You may have heard of collagen before, you often hear it mentioned as an ingredient in various skincare products. However, while it is incredibly effective in those applications, collagen is actually a crucial substance for our bodies. Collagen is a type of protein, and is found in the skin, muscles, tendons and bones. In fact, it is the most abundant protein in the human body, so as you can imagine, it must do something important.
What collagen does is provide structure and strength to the various components in the body, helping bones to grow strong, muscles and tendons to be resilient, and skin to remain taught and flexible. It is a major part of the connective tissue and is one of the main ways in which the cells that make up the body are kept together. Healthy collagen levels help maintain cardiovascular health along with supporting kidney function and boosting other organs too.
Exogenous and Endogenous Collagen
Collagen, then, is crucial for a variety of reasons, and even helps form the body itself. But not all collagen is the same, in fact there are around 28 types of collagen, each with a different structure that allows them to be effective in various applications. However, in addition to the different types, there are two distinct forms of collagen. Endogenous collagen is natural, and deficiencies of this type of collagen can lead to a variety of health problems, including scurvy, weak bones and a number of skin issues.
The other form of collagen we are familiar with is exogenous collagen, and this is the type commonly found in skincare products and other health supplements. You will often hear how the peptides in these products boost skin elasticity, reverse skin aging and so on, and it is the exogenous collagen in these products that achieve that.
This type of collagen is synthetic, and is most commonly included in products to help combat signs of aging skin that can occur when the body doesn’t produce enough collagen naturally, but has a number of uses across both medical and cosmetic applications.
The most common ways collagen is used in medicine and cosmetics
With collagen found throughout the body, and having such an important role, it should come as no surprise that it is used in a number of ways for both medical and cosmetic treatments.
Skin Fillers
When healthy, around three quarters of the dry weight of skin is made up of collagen, but as we age, collagen levels in the body fall naturally, which can lead to the loss of elasticity that leads to wrinkles and other signs of aging.
Skin fillers use a combination of exogenous collogen and hyaluronic acid fill gaps, giving the skin a smoother appearance, and can often boost collagen production too, helping the skin regain its natural flexibility for a more youthful appearance.
Wound dressing
Collagen is a key protein in the body’s natural healing mechanisms, and wound dressings that are infused with collagen are often used to boost that natural process.
When healing collagen has been proven to help control bleeding, reduce inflammation, encourage wound healing cells to the damaged area, manage circulation in the area, help the skin regain elasticity and support new tissue growth.
Guided tissue regeneration
Coming in the form of pads, plugs or membranes that include collagen, guided tissue regeneration is intended to form a platform for new growth, with collagen boosting cell production. This is frequently used in dentistry to manage the gum sockets after dental work, but is also helpful in wound healing and bone regeneration after a break.
Treatment of osteoarthritis
Because collagen is such an important component of healthy connective tissues like cartilage as well as bone, many believe that it can help manage the symptoms of osteoarthritis. Treatment uses collagen hydrolysate, which boosts collagen levels, and a 2018 medical study found that around half of patients in a test noted a lowering of the level of joint pain they experienced. Research continues on this approach, but for those that have enjoys pain relief from it, there is no question as to its benefits.
Skin revitalization
The results of lower collagen levels in the skin, losing elasticity leading to wrinkles and other deterioration is one of the most visible signs of aging there is. It is understandable then, that so many of us want to be proactive in reducing these problems. Skin cosmetics can come in several forms, we have mentioned fillers already, alternatives are topical creams and oral supplements, both in the form of collagen powder or tablets and capsules. These healthy skin products can contain a range of compounds such as amino acids glycine, vitamin C, zinc and more as well as collagen itself and aim to boost collagen output in the skin, boosting elasticity to give a smoother look as the signs of aging diminish.
What happens to collagen as I age?
As we age the levels of collagen within the body naturally fall, leading to weaker bones, skin losing elasticity, joint pain and so on. Because collagen is so prevalent within the body, and so important for many of its functions, most of the traditional signs of aging we take for granted can be traced back to lower collagen levels. But aging is not the only cause of lower collagen levels, and our lifestyles can have a dramatic impact too.
What lifestyle habits damage collagen?
One of the key ways in which collagen can be damaged is by exposure to ultraviolet rays from the sun. This can break down the collagen in the skin over time, causing skin to lose elasticity. Other ways in which collagen levels can be affected include poor diet, especially a deficiency in Vitamin C, or smoking. Both poor diet and smoking can cause what is known as oxidative stress, which in turn can cause damage to your collagen levels.
Preventing collagen loss
But it doesn’t have to be that way, and you can take steps to prevent collagen loss, most of which will also provide a healthier lifestyle as a result. This includes ensuring your diet has high levels of fruits and vegetables, they contain the vitamins and oxidants the body needs and can help maintain levels of collagen during aging. By protecting the skin from too much exposure to the sun’s UV rays, you can also avoid the problems that can cause, and ensure the collagen in your skin stays healthy. Don’t smoke. Not only is avoiding smoking good for your collagen, but it is also great for every aspect of your health too. Finally, you can use our range of creams and supplements to help boost collagen levels and maintain a younger looking, taught and flexible skin. You can find them at https://supermood.us/.
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