Collagen is the ‘building block’ of our bodies and makes up 75% of our skin. In simple terms, collagen is the stuff that holds us together: our hair, nails, and joints all contain collagen: it gives strength to our bones, muscles and skin. As we age our natural collagen levels decrease. Arguably, scientists and beauty editors believe ingesting collagen is the best way to increase and maintain levels.
“Collagen molecules are indeed too large to be absorbed into the bloodstream, but the collagen in collagen drinks and other formulations is hydrolysed”, explains Tariq Karim, doctoral research fellow at Santi London, who works with Skinade. This means that the collagen molecules have been broken into smaller pieces, called peptides, which have a very low molecular weight, making them more easily absorbed in the gut.
While some dermatologists have contended it, "it’s believed that the presence of the collagen fragments sends false signals to the body, indicating that collagen destruction has occurred. This stimulates the collagen-producing cells, called fibroblasts, to produce more of your own natural collagen,” explains Whitbread. “The formulation of elastin (which gives skin elasticity) and hyaluronic acid (for hydration) are also stimulated."
To be absorbed before the digestive process kicks in, the collagen peptides need to be in liquid form, Banwell continues, "and you need to ingest 6,000mg of collagen peptides daily to trigger fibroblast activity in the dermis. That’s why each daily dose of Skinade provides 7,000mg of collagen peptides to compensate for any shortfall in absorption."
Is there clinical research?
Put simply, yes, but the studies are often the result of clinical research conducted via the brands themselves. That said, “there are studies that show that collagen arrives at the dermis [meaning the collagen peptides are indeed absorbed before the digestive process in the stomach starts], as well as studies that show ingested collagen stimulates the body’s ability to produce its own collagen”, reveals Dr Karim.“In two independent clinical studies, it been proven that the type of collagen peptides used in Skinade are absorbed into the bloodstream and in a recent double-blind, placebo-controlled case study, participants saw an increase in collagen density, skin hydration and skin elasticity after drinking Skinade for 90 days, compared to a control group," confirms Banwell. “Beauty& Go has also been proven in laboratory studies to reach the tissues within 12 hours of ingestion, claims Whitbread.
Everything looks incredible in the advertising, they promise you the world. But when you finally get a chance to test it, you realize that they may have tricked you.
And that's where the frustrations come from. Skin creams are not made as a solution, they're made to make you keep buying them perpetually. Only giving the tiniest bits of results so you keep using them day after day.
Studies conducted by Asian researchers was found two very common ingredients in the cosmetics industry generated incredible results when used together! Based on that, they created a unique formula, that is now available to our country.
Could serums and creams be the greatest lies?
Evidence suggests that the combination of Hydrolyzed Collagen Type 1 & 3 with Hyaluronic Acid! For you to understand how it works, first you have to understand how sagging starts in your body, and for that we have to talk about something you may already have heard about, collagen. As the years go by, your body gets softer and softer. After age of 30, your body will produce much less collagen, making your skin lose its firmness. When you reach 50, you only produce 35% of what your body needs! And the reason is: your body starts running out of bricks (collagen).
If you take the bricks out of a house, it collapses. And if you take collagen from your skin, it will also crumble. And the result you already know pretty well: the "crow's feet" begin to appear in the corner of the eyes, the "Chinese mustache" in the region of the mouth, the belly becomes soft, the face gets soft, the arm and legs get soft ... well, EVERYTHING gets soft if you do not have enough collagen in your body. To solve this, you'd just have to add some collagen to your system again, right? So your body would have the "bricks" it needs to rebuild your skin, giving you more firmness and elasticity, making your belly smooth and firm, saying goodbye to arm sagginess, and dismissing sagging in the inner thigh and facial wrinkles, isn't that right? Before collagen can help you and your skin, there are two requirements that it needs to fulfill. The first requirement is in relation to the type of collagen. There are three in total: collagen type 2, which acts on cartilages (such as knees and tendons), and collagens 3 and 1, which act exclusively on the skin. If you consume type 2 collagen, since it only helps the cartilages and tendons, you may feel a reduction in knee pain, but you will not see any results on your skin, because that's its only effect. What you really need is collagen type 1 and 3. These types of collagen renew your skin and will leave your belly smooth as silk, your legs firm, your breasts where they should be, give back the elasticity you had when you were young and make you stop feeling embarrassed when wearing a bikini or taking photos. The second requirement says that for the collagen to give you the results you want, it needs to be in the "hydrolyzed" form.
Hydrolyzed means that the collagen molecule has been "broken" into very small particles, so that your body can absorb more easily.