Collagen for your skin: Real health or exaggeration?

Manufacturers of collagen supplements and creams are pleased to tout the incredible results their products promise us: plump, smooth, youthful skin, strong, silky nails and hair. and even healthier bones. All of this can be yours if you eat, drink or apply this amazing collagen powder, tablet or cream. It may be true, although it seems a little too good to be true, but what if it is not true? Let’s dig into this!

Collagen is an important part of our body. It is the most abundant protein our body produces. It is insoluble, fibrous and hard, which serves as a framework for our bones, tendons and muscles. There are over 16 different types of collagen, but the vast majority, up to 90%, fall into three categories: 1, 2, or 3. To measure, type 1 collagen is harder than steel. Collagens are stretchy and flexible. Our kidneys are covered in protective collagen.

From an aesthetic perspective, collagen is what makes our skin look plump and smooth when we’re young, and its absence is a big part of why we wrinkle and sag when we’re young. we get old. Think of the collagen in our skin like a supporting loom, or rolls in a mattress. As our collagen production decreases, our subcutaneous framework becomes less dense, strong, and uniform. Some coils weaken, causing parts of the mattress to sag.

Post-menopausal women will have a sharp decrease in fertility. Gaps in the structure allow the skin layers to become uneven. We start to wrinkle. Other factors that can decrease our collagen stores include the usual suspects: smoking, alcohol consumption and UV exposure, sun damage.

Most of us want to slow it down. Some of us want to stop the aging process altogether. Marketers know this and they work very hard to sell us with the idea that, if we just buy and use their miracle products, we can turn the clock back. Before you start taking collagen, here are a few things to know.

Topical creams containing collagen

The idea of ​​giving your skin more collagen by applying it topically and allowing it to absorb in strategic places, like the face, seems logical. Great. So does collagen cream have any effect? Sure is not. In fact, no. That’s a pity, but here’s why topical collagen creams and pills may not actually work.

Collagen molecules are very large. They are also complex and do not float on the surface of the skin. Collagen is produced in the second layer of the skin, the dermis. The dermis is a layer deeper than the epidermis or the outer layer and that is also where most of them are found. Molecules are like twine or rope made up of chains of amino acids, which are bundled together into strands and twisted into triple helices.

It turns out that these giant, complex molecules are simply too large to sink through the epidermis into the dermis. So, while your skin may feel smoother or softer, and your wrinkles may look a little less pronounced, what you’re seeing is happening at the surface of your skin. It is not the result of more collagen.

Many creams use smaller collagen peptides, or hydrolyzed collagen, which is technically a form of collagen. Another form of hydrolyzed collagen you may be familiar with? Gelatin. Like the stuff in Jello. Although these peptides are small enough to penetrate the dermis, topical use of collagen peptides has not been shown to have any effect. It is possible, but certainly not known to be true. Furthermore, because collagen-containing creams are not classified and are drugs, the claims they make may not need to be scientifically proven. On the other hand, the collagen found in creams or serums may not be harmful, so if you like the way they feel in your skin, you’ll have extra strength.

Supplement collagen

Whether in powder, packaged, or sold in pre-mixed collagen water bottles, oral collagen faces the same challenge as topical collagen: giant molecules. They are simply too large to be absorbed. There is a lot of potential for absorption in the digestive tract in the form of peptides, but no large-scale scientific studies have shown that those small molecules will find their way to your dermis.

But back to the problem of molecular size. Like many creams and serums, oral collagen supplements typically contain collagen peptides, smaller collagen fibers. There are a handful of really small, short-lived studies (60 people studied for three months or less) showing better skin elasticity, increased skin hydration, and improved wrinkles with collagen peptides. oral form.

Best tip: If you eat a healthy, well-rounded diet that includes protein-rich foods like eggs, legumes, dairy, and animal protein, chances are you’re getting enough collagen. . You’re better off protecting your own collagen levels by wearing sunscreen, stopping smoking, and limiting alcohol intake.

* Invite readers to watch programs broadcast by Vietnam Television on TV Online and VTVGo!