Collagen – is it the fountain of youth?

It’s the next best thing to sliced bread, according to the hype – or at least the next big thing after the discovery of the benefits of omega 3 fatty acids.

We’re talking hydrolysed, ingestible collagen that is essentially a beauty treatment (but not only) that works from the inside out, effectively slowing (and repairing) the effects of aging.

Collagen is a protein made of amino acids that naturally occur in our bodies. It makes up 30-40% of all our bodily proteins and is responsible for the production of connective tissue: Skin, nails, hair, gut health, joints, tendons, ligaments and muscle are all dependent on bodily supplies of collagen.

At around the age of 25, our body’s production of collagen dwindles by around 1% per year. It explains the visible signs of aging like wrinkles, thinning hair, brittle nails and also the not so visible signs like joint pain and lack of joint flexibility.

For many years, the beauty industry has produced topical skin creams in their skin-care ranges that contain collagen, although scientific studies concluded that the molecules in the creams were too large to penetrate to the desired level of the skin to be truly effective and suggested that the perceived efficacy of topical collagen likely came from the other ingredients in the cream.

Enter ingestible collagen.

Collagen and me

Firstly let me be clear: I am not a bio-anything. Neither am I trained in any science, including medicine. What’s more, I have inherited fine Celtic skin (that I largely take for granted).

A saleslady at a beauty bar once grabbed my hand on which to demonstrate one of her creams:
“Your hands are so soft,” she exclaimed incredulously, unnecessarily adding

“I guess you don’t spend too much time in the kitchen.”

What’s more, I have more hair on my head per square inch than most, albeit fine.

Nevertheless, I have self-prescribed between 10-20 grams of hydrolysed marine collagen per day and here’s why.

It seems that however genetically blessed we are, age will always catch us up eventually. Me, I had been noticing red blotches appearing under the skin on my forearms. They seemed to appear when I had been carrying heavy bags  – so they’re bruises – but they aren’t blue – they look like raspberries.

They did not bother me too much until, one day, I accidentally scratched the surface of one of these ‘raspberries ‘ and it bled as if I nicked my jugular vein. It was alarming.

And so, as is my wont, Google was consulted.  And so it was that ‘Wiki’ came to the rescue:

Solar purpura …is a skin condition characterized by large, sharply outlined, 1- to 5-cm, dark purplish-red ecchymoses appearing on the dorsa of the forearms and less often the hands.” [The accompanying picture was convincing – they looked like mine]

It went on:

“The condition is most common in elderly people of European descent. [Oh thanks for that!] It is caused by sun-induced damage to the connective tissue of the skin… The lesions typically fade over a period of up to 3 weeks.”

It fit perfectly, for although not a sun lover, my forearms are the part of me most often exposed to incidental sunshine. I was relieved it wasn’t terminal.

The next Google task was what to do about it.

And so I happened on the link between collagen and connective tissue and the consumption of hydrolysed collagen to boost flagging bodily supplies of the protein to the benefit of skin, nails, hair and all other functions relying on collagen. The theory is that it will strengthen the skin on my arms made fragile by sun damage and depleted collagen supplies.

On the minus side, there have not been extensive studies – so the jury is out amongst the sceptical. However, the one study that was quoted many times on Google sites had had positive results with the sample finding a 20% improvement in skin tone. What’s more, the science, from a non-scientists viewpoint, sounded credible and logical. If lack of collagen was the cause – boosting collagen was the answer.

The burning questions:

• What form did it take?
• What dosage?
• Where could I buy it?
• Were there any side effects?

Collagen supplements come from two sources – marine and bovine. It seems that marine collagen is more bioavailable – meaning easier for the body to absorb but is more likely to cause allergies (not to the collagen but to the marine sources) and marine collagen can also cause hypercalcemia or too much calcium. Once again this is not the collagen itself but from the source, especially if the supplement comes from shellfish or shark’s cartilage – that are both high in calcium.

I chose marine collagen because I have no allergies to fish and I figured that the calcium would be a bonus as I also have a vitamin D deficiency (the vitamin you get from the sun) that contributes to the reduction of bone density and the onset of osteoporosis. (I find it ironic that I get enough sun to damage the connective tissues in my arms but not enough to fulfil my vitamin D requirements.)

The collagen supplement, in various forms, liquids, powder and pills, was not hard to find – on the Internet. It proved more difficult to find in the small town where I was staying at the time.

But I did find it, in pill form, in a pharmacy. The chemist assistant kept asking me if I wanted it for “articulation,” or joints.  She looked puzzled when I told her my reason.  Nevertheless, I bought them.

That was a mistake.

The recommended dose, if there are no issues (like bleeding solar purpura) was 5-10 grams per day and up to 30 grams if you were aiming to combat a problem. These HUGE pills I’d bought contained only 750 mgs. I’d need a lot of them to get the daily dose (you do the maths).

However, I have since found sources of supply at large chemist outlets in Australia in boxes of 5 gm powdered sachets and also 100 ml bottles of liquid collagen that contain 10gms of collagen per bottle.

So, before you buy, check on the amount of collagen per serve. Some manufacturers simply deal in ‘daily doses’ not explaining what those doses contain. I’m led to believe that any amount under 5 grams a day is not likely to have much effect.

Apart from the side effects already mentioned – that are, at best, low-risk possibilities and easily avoided if you’re aware of your allergies, there doesn’t seem to be any.

With all of this newly-found knowledge, I thought “why not’?

The Results:

They told me that it would take at least six weeks until I noticed any effect – it has now been 10 weeks.

In that time I have only had one raspberry bruise on my forearm and it faded a lot quicker than the others. Before I was taking the collagen my arms were never completely free of them. Hopefully the collagen is repairing the connective tissue and thickening the skin on my arms.

My hair is shining – and that’s not easy when your hair is blond. My nails are also noticeably stronger. As for my wrinkles – I have noticed that the wrinkles under my eyes, while having not disappeared, are noticeable shallower. The skin on my hands, is still soft – but that’s clearly due to the fact I spend so little time in the kitchen – just ask that sales assistant!

I intend to persevere with taking the collagen supplements because it has, so far, improved my problem of raspberry bruises – any incidental benefits are pure serendipity.