Collagen for Skin: What Can a Collagen Supplement Do for Mature Skin?

Collagen is an important building block of all of your connective tissues – including your bones, ligaments, cartilage, and skin. It is naturally produced in your body, but you can also get it from a supplement or collagen-rich foods.

But what can taking a collagen supplement do for your skin?

In this article, we will cover some of the research out there on collagen supplements, where to buy collagen supplements, and if there are any side effects to adding collagen into your routine.

Collagen Skin Care Benefits

One 2014 arm study had participants take hydrolyzed collagen for 130 days. They measured skin firmness, hydration, and wrinkle depth before and after supplementation.

After treatment, 82% had significant improvements in skin hydration. About 25% of participants had improvements in class 2 & 3 wrinkles. While 37% of participants had improvements in skin firmness after taking the supplement.

A 2011 study done in rats fed the animals a collagen diet or a control casein diet daily for four weeks and then compared the amount of collagen found in the skin. At the end of the trial, the collagen-fed rats had a significant increase in the amounts of collagen 1 & 4 as compared to the rats eating the control casein diet.

Another animal model study gave rats a diet of either collagen-based food or a control food and then exposed the rats to UV rays for 14 weeks. After the study, the rats who were eating the collagen-based foods showed significantly less wrinkle formation, thickened skin, and water loss from the exposure as compared to the control rats.

These studies show that there may be some significant benefits of collagen in terms of reduced wrinkle formation, hydration improvement, skin firmness, and UV protection from taking a hydrolyzed collagen supplement regularly.

Other Potential Collagen Benefits

Skin benefits may not be the only thing that collagen has to offer. Many other potential health benefits may come along with supplementation.

Taking a collagen supplement regularly may provide additional health benefits in joint pain reduction, bone loss prevention, muscle mass increases, or heart health benefits.

Your skin has a memory. In ten, twenty, thirty years from now, your skin will show the results of how it was treated today. So treat it kindly and with respect.     

-Jana Elston

Collagen Side Effects

Collagen is a naturally found building block of tissues in the body. It is commonly found in food items such as meats, bone broths, and animal-based foods.

For most, ingesting extra collagen in the form of a supplement should not have any side effects. However, if you have an allergy to meats, fish, or eggs, you may want to stay away from collagen supplements. There is a potential risk of these items being present.

Rarely, there may be a lingering bad taste in your mouth or gastrointestinal upset from taking collagen supplements.

Where to Find Collagen Supplements

Hydrolyzed collagen supplements can be found at most drug stores or supplement shops.

You will want to make sure you are buying your supplements from a reputable seller. This will ensure you are getting a high-quality product with the most benefits.

You also have the option of seeking out specialists that perform different types of collagen-based dermal fillers. This can range from lip filler enhancements to eyebrow lifts, softening lip lines, and more. It's up to you on what route you want to take. Good luck!

Skin care is like dieting. You have to invest time and effort. There is no instant miracle cure.     

-Karen Grant