You've probably come across the term "collagen" or its internationalized spelling "Collagen" more than once when choosing your skincare products. Perhaps you already know a thing or two about it? If not, don't worry, because you've come to the right place!
So, ready for your "aha moment"?
What exactly is this collagen?
The term collagen hides an entire group of proteins, so "the collagen" in this sense doesn't really exist. In this context, the term "structural protein" often comes up.
Five different collagens alone can be found in our skin. In addition, collagen is the organic component of your bones and teeth. The body's own collagen is also an essential component of cartilage, tendons, and ligaments.
Note: For simplicity, I will refer to this group of proteins simply as "collagen" in this article.
Good to know: With a percentage of 30 percent, collagen is the most common protein in the human body.
Where is collagen located in the skin?
The structural protein is located in the middle of three layers of skin. This is professionally called the dermis.
What is my body's need for collagen?
The exact need for collagen cannot be stated as a general rule, as every body is different. Here too, individuality is very important.
Here's an example: Someone who suffers from severe joint pain or even cartilage damage generally has a higher need than someone whose joints are undamaged.
What is the function of the body's own collagen?
You can imagine the structural protein as a sturdy scaffold. It provides plenty of stability. Thus, it gives joints, muscles, and tendons the necessary support. In addition, it keeps both the skin and connective tissue elastic and firm. Furthermore, it can store a lot of water. If your skin lacks collagen, you can certainly imagine that the skin will become increasingly flabby and the connective tissue will weaken. In other words, cellulite and skin dimples become more visible.
What side effects can collagen have?
In rare cases, allergies can occur, as collagen is a protein. In fact, it can be said that the risk of an allergy decreases the more similar animal collagen is to human collagen. This means that, purely factually, chicken, beef, and pork are lower-risk collagen sources than fish and jellyfish.
However, it is much more common for allergies to be caused by cosmetic or surgical treatments. This can be the case, for example, when using collagen as a dermal filler or in eye surgery. Apart from that, skin rashes can also be caused by collagen hydrolysates in hair conditioners.
In general, you can remember that the correct intake of collagen usually has no side effects. It depends on the dosage, i.e., ultimately the exact amount.
What amount of collagen is needed?
This basically depends on the product's recommended dosage. Important: dietary supplements should never replace your complete meals. They should only supplement them.
As a general rule, daily dosages of 2-10g are recommended, depending on the dosage form.
How exactly does the effect of collagen work?
The body is a clever mechanism and is therefore able to produce collagen independently. For this process, the amino acids glycine, proline, and hydroxyproline are used.
Your body forms collagen fibers from the protein. These link up in the middle skin layer, the dermis, to form a collagen scaffold that keeps the uppermost skin layer taut. Only through the interplay with elastic, stretchable fibers does your skin's elasticity develop. They complement the stable collagen in the connective tissue, so to speak. The network of collagen and elastin fibers is surrounded by a gel-like layer of moisture-binding hyaluronic acid and other components. This gives the skin additional volume.
Did you know that your natural anti-aging resources, which keep your skin beautifully firm, are depleted over time? With increasing age, collagen and hyaluronic acid production decreases. Inevitably, a collagen deficiency occurs, so to speak. Unfortunately, this is completely natural and affects everyone in the long run.
What are the effects of reduced collagen production in old age?
On the one hand, the skin becomes increasingly wrinkled and sagging, and on the other hand, the muscles lose elasticity. This means that the tendons become less flexible over time and the bones become brittle. More simply put, the connective tissue becomes flaccid and wrinkles appear. It can also happen that the joints cause problems and inflammation is noticeable.
How can these effects be counteracted?
Nowadays, collagen can be produced industrially, which is why it is available in various dosage forms. We are talking about powders, capsules, drinking ampoules, and creams. In the best case, you can compensate for age-related collagen deficiency. Our with collagen, aloe vera, and hyaluronic acid contains a lot of collagen, which you can easily take once a day in a delicious beauty shot.
What leads to the breakdown of collagen?
Various environmental factors can lead to the breakdown of the structural protein. An unhealthy, or more precisely, unbalanced lifestyle can also have a strong influence on your collagen reserves.
Stress is at the top of the list. Excessive consumption of sugar and alcohol also plays a role here. Strong sun exposure as well. Smoking also has a counterproductive effect on your collagen reserves.
Chronic diseases can also lead to a breakdown of collagen.
Which foods stimulate collagen production?
Your body needs a good portion of minerals and vitamins for this. Vitamin C, in particular, is an essential co-factor in collagen production, as is vitamin E. Vitamin E can counteract the breakdown of collagen by inhibiting the activity of collagenases. This is precisely why our Blossom Beauty Drink contains vitamin C and vitamin E in addition to collagen.
Can you really drink yourself beautiful with a collagen drink?
Just a reminder, collagen, as a structural protein, is essentially involved in the skin's structure. It gives many body parts their firmness and thus provides structure. No part of your body can do without collagen. Therefore, collagen, along with ceramides and hyaluronic acid, is the foundation of your skin. You can strengthen this foundation by taking dietary supplements. You can thus actively counteract skin aging.
Yes, in a certain sense, you can indeed drink yourself beautiful. 😍
What is the essential difference between collagen-containing creams and collagen drinks?
Collagen-containing creams are applied to the skin, thus acting purely superficially. In other words, the collagen cannot penetrate into the connective tissue of the middle skin layer. In contrast, with a collagen drink, such as our BlossomBeauty Drink, the collagen reaches exactly where it is needed through the bloodstream, namely into the middle skin layer.
In general, you can remember: It is more effective to stimulate the body's own collagen production through a dietary supplement than to apply collagen directly to the skin in the form of a cream, as the skin cannot absorb it properly.
