Where can I find collagen? Should I Take Collagen?What is Collagen?These are good questions. To help answer that here is a brief anatomy lesson.  If you are interested in anti-aging remedies, I’ll get to that in a moment.

What is Collagen?

Collagen is a protein that can be found in the ligaments, joints, tissues, fibers, tendons and bones of all mammals.  In human beings, it is found in the dermis layer of the skin.  In animals, it is found in their hides and skins.

Should I Take Collagen?

Before taking collagen in any form, consider the following information.

Collagen Injections

The type that is the best choice for collagen injections is derived from young pig skin, because it is less likely to cause allergic reaction than the type that is derived from cow hide.  In creams and lotions, you will see collagen that is derived from plants, fish and other sources.  In supplements designed to promote joint health, it is usually derived from chicken or fish bones.

Collagen Supplements

If you are looking for collagen supplements, you may have heard that they promote joint health, improve the skin’s appearance or help you lose weight.  Some manufacturers say that they help you burn fat while you sleep.  All of these claims have no basis in fact.  There is no clinical research to support any of them, except one.

They may help you lose weight, because they seem to suppress the appetite.  Any protein complex will do the same thing and collagen is an incomplete protein.  Complete proteins are those that contain all of the essential amino acids.  Eggs are examples of complete proteins.  Collagen contains only four amino acids and none of them are essential to the human diet.

If you took the supplement, it would be broken down during digestion into its component amino acids.Whether they would be used by the body or simply disposed of would depend upon whether the body needed them at the time, but it is unlikely that they would be used to build collagen fibers anywhere within the body, because that’s not the usual process that the body follows.  It makes those amino acids form other ones.

Anti-Aging Remedies and Collagen

When it comes to anti-aging remedies for the skin’s appearance, collagen is simply unnecessary.  Applying it directly to the epidermis often causes prolonged redness and irritation.  It cannot penetrate through the layers of epidermis to provide support to the fibers located in the dermis.  Even if it could, the processes used to make it soluble would also make it inactive.  The cells would not use it, because they could not.

Functional Keratin and Anti Aging

Keratin is another protein that makes up 95% of the cells in the epidermis.  Creams that contain active Keratin, sometimes known as Functional Keratin, have been shown to have an incredible anti-aging effect.  First, they stimulate the production of new cells, which secrete pro-collagens, which combine to form tropo-collagen and very soon, you have a new fiber.

So, instead of looking for collagen, I would suggest that you look for a keratin-rich cream.  Just make sure that it contains the “active” form. For more information on this please see my website.  Look for "Functional Keratin" not collagen. - Margaret Bell