Do you want to stay young by supplementing collagen? Wake up!

Who doesn't want to look young and youthful? However, as time goes by, sagging, roughness and dullness are inevitable trends of the skin. In recent years, "collagen" has become the hottest keyword in the anti-aging trend, and it has also spawned waves of rumors about it. Is the reduction of collagen caused by cell death? Can eating pig's trotters replenish collagen? Can oral and topical collagen make the skin better? It's time to analyze the truth of these claims!

01

Myth: The decrease in collagen is caused by the death of living cells. Therefore, if you want to increase the collagen content in the skin, you can only do so by adding new living cells.

Truth Interpretation: There are many reasons for the decrease, and factory production reduction is the key

The reduction of collagen is caused by many reasons: the collagen content in the skin decreases by 1% every year after the age of 20, the ability of fibroblasts to synthesize collagen also decreases with age, and ultraviolet rays can also activate the degradation of collagen. However, among these many reasons, the amount of collagen has nothing to do with the number of cells.

Fibroblasts are like factories, and collagen is like products. Aging can be explained by the decline in factory output, the increase in the number of damaged products, and the decrease in the total number of products. The number of human cells cannot be changed by human factors. Medical beauty treatments such as Thermage and Ultrasound only promote the production efficiency of fibroblasts and produce more collagen.

Abstract molecular structure of collagen | Tuchong Creative

02

Rumor: Pig's trotters, pork skin and other gelatinous foods are rich in collagen. Eating more pig's trotters can help the skin replenish collagen, making the skin firmer, smoother, more delicate and white!

Truth Interpretation: It is not reliable to eat what you want to supplement, collagen can be produced by yourself

Collagen is an important structural component in mammals, accounting for about 30% of the total protein in mammals. It is widely present in skin, cartilage, tendons, ligaments and other tissues, playing the role of supporting organs and protecting the body. In the skin, collagen accounts for 70% of the dry weight of the human dermis and is the main substance supporting the epidermis and dermis structure. The reduction of its quantity or density is the main reason for the collapse of skin structure, the reduction of skin elasticity, and the formation of wrinkles on the skin surface.

Since the reduction of collagen is one of the factors of skin aging, can the collagen lost by the skin be replenished through oral administration? The answer is no .

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First of all, the collagen we eat cannot be directly absorbed by the human body. Instead, it must be broken down into extremely tiny amino acids by digestive juices in the intestines before it can be absorbed by the intestines. After entering the human body, the whereabouts of these amino acids is also unknown. They will be randomly transported to various organs and tissues, and only a small part of them will be transported to the skin.

That is to say, eating collagen is just like eating eggs. In the end, they will be broken down into the same substance (amino acids) in the intestines. After being absorbed by the human body, only a small part of it is distributed to the skin. Therefore, oral collagen cannot achieve the effect of "what you eat is what you get".

In addition, the amino acids that make up collagen are non-essential amino acids for the human body. They do not need to be taken orally. Our bodies can synthesize them. Therefore, the focus of current research is no longer on how to supplement collagen, but on how to stimulate the skin to enhance its ability to regenerate collagen. Currently, commonly used medical beauty technologies such as Thermage and ultrasonic scalpels achieve the effect of firming the skin by stimulating the skin to regenerate new collagen.

Therefore, the idea that eating pig's trotters can supplement collagen is totally untenable. Under normal dietary structure, the human body does not need to supplement extra collagen. Even if you eat pig's trotters, it is just a food that supplements the body's protein and cannot be 100% restored to the expected collagen.

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03

Rumor: Oral and topical collagen can make your skin better. Many internet celebrities and even stars are recommending oral and topical collagen products to the public, claiming that after taking and using them, not only will your face become tighter and smoother, but it can also brighten your skin after staying up late, improve facial dullness, and most importantly, it can also fight aging and wrinkles.

Truth Interpretation: Whether it is oral or topical, it is not a way to supplement collagen

Skin aging is manifested by increased wrinkles, pigmentation, thinning of the skin, decreased epidermal water content, decreased elasticity, etc., which are caused by many internal and external factors. Among them, the reduction of collagen is only one of the many factors of skin aging. Can the collagen lost by the skin be replenished by oral or topical means? The answer is no.

The reason why oral collagen is not feasible is the same as eating pig's trotters to supplement collagen. Instead of spending a lot of money on various oral liquids, capsules and collagen powders, it is better to keep the nutrition of your daily diet balanced.

As for smearable collagen, it is even more biased: collagen is a macromolecular substance. As the largest organ of the human body, the skin's main function is to provide a barrier function. A large molecular weight like collagen simply cannot penetrate the skin and enter the human body. Instead, it only stays on the surface of the skin and will be washed away by water the next time you wash your face. Therefore, applying collagen is equivalent to applying facial oil, which only has a short-term moisturizing effect and will not significantly improve skin quality. Therefore, there is no need to blindly follow the trend and buy oral and topical collagen products.

Author | Chen Xue, attending physician at Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University

Review | Liu Linyan, Chief Researcher of Plastic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University

This article is produced by the "Science Rumor Refutation Platform" (ID: Science_Facts). Please indicate the source when reprinting.

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