Collagen is a major component in your skin. It helps strengthen skin, preserve its elasticity and hydration, and keep wrinkles at bay.
Because collagen helps keep our skin firm and elastic, it is often used as a cosmetic ingredient to improve the appearance of wrinkles, scars, stretch marks, cellulite, and other signs of ageing.
What Causes Collagen Loss?
With ageing, your body produces less collagen, which makes it harder for your skin to hold onto moisture. Collagen also becomes more fragmented. These changes lead to the characteristic signs of ageing, such as wrinkles and dry, sagging skin.
- While ageing is an inevitable part of life, certain dietary and lifestyle factors can contribute to reduced collagen production.
- Smoking cigarettes is known to degrade collagen and cause skin ageing, wrinkles, and loss of elasticity.
- Excessive drinking can accelerate skin ageing by reducing collagen production and obstructing the skin repair process.
- A poor diet can lead to premature ageing by reducing collagen turnover and interfering with collagen's ability to do its job.
- Excessive sun exposure breaks down collagen production, so always wear sunscreen and avoid excessive sun exposure.
Collagen Supplements - What Studies Show
Some studies suggest that collagen peptides or collagen supplements may help reduce the appearance of wrinkles and increase the strength of your skin.
One study focused on women showed that taking 3–10g of collagen daily for about 69 days resulted in improved skin elasticity and hydrated skin.
Another study showed that supplementation with 2g of collagen increased dermal thickness and decreased wrinkle depth, and yet another suggested that supplementing with 10mg/kg of hydrolysed collagen could reverse the effects of photoaging caused by chronic sun exposure.
A study published in 2016 examined whether taking collagen supplements could help people with dry skin. Researchers recruited 95 women aged 20 to 70 who had been diagnosed with mild to moderate dryness. Half of the participants took 300 mg of hydrolysed collagen daily for 12 weeks, while the others received a placebo. At the end of the trial, researchers observed improvements in skin hydration, elastic properties, and wrinkle depth among those who took the supplement.
From this, the benefits of collagen for the skin can be summarised:
- Improves skin hydration
- Improves skin elasticity
- Decrease in skin roughness (skin wrinkle depth)
- Improvement in skin density
GLOWSO Collagen Supplements for Skin
Most of the benefits you hear about collagen have some truth to them if you choose a reputable supplement like GLOWSO that is backed by science and listed on the TGA. Our supplements contain hydrolysed bioactive collagen peptides, vitamins, antioxidants and ingredients from the native Kakadu Plum.
Find our range here – SHOP GLOWSO