The Wonder of Collagen

What Is Collagen?

​Collagen is a strong, insoluble, and fibrous protein that makes up one third of the protein in our bodies. It is made up of the amino acids glycine and proline. There are numerous different types of collagen (at least 16 types), but 80% to 90% of collagen in the body belongs to types I, II, and III. 

The word collagen derives from the Greek word kolla, which means glue. Collagen plays a major role in building your bones, skin, muscles, tendons, and ligaments; it is what holds our body together. When it comes to our skin, collagen makes up the middle layer called the dermis.  It helps it feel and look tight, taught, and youthful. Collagen is a key support structure in your skin, with its network of fibres that provides a framework for the growth of cells and blood vessels.

What Happens To Collagen As We Age?

Unfortunately, as we age, our production of collagen (starting in our 30s) naturally decreases (1% per year), and our body makes lower-quality collagen as we age as well. This causes visible signs of ageing such as sagging skin, lines, and wrinkles as well as the weakening of other cartilage-rich areas such as our joints. Unfortunately, there is no way to prevent this inevitable process of ageing.

Other Contributors To Collagen Destruction

• High sugar diet: A diet high in sugar increases to production of advanced glycation end products (AGEs). AGEs lead to collagen that is dry, brittle, and weak. It is important to reduce or eliminate artificial sugars, highly processed foods, and pesticides that all contribute to AGEs. ​
• Smoking: Many of the chemicals present in tobacco smoke damage both collagen and elastin. Nicotine constricts blood vessels in the outer layers of the skin, which decreases the delivery of nutrients and oxygen to the middle and lower levels where cells grow from.
• Sun exposure: Ultraviolet rays in sunlight cause collagen to break down at an increased rate, and promoting the accumulation of abnormal elastin, which also breaks down collagen.​

How Does Our Body Make Collagen?
​
All proteins are made up of tiny molecules called amino acids. When you eat protein, your body breaks it down into its individual amino acids. Because of this, eating collagen doesn't directly increase collagen levels inside the body. Instead, it supplies your body with the building blocks needed to create its own collagen. ​

What Are Common Sources of Collagen?

While the most abundant source of collagen is found in animal foods (beef, pork, poultry, fish, egg whites), collagen can also be found in gelatin, bone broth, and within plant proteins (e.g. legumes, soy, quinoa).

Collagen supplements, as well as the collagen being sprinkled into various food products, is usually derived from the skin, hide, tendons, bones, cartilage, or other connective tissues of cows, pigs, chicken, or fish.  Collagen found in supplements has already been broken down, or hydrolyzed (also called collagen peptides), which is why it's thought to be absorbed more efficiently than the collagen in foods​.

Whether you ingest a collagen supplement or a steak, the body recognizes it as protein and breaks it down into amino acids in the digestive system.
​
Many cosmetic products containing collagen, including creams and powders, claim to revitalize the skin and make it stronger. Unfortunately, collagen molecules are too big to be absorbed through the skin, but on the bright side, collagen does have outstanding moisturising effects, so not all is lost.

What Are Potential Benefits Of Collagen Ingestion?
​

• Improved muscle mass - Strength training with collagen supplementation may result in better results than simply lifting weights alone¹
• Joint support - There is a growing body of research reporting improved function and pain levels for those with osteoarthritis who ingest collagen²
• Improvements in skin -  Collagen ingestion may improve skin hydration, elasticity, roughness, and density when compared with a placebo³
• Keeping bones healthy - Collagen ingestion can potentially have positive effects on increasing bone density when taken as an adjunct therapy⁴
• Stronger nails - While there are only small non-randomized control studies, it is thought that collagen intake can help decrease rough, ragged, and peeling nails⁵
• Improved hair growth - While research is limited, there is large anecdotal support for hair strength and improved density with those experiencing hair thinning⁵

How Does Medical Aesthetics Stimulate Collagen?

Collagen is stimulated naturally by our body as part of the natural healing process. Medical aesthetics uses targeted tissue injury and products to support natural collagen stimulation within the skin.

Examples include:

• Microneedling (AKA collagen induction therapy) - Using fine sterile needles to gently puncture the skin, microneedling creates small, controlled injury that triggers a boost in collagen production through the natural healing process.
• Injected Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) - PRP is a concentrated source of platelets, growth factors and cytokines produced naturally in your own body.  It uses these natural stimulating factors to rejuvenate the skin in a gradual effect, taking a few months to see results.
• Collagen Stimulating Injectables - Bio-stimulatory aesthetic treatments include Sculptra® Aesthetic (injectable poly-L-lactic acid), RADIESSE® (Calcium Hydroxylapatite), used improve the contours of the skin, fill out depressions, and replenish volume in the face.
• Nonsurgical PDO (polydioxanone) Threads - A type of medical-grade dissolvable suture that is inserted into the dermal layer of skin, stimulating new collagen as it dissolves.
• Laser Skin Treatments - Heat the skin, causing collagen to constrict, making skin look tighter, more firm, and less crepey; lasers also stimulate the production of collagen and elastin in the skin.
• Ultherapy - Delivers focused ultrasound energy to the surface of the skin. This energy triggers a natural response under the skin, jumpstarting the regenerative process that produces fresh, new collagen.

What Does The Research Say?

There’s an amazing amount of subjective evidence saying collagen is great, but there’s not a lot of science to prove it.  As the use of nutraceuticals (including collagen) for skincare has been rising,  clinical studies regarding the potential effects of collagen-based dietary supplements on skin are increasing. Preliminary results are promising for the short and long-term use of oral collagen supplements for wound healing and skin aging. ⁶Oral collagen supplements were noted to increase skin elasticity, hydration, and dermal collagen density.  It thought that collagen supplements are generally safe, having no reported adverse events.⁶

Oral supplementation with collagen peptides is effective in improving hallmarks of skin aging.⁷ At present, it is impossible to ingest a specific collagen (through meat, plant, or supplementation sources) that individually targets different areas of the body (e.g. joints, skin, nails, etc.). Instead, research supports more generalized improvement of body effects when collagen sources are increased. Essentially, taking in sources of collagen will have a generalized improvement in your joints, nails, hair, and skin. 

Resources: 
¹ Bolke, L., Schlippe, G., Gerb, J., & Voss, W. (2019). A Collagen Supplement Improves Skin Hydration, Elasticity, Roughness, and Density: Results of a Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Blind Study. Nutrients, 11(10), 2494. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11102494
² Bello, A. E., & Oesser, S. (2006). Collagen hydrolysate for the treatment of osteoarthritis and other joint disorders: a review of the literature. Current medical research and opinion, 22(11), 2221–2232. https://doi.org/10.1185/030079906X148373
³ Proksch, E., Segger, D., Degwert, J., Schunck, M., Zague, V., & Oesser, S. (2014). Oral supplementation of specific collagen peptides has beneficial effects on human skin physiology: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Skin pharmacology and physiology, 27(1), 47–55. https://doi.org/10.1159/000351376
⁴ Porfírio, E. & Bernardes Fanaro, G (2016). Collagen supplementation as a complementary therapy for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis and osteoarthritis: a systematic review. Brazilian Journal of Geriatrics and Gerontology, 19(1):153-164. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/1809-9823.2016.14145 ​
​⁵Wadyka, S. (2020). The real deal on collagen. Can popping a pill or eating foods with collagen improve your skin, hair, nails, or joints? Consumer Reports. The Real Deal on Collagen - Consumer Reports
​⁵ Choi, F. D., Sung, C. T., Juhasz, M. L., & Mesinkovsk, N. A. (2019). Oral Collagen Supplementation: A Systematic Review of Dermatological Applications. Journal of drugs in dermatology : JDD, 18(1), 9–16.
⁶ Asserin, J., Lati, E., Shioya, T., & Prawitt, J. (2015). The effect of oral collagen peptide supplementation on skin moisture and the dermal collagen network: evidence from an ex vivo model and randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials. Journal of cosmetic dermatology, 14(4), 291–301. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocd.12174