WTF is collagen anyway?
Collagen: WTF is it, have I had it, would I have it, should you have it?
So… WTF is it?
It’s a protein that’s found in the body and is also commercially manufactured for internal and external use.
How do you pronounce it?
Collar-ju(like jumper)n
What’s the point of it? I mean, what does it actually do?
The collagen that’s produced naturally in your body is super important. It’s the most prevalent protein in the body (found in bones, skin, muscles and tendons). It makes up 70-80% of your skin and it does a bunch of good stuff, mainly to promote healing and growth.
How does it work?
It’s often referred to as the ‘scaffolding’ of the skin strengthening it by giving it structure. It supports bone and joint health by providing vital connective tissue in the body. It promotes the healing of wounds and regenerates tissue. It’s also your blood vessels, teeth, gut, muscles and many of the other places that you care a lot about.
And why would someone want it?
You only really know how much you miss it once it’s gone forever1.
Collagen levels deplete throughout your lifetime. Collagen production slows down in your body from 25-28 years old, then there’s another big dropoff at around 60 and it deteriorates further from there.
Women lose a lot of their natural collagen production post-menopause, so the age you go through menopause will impact the amount of naturally-occurring2 collagen in your body.
Once it depletes, it leads to:
Reduced skin elasticity and structure - lack of collagen causes wrinkles
Thin/brittle hair and nails
Muscle tissue decline/reduced muscle mass
Joint pain/slow recovery from injury
How much is it?
You make lots of it yourself FOR FREE (yay you!), but replacing it is pretty spendy.
There are numerous face creams containing collagen on the market. There is little to no evidence that you can replace lost collagen/prevent collagen loss from topical application (i.e. rubbing it into your skin)3
Injectable fillers used to be made from bovine (cow) collagen and people still often talk about fillers and collagen interchangeably. Hyaluronic acid fillers replaced collagen as the active ingredient in filler from the 2010s onwards. Collagen is still injected in certain circumstances
Some injectables stimulate collagen (Profhilo, Radiesse, Ellansé). These are between £300-£600 per syringe (up to $800 per syringe in the US).
Then there’s Ultherapy, thread lifts, microneedling and more, that can go into the thousands.
Enjoy your home-grown collagen while it lasts, basically 😊
Has anyone I would have heard of talked about getting it?
Everyone has collagen. Some people talk about the ways in which they’ve tried to stimulate or replace collagen.
If a celebrity starts talking about their collagen supplement brand, stop listening.
Have I had it?
I still have quite a lot of it, for now 🤞🏼.
I also get Profhilo injections, which stimulate collagen production.
Would I have it?
I love Profhilo more than is reasonable. So, yes.
Should you have it?
If you want to replace what you’ve lost, there’s no reason not to investigate the many options available, subject to The Rules.
Anything else I think you should know?
Consuming Vitamin E is proven to reduce collagen deterioration in the body.
Most claims about collagen supplements for skincare are bogus.
Disclaimer: ‘WTF is…’ guides are intended to be a 3-5 minute introduction to a topic. They are, by their nature, not exhaustive.
If you have a concern that I’ve irresponsibly included/omitted information, don’t hesitate to get in touch to let me know and I’ll take a look.
Reminder that any cosmetic work undertaken should be in accordance with The 6 rules of cosmetic work. Here they are, in case you missed them the first time…
As some of my lovers have discovered, to their dismay.
I defy anyone in the UK not to hear this in ‘Nessa voice’.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8824545/#b28-dp1201a18
It was a nightmare trying to find a neutral source for this. So this article actually states that topical application can work, but the studies that they reference either involve topical application of apple stem cells (not a common or accessible ingredient) OR the application of collagen via a device that isn’t commercially available and definitely doesn’t come with that £50 pot of cream that you bought.