Table of Contents
There are several reasons that people go to their doctor for the importance of keeping your skin healthy. Skin problems can occur at any age, so it is important to be able to identify them so that treatment can be started early. The condition of your skin can affect your mental and physical well-being. It is possible to improve the quality of your skin and even the function of your body by consulting with a professional.
If you believe that you might have a skin condition or would like to know how to maintain your skin health, consulting with a doctor or dermatologist and an experienced physician who practices in the field of dermatology can be helpful. Skin conditions can often be confusing to identify, as many skin conditions share many similar symptoms with other skin disorders.1 A good dermatologist can evaluate your skin to help you determine the nature of the problem and what the best course of action may be. If you decide to treat your skin with medicinal means, make sure that you follow all of the directions on the bottle to the letter. Taking your skincare very seriously can do wonders for the health of your skin and allow you to feel better about the way that you look.2
The role that diet plays in determining the quality of your skin can become complicated when you add the role that sunlight has in the makeup of your skin. Because sunlight contains free radicals which can damage your skin and lead to wrinkles and other signs of aging, limiting the amount of time that you spend out in the sun can make a real difference. Eating foods rich in antioxidants can reduce the formation of free radicals and allow your skin to heal more effectively. Increased consumption of foods rich in vitamins C and E as well as the vitamin A found in carrots and spinach can also be very helpful in maintaining healthy skin.3
Why Is Collagen So Important?
You might have heard about collagen. It’s recognized more popularly as an effective supplement to help enhance the skin and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.4 But you might not know exactly what collagen really is, how vital it is to you, and the multiple possible amazing health benefits that result from supplementing collagen with collagen peptide. Basically, collagen works as a glue that holds the several layers of our skin together to keep it smooth and tight. When we are younger this happens at least partly through natural products in our skin, but as we age collagen breaks down and is lost leading to the creasing and wrinkling we sometimes experience as we age.5
The loss of collagen has many underlying causes. The biggest is osteoporosis as we grow older which weakens our bones making it more likely that we will suffer a broken bone or two. Another cause of osteoporosis is injury, such as a road traffic accident or even just forcefully falling on your back from doing some sort of strenuous activity. As well as directly affecting our bones, osteoporosis can also affect our joints and the muscles which support our joints. This means that if our body is not producing enough collagen then our body will begin to lose elasticity and become less flexible resulting in more obvious signs of aging such as aches and pains, weak bones, and a general reduction of mobility.6
What Are the Benefits of Collagen For the Skin?
So what are the benefits of collagen for your skin? Advertisements sound as if they came straight out from a movie script. You know the one, the actress’ lips look like marlin because of all those ‘exfoliated’ and ‘debatable’ lips. But this is not what you’re after here. We want to know the true benefits of collagen for your skin.
Your skin cannot produce collagen on its own which is why you are getting such thick layers of dead skin on your face. Collagen is the basic building block of your skin, and it plays a very important role in keeping it firm, supple, plump, and elastic. But it takes quite some time before your skin produces enough collagen to fulfill these needs, and this is what causes your skin to develop wrinkles and lines.7
There are several benefits of collagen for your skin. One is that it keeps your skin youthful and vibrant, by making the dermal layer thick and firm. Another is that it protects your skin from the elements such as ultraviolet rays, pollutants, and harmful substances. It also makes your skin resistant to infection.8
The most popular collagen products are collagen creams and lotions. These are usually applied topically to the skin, although some people also choose to use collagen pills or tablets. Collagen gel and lotions usually contain collagen protein fragments, whereas collagen creams use collagens in varying amounts. The most effective ones contain collagens up to ninety percent of each ingredient.
Many people take collagen gel or lotion orally, but there is no FDA-approved oral collagen product available yet. Oral collagen is much safer and more convenient, but you need to practice due diligence when choosing a product to use topically. Collagen creams are much better options for both people with skin problems and those who don’t because they are much easier to apply. They can even be used on red, inflamed, irritated, or chapped skin, as well as many other skin conditions.9
Now that you understand the answers to the question, what are the benefits of collagen for the skin? Keep reading below to learn about the most effective anti-aging skincare systems for improving collagen levels in your skin. In addition to having higher levels of collagen, products containing this ingredient will also have high-quality antioxidants. Antioxidants improve your skin’s immune function and help fight off harmful free radicals. These ingredients are what make up the best anti-aging skincare products, so make sure you choose ones containing these ingredients.
What Are the Benefits of Collagen For Weight Loss?
Collagen is a fibrous protein that your body creates and supplies. The most common form of this protein is collagen milk, which is used for skincare and also to slow aging and reduce wrinkles. Collagen is a vital protein in maintaining tissue elasticity and strength, and it is responsible for keeping your skin, ligaments, bones, and teeth elastic.10
Since losing weight is primarily the result of reduced food intake, it makes sense that any product that helps you lose weight should contain collagen. Fortunately, there are a wide variety of products on the market that contain collagen, and a large part of these include topical applications such as creams, lotions, and gels. Many people believe that collagen weight loss aids are effective because many of them are applied directly to the skin, although this is not true.
Topical collagen products, such as collagen weight loss aids, are designed to be absorbed by your skin. Because they are designed to be absorbed into the skin, they do not stand a chance of being broken down or absorbed by the body. The collagen is carried by the bloodstream, where it is broken down and then carried away by your lymphatic system. Some molecules of collagen may not get carried away, but since they are too large to be absorbed, they are not useful in your weight loss plan. Collagen supplements are therefore a waste of money.
Finally, collagen is too large a molecule to be able to pass through your digestive system, so it will not help you at all. This is why topical applications of collagen can be ineffective. At best, they will slow down the breakdown of your tissues, but they will not do anything to help you get rid of fat. This is where taking supplements with collagen comes into play.
Are Protein Bars With Collagen Beneficial?
As with any product out there, people have different opinions on this product. There are some people who say that protein with collagen is good for you, there are others who say that it’s not. Even so, it’s always good to educate yourself as much as possible before making a decision on anything. So how does protein supplementation work?
It is important to realize that protein supplementation (whether it be in the form of protein bars, supplements, shakes, or foods) is simply trying to stimulate your body into producing more collagen and elastin protein, thus preventing wrinkles and other aging signs from appearing. When your body can’t make these proteins, it needs to either consume them from food sources or take them through the skin, which can be problematic. One popular solution is to take collagen protein bars.
Image Credits
Facercise / Google Stock Images
Guardian / Google Stock Images
Georgia Dermatology / Google Stock Images
Nupo / Google Stock Images
Vital Proteins / 2021
1 “Skin diseases: A list of common conditions and symptoms.” https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/316622 Accessed 6 Oct. 2021.
2 “Skin Diseases, Conditions & Disorders| NIAMS.” https://www.niams.nih.gov/health-topics/skin-diseases Accessed 6 Oct. 2021.
3 “Vitamins C and E: Beneficial effects from a mechanistic perspective.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3156342/ Accessed 6 Oct. 2021.
4 “Health Benefits of Collagen: Pros and Cons, Nutrition, and More.” 26 Oct. 2020, https://www.webmd.com/diet/collagen-health-benefits Accessed 6 Oct. 2021.
5 “Top 6 Benefits of Taking Collagen Supplements – Healthline.” 19 Feb. 2020, https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/collagen-benefits Accessed 6 Oct. 2021.
6 “Collagen — What Is It and What Is It Good For? – Healthline.” 5 May. 2020, https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/collagen Accessed 6 Oct. 2021.
7 “Collagen for Your Skin: Healthy or Hype? | Cedars-Sinai.” 15 Jan. 2020, https://www.cedars-sinai.org/blog/collagen-supplements.html Accessed 6 Oct. 2021.
8 “Top 6 Benefits of Taking Collagen Supplements – Healthline.” 19 Feb. 2020, https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/collagen-benefits Accessed 6 Oct. 2021.
9 “Health Benefits of Collagen: Pros and Cons, Nutrition, and More.” 26 Oct. 2020, https://www.webmd.com/diet/collagen-health-benefits Accessed 6 Oct. 2021.
10 “Fibrous vs Globular Proteins | BioNinja.” http://ib.bioninja.com.au/standard-level/topic-2-molecular-biology/24-proteins/fibrous-vs-globular-protein.html Accessed 6 Oct. 2021.
