Collagen has been the talk of the town that it is a fountain of youth. Consuming Collagen from food like shark’s fin, pig’s feet, and animal skin can preserve your aging joints and smooth your skin, which has been a practice for Chinese women for centuries now.
In the modern world today, Collagen has become known during the 80’s as an injectable filler to help plump and soften lines of your limbs. However, in recent years these have evolved in innovative ways that become more tasty and affordable.
Consuming traditional ways of Collagen is still there as you can take from food resources, but companies make it more appealing to the millennials. You will find collagen products as supplements, powdered drinks, and even skincare products. Celebrities have become endorsers and users of different collagen products because of their ability to improve skin, hair, nails, and other medical benefits like wound healing and ease arthritis.
We will know in this article information that you need to know about Collagen because of its popularity. Why is it necessary, what are the ways to get Collagen and its benefits.
So, let us start with knowing the basics about Collagen.
What Is Collagen?
Let me give you a quick rundown of the definition of Collagen.
Collagen is a protein in the skin that makes up about 80% of our skin. It plays a significant role in how your skin looks and ages and primarily responsible for repelling wrinkles and fine lines.
However, as you age, the body’s collagen level drops, which is why Collagen is so essential, and collagen levels can be maintained if you don’t want to have youthful skin.
Why Is Collagen Important For Your Skin?
Collagen can diminish as you age. When you get older, your skin loses its firmness, and it begins to sag. Also, your wrinkles will be prominent and would not only be visible when you smile or frown.
Due to these reasons, people are looking for ways to increase their Collagen, which is where different products come in, like supplements, food, and skincare. Some studies from these products can prove its effectiveness, and we will get to know more about it in the rest of this article.
Before we get into those, we will know more about the different types of Collagen.
What Are the Different Types of Collagen?
There are many types of Collagen, 28 to be exact. The most abundant are Type 1, 2, and 3, which can be found in collagen products out in the market.
We are going to get to know these three types of Collagen since they are the most prominent.
Type 1
Type 1 is the primary Collagen that is found in the skin. It can be found in the body’s tendons, ligaments, teeth, connective tissues, and bones.
Type 2
Type 2 can be found in cartilages and in the eyes.
Type 3
Type 3 is the one that makes up the skin, muscles, and blood vessels. It is also known as “baby collagen” because of its role in early infant life.
Now that we know some basic facts about Collagen, let us find out why we lose Collagen.
Reasons Why We Lose Collagen
We know aging is one reason we lose Collagen but what are the other reasons for its depletion throughout the years?
Collagen loss can start earlier, especially for women who experience menopause. According to studies, women’s skin can lose about 30% of Collagen in the first five years of their menopause. It will continue to lose two percent of Collagen every year after that.
UV rays coming from the sun are also why there is a decrease in Collagen in our body. Exposure from ultraviolet can break down the skin’s connective tissue like Collagen, elastin fibers, and dermis.
The skin damage from UV rays can result in wrinkles, which is why it is advised to always wear sunscreen with SPF 30 and up every day.
What Are The Nutrients That Can Help With Collagen Production?
You can help your body to produce more Collagen by the following nutrients:
Vitamin C
You can get Vitamin C from citrus fruits and other fruits like strawberries, kiwi, cantaloupe, mango, papaya, and pineapple.
Proline
Eating of dairy products, egg whites, cabbage, and mushrooms will give you Proline.
Glycine
You will get Glycine nutrients from gelatin and animal skin like pork and chicken.
Copper
If you eat lentils, cocoa, cashews, sesame seeds, and organ meats, you gain Copper nutrients.
Essentially, to get the high-quality protein that contains amino acids, you need to eat meat, seafood, chicken, dairy, and legumes, and tofu to get the amino acids that your body needs.
What Can Damage The Collagen?
It would help if you took note of these things to avoid Collagen damage.
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Sugar and refined carbs
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Too much sunshine or exposure to the sun
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Smoking
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Autoimmune diseases can cause collagen loss
Benefits Of Collagen
Collagen has many benefits in our body; that is why we must have an adequate amount.
It Can Improve Skin Health
Since Collagen is a significant component of our skin, we need to take care of it. Strengthening our skin will have benefits like elasticity and hydration since aging is a factor in losing Collagen. Loss of collagen can lead to wrinkles and fine lines.
Some studies prove that Collagen can help with the dryness of the skin. Products and food with collagen help in the increase of it in our body.
It Helps Relieve Joint Pain
Collagen is one factor that helps with the body’s cartilage, which is a rubber-like tissue that connects and protects the joints in our bones. If the amount of Collagen decreases once you age, there will be a risk of developing joint disorders.
If you take food and supplements with Collagen, it will reduce the symptoms and reduce joint pain in your body. Also, it could lower inflammation, can support your joints better, and reduce pain.
It Could Prevent Bone Loss
The body’s bones are also made up of Collagen that helps it to be strong. Collagen depletes when we age, it could lead to bone diseases such as osteoporosis and can be at risk of higher bone fractures.
Taking additional Collagen will help your bones break down and prevent you from having osteoporosis as you age.
It Could Boost Muscle Mass
Collagen can keep your muscles strong and would help them function correctly. Depletion of collagen while the body age can lead to loss of muscle mass.
If you take Collagen it can promote and stimulate muscle growth after workouts.
It Promotes Heart Health
If you take Collagen enriched food, supplements can help structure the body’s arteries responsible for blood vessels that carry blood to your heart and your body. It will be able to reduce heart risks, according to some research.
Other Health Benefits
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It can stimulate hair and nails growth
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Can improve gut health
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Can Improve brain health
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Can help with weight loss
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It can give you a boost in metabolism
How To Prevent Collagen Loss
Since aging is a significant factor in collagen loss and we can’t help to age, you don’t need to panic because prevention methods could help our body get the right amount of Collagen.
There are different ways and options that we can do.
Collagen Supplements
Collagen supplements have been taking over the health and wellness arena because of the health benefits that we can gain from them. They have been trendy lately as you can take themes as pills or powdered and mix them with your favorite juice or smoothie.
Collagen Skin Care
Collagen is not only popular with pills and drinks but also with skincare. Some companies put Collagen as one of their major components because it is believed that it could also help and prevent collagen loss.
Some nutrients such as retinoids and vitamin C that can be used as topical skincare can improve collagen production. Vitamin C is known to have an anti-aging effect that can help with the production of Collagen. Simultaneously, retinoids are a form of Vitamin A that can improve the skin’s appearance.
People widely use skincare with collagen products because it can moisturize and plump the skin. However, others are not convinced by its effectiveness because Collagen’s molecular weight from the skincare products is too large to penetrate the skin.
Chemical Peels And Laser Treatments
Chemical peels is a way to exfoliate your skin as it can reduce wrinkles, fine lines and other concerns that can stimulate collagen production. You will experience clearer and smoother skin once you do chemical peels.
Another way to boost collagen production is laser treatments. It can also smooth your skin and reduce the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines, uneven skin, and make your skin feel younger. There are many laser treatments available, and you should consult your dermatologist to know what is the best for your skin.
Liquid Collagen
Eating or drinking Collagen is not new because taking Collagen has been a practice for centuries. It can be from drinking bone broth from animals. There is still much research to determine if this method is highly effective in boosting Collagen’s reproduction in the body.
Consult Your Dermatologist
If you need to improve your collagen production and before trying the methods listed above, the best thing to do is consult your doctor first. Let the treatment that will suit you and be more knowledgeable about the Collagen in your body. Your doctor will surely give you options, what you need to expect, the costs, and any side effects.
Are There Side Effects Of Collagen?
Collagen is safe, and there are no risks associated with putting additional Collagen in your body.
Since there are a lot of options if you want to increase the Collagen in your body, you should first do research and if it will be suitable for you. Collagen supplements are good but before you take it, make sure you’ve done the research, check out reviews, and if it came from a good supplement brand. Ensure that its ingredients came from a good source because you might have some allergic reactions as most Collagen came from eggs or fishes.
There are not many regulations when it comes to supplements, and collagen supplements are in the category too. You might experience some allergies, or they might cause sensations and even heartburn.
Final Thoughts
Compared your body into an oiled well machine, and this machine needs to be oiled consistently. The oil is our Collagen, and if the device isn’t working well, it’s because the oil is depleting through time, just like Collagen as we age.
Collagen is an essential component of our body because it has many responsibilities. It makes our skin, bones, tendons, teeth, and other connective tissues work well. Without Collagen, our body will not be as good when we were younger.
We must be knowledgeable about Collagen because we can know the proper methods to make sure that we have the right nutrients and vitamins in our body through the information we have.
I made this article about Collagen because I know most of us are concerned about our bodies as we age, and we can’t do anything about aging. However, we can prevent it from happening in our way.
In this article, I explained how we could prevent collagen loss by supplements, skincare, treatments, and the proper food to eat and avoid.
I hope that this article helped you get the correct information and know the risks associated with collagen treatments and the benefits that it will have for your wellness and health. I don’t think Collagen is the fountain of youth because it cannot make you younger in the literal sense but it can definitely help you to look and feel younger if you correctly follow a good and healthy lifestyle.
