Forget chasing the latest skincare trend. According to Dr. Steven Gundry, one of the best things you can do for a glowy complexion starts long before you reach for your moisturizer.
The cardiac surgeon believes radiance begins by focusing less on taking collagen and more on helping your body make its own.
“Collagen is the most abundant protein in your body. Think of it as the rebar that holds you together: your skin, joints, bones, and even the lining of your blood vessels,” he explains.
While it’s natural for collagen production to slow down with age, Gundry says the bigger challenge is that our bodies become less efficient at soaking up the nutrients needed to create it in the first place.
“As we age, the surface area of the gut where we absorb those building blocks shrinks from the size of a tennis court to a ping-pong table. That shows up as wrinkles, achy joints, and fatigue. But the hopeful part is that your body already knows how to make collagen beautifully. It just needs the right tools.”
For Gundry, those tools include his Gundry MD Phyto Collagen Complex, which contains vitamin C, biotin, organic baobab fruit powder and Vollagen® Complex.
“Swallowing collagen doesn’t deliver collagen to your skin. It’s far too big a molecule to absorb intact, so your gut breaks it down into amino acids like any other protein. That collagen shake isn’t marching to your face; it’s becoming generic protein fuel. You don’t need to eat collagen to look or feel younger. You need to make it.”
Instead, mix one scoop of the strawberry lemonade flavored Phyto Collagen Complex into water once a day.
“It’s ideal for any adult who wants support for healthy aging, firmer skin, joint comfort, an active lifestyle, and stronger hair and nails.”
And the rest of your diet is just as important.
“Your skin is a mirror of what’s happening inside you. You can use the fanciest cream in the world, but if your gut is leaky and inflamed, that inflammation shows up on your face, and no cream fixes that from the top down,” he notes.
That’s why he tells his patients to “eat their sunscreen.”
“Those colorful compounds in dark berries and greens are your edible sunscreen against UV and oxidative stress. Feed your gut buddies and beautiful skin follows. Then sleep, hydrate, and keep moving.”
