of its structure. These amino acids are found in protein-rich foods like beans, legumes, meat, eggs, and fish, making these foods essential for maintaining healthy collagen levels.⁽⁹⁾

In addition to amino acids, certain micronutrients and minerals found in protein-rich foods, such as iron and copper, also support collagen production. These nutrients act as cofactors, enabling enzymes to function properly during the collagen-building process. 

10. Reducing Added Sugar Intake

Excess sugar intake can negatively impact collagen production and accelerate skin aging through a process called glycation. Glycation occurs when sugar molecules, such as glucose and fructose, bind to amino acids in collagen and elastin. This binding forms advanced glycation end products (AGEs), which cause collagen fibers to become stiff, less flexible, and more prone to damage.⁽¹⁰⁾

Managing sugar intake can help reduce the formation of AGEs and support the preservation of collagen. A diet lower in sugar, combined with protective measures like wearing sunscreen, can minimize glycation and its damaging effects on the skin. 

11. Using Aloe Vera

Aloe vera contains glucomannan, a polysaccharide rich in mannose, and gibberellin, a growth hormone. These components interact with growth factor receptors on fibroblasts, stimulating their activity and encouraging collagen synthesis.⁽¹¹⁾

Research shows that aloe vera can significantly increase collagen levels when applied topically or taken orally. It can boost collagen quantity and enhance its quality by increasing the p

roduction of type III collagen, which is particularly important for skin elasticity and repair. Aloe vera also promotes better collagen cross-linking, a process that strengthens the skin's structure. This can accelerate wound healing; improve scar strength; and contribute to firmer, healthier skin.⁽¹¹⁾

Aloe vera also supports the production of other vital components in skin repair, such as hyaluronic acid and dermatan sulfate, which aid in maintaining hydration and supporting the ECM.