COLLAGEN?
Is collagen a fleeting fad or here to stay?
Most of us have heard of collagen supplementation - especially for skin or aging. But does it really make a difference? And is it worth it spend our cash on a supplement?
We’ve discussed the different factors that go into skin aging before - but to refresh: it is both a product of environmental factors (pollution, sun exposure), lifestyle factors (sleep, stress, diet) and genetics, that all can contribute to increased oxidation levels and chronic inflammation which drives the aging process.
At the level of the skin we often see a reduction in collagen density and dermal thickness, and a reduction in the creation of those proteins.
Collagen supplementation comes in here - proponents of it claim it reduces the appearance of skin aging, and the active ingredients in many of the supplements are the collagen peptides: or amino acids: proline, glycine and hydroxyproline. When we digest these they are cleaved into smaller peptides which are used as building blocks for our body to build proteins, such as collagen protein.
What does the research say?
Some indicates that it might be helpful for supporting skin hydration and the appearance of wrinkles.
But there are some things to consider:
The first is that this idea behind how collagen supplements work: that the amino acids are broken down and provide the building blocks to our body to build collagen in our bodies - is the same way that any protein is broken down in our body. There is also no way for us to measure that these peptides would specifically be localized to our skin and be used there over other places our body might need peptides to build proteins.
Secondly a lot of this research does not take into account such as nutritional status. Are these women under eating protein? Is that why we are seeing a marked difference?
Finally across studies the collagen supplements are not always the same, so we probably don’t know what is the right combination to get good results.
Where does that leave us? Well, if you are interested in trying a collagen supplement you definitely could (also outside of skin aging, there are some reasons we might consider collagen supplements, such as nail or joint health) - but talk to a practitioner about it before you go ahead. Alternatively you could focus on increasing diverse and good quality proteins in your diet. Or adding a protein powder to smoothies!
And when it comes to skin aging (and aging in general!) we can’t forget the importance of the lifestyle factors we can control: a well rounded diet, a good exercise regime, sleep habits, sun safety and managing our environmental exposures.
Want to chat more skin health or what supplements make sense for you? We spend our days researching and making sense of what is actually worth it for our patients! Book a meet and greet with Dr. Fiona or Dr. Madeleine to get started on your plan.