It can make your pores and skin look dewy and contemporary, your bones and nails robust, and your joints pain-free. These are the claims made by the numerous producers of collagen dietary supplements that come within the type of powders, capsules and lotions. For that motive, it’s no shock that collagen has turn out to be a broadly sought-after ingredient within the wellness and wonder communities. However collagen’s efficacy remains to be fairly up within the air. Pissed off? Right here’s what we all know.
What’s collagen?
Collagen is without doubt one of the most plentiful proteins within the physique. Actually, collagen is “the main structural protein that forms the connective tissue throughout our body, from skin to bones, muscles, tendons and ligaments,” mentioned Dr. Shari Marchbein, a board-certified dermatologist based mostly in New York. It’s no marvel that the bottled up model of this protein (normally manufactured from animal collagen) is in excessive demand.
Collagen makes up a whopping 80 % of our pores and skin, and works with one other protein referred to as elastin that — sure, you guessed it — retains our pores and skin elastic. However as we age, our our bodies naturally begin lowering collagen manufacturing. The board-certified dermatologist Dr. Whitney Bowe described our physique’s collagen as “ropes of protein in the skin.” Once we’re younger, the rope stays tight, however as we age, the ends start to fray. Basically, our our bodies aren’t capable of substitute the collagen we’re shedding as shortly as it’s breaking down. Beginning in our 20s, we start shedding about 1 % of our collagen every year, mentioned Dr. Bowe. This, sadly, means drier pores and skin. Solar publicity, cigarette smoke and air pollution may speed up collagen breakdown. “The concept of supplementing our collagen, especially as we age and as our body’s natural collagen production declines, is incredibly appealing from a dermatologic standpoint,” she mentioned.