I remember when I was a teenager I always wanted to look older. I dressed in a way that made me look as if I was in my twenties, I wore a ton of makeup every day and I regularly visited tanning beds which definitely made me look older.

When I remember my teenage self, I want to roll my eyes at her. At the same time I feel so much compassion for her.

Anyway, fast forward to today, all these unhealthy lifestyle choices – smoking, alcohol, excess caffeine, junk food and hours spent in tanning beds – did the damage. No matter how well I eat, exercise and look after myself now, I cannot completely undo the damage I’ve done to my body and especially my skin.

But what I can do is to feed my body the best possible food, love myself and look after myself properly, including my skin which would probably make me look like I was 40 years old if I had continued with my bad habits.

One of the reasons why the skin starts aging, becomes dull and saggy, is the decrease of collagen in the skin.

Collagen is the main structural protein of the various connective tissues in humans. It makes up from 25% to 35% of the whole-body protein content. It is mostly found in fibrous tissues such as tendons, ligaments and skin.