From pure gold facials and placenta face masks, to breast milk facials and urine therapy – it seems like we will try just about anything to beat the clock! Most of us will not go to such lengths, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t search for ways to prevent and even reverse the aging process. Collagen creams and supplements are the latest anti-aging fads. All of us know that skin is made up of collagen, so it seems plausible that these methods could work, but can they really improve skin health?
Do Collagen Creams And Supplements Really Work?
The market today is absolutely flooded with anti-aging creams that claim to have miraculous rejuvenating properties powered by the collagen compounds present in these products. Anti-ageing supplements and drinks are relatively new to the Indian market, but they are catching up pretty quickly. However, scientists say that most of the claims are either completely fabricated or grossly exaggerated.
The Effects Of Collagen Skin Creams
“Collagen molecules in skin creams are too big to be absorbed by the skin which renders them useless”
To understand why the collagen in creams have practically no effect on skin health, we need to get a little technical. Your skin acts as a barrier, but it is not impermeable – molecules that have a molecular weight of less than 500 Daltons (a unit of measurement) can be absorbed by your skin. However, most of the collagen compounds in skin creams are over 15,000 Daltons which means that they cannot be absorbed by your skin. This means that all that “amazing” collagen just sits on your face and is then washed off!
The Effects Of Collagen Supplements On Skin
“Preliminary research shows that collagen supplements could provide a marginal improvement in skin health, but the results are far from conclusive”
The idea of improving skin health from within is not a new one as there are plenty of foods that we can consume to improve our skin health. Preliminary tests show that collagen supplements could provide some amount of skin health benefits, but these positive effects are far from proven. In fact, a recent study found that only 15% of the participants had fewer facial lines and wrinkles after consuming a collagen supplement for 2 months. Furthermore, the researchers admitted that these results were not conclusive and could have been caused by other external factors.
Proven Anti-Aging Strategies That Actually Work
“Vegetables, legumes, and olive oil protects skin from sun damage while a high intake of meat and butter has an adverse effect on skin health”
Diet plays an important role in overall health, including skin health. People who have a wide variety of healthy whole foods are more likely to have healthy skin with fewer wrinkles. In fact, studies showed that a high intake of vegetables, legumes, and olive oil protects skin from sun damage while a high intake of meat and butter has an adverse effect on skin health. Animal and human studies show that green tea also has anti-aging properties and can improve wrinkles by 36 to 63%, so a daily cup of green tea will help to improve your overall skin health. Regular exercise increases circulation, which in turn ensures that your skin gets the nutrients it requires to stay healthy.
Our Advice
Collagen creams and supplements are of little or no use in your fight to stay young! However, photoaging or sun damage is the main cause of wrinkles and skin damage. Invest in a good sunscreen lotion as this will go a long way in preserving your youthful looks. Even the occasional binge drinking session can have serious health repercussions as well as damage your skin. If you smoke, you need to quit cold turkey right now as smoking causes cumulative damage including wrinkles, sagging skin, and an uneven complexion. So, stay healthy and stay gorgeous!
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