The effect of aging on the skin is one of the most visible, it worries us because we like to be good with ourselves and because it is a way of transmitting to the world how we feel.
The causes of the aging of our skin are many and complex, but the well-known and named free radicals play a key role, responsible for the oxidation processes that, over time, deteriorate the different tissues and organs of our body, such as This is the case of the skin.
But what can we do to act on this deterioration process and thus improve the condition and appearance of our skin?
One of its main components is collagen, although it is not only found in the skin. It is the most abundant protein in our body and its function is to hold together the different structures of tissues and organs. One in four proteins in the body is collagen.
The role of collagen in the skin is fundamental, it is responsible for creating structures through the formation of collagen fibers that, together with other substances such as elastin, give firmness and elasticity to the skin.As time passes, the quantity and quality of collagen in our skin is lost, largely due to the action produced by free radicals, and the ability of fibroblasts, skin cells, to synthesize new collagen, also decreases. collagen. Once again, good lifestyle habits will help us maintain adequate collagen levels and therefore keep our skin in good condition . These habits range from following a balanced diet that ensures an adequate protein intake (fruits, vegetables, eggs and lean meats) to reducing the formation of free radicals with actions such as avoiding stress or getting a good night's rest.
Collagen loss begins at age 25 and by age 40 our body produces half as much collagen as when we were teenagers. From this age onwards, an oral supply of collagen begins to be a good complement to dietary and healthy lifestyle measures.
What we should keep in mind about collagen supplements
There are many collagen supplements on the market and this makes us have many doubts about which one we should choose. Some important things to keep in mind that can help us decide are:- Quality : as with any other nutritional supplement, it will always be a good choice if we make sure we are taking good quality collagen. We will know this if the collagen used in the supplement has its registered trademark Ò , so we will know that studies have been done that demonstrate its effectiveness and, equally or more importantly, its safety .
- Specificity: collagen is present in numerous organs and tissues of the body. In each of them it is synthesized by the specific cells of the organ in question. If we want to improve the condition of our skin we have to choose the most appropriate collagen to be recognized by the specific skin cells, since what we want is for the fibroblasts to once again increase the synthesis of collagen and elastin.
- Molecule size : Collagen is a very large protein that cannot be absorbed as such nor therefore reach the different organs and tissues. What our body does is, through the process of digestion and absorption, break this collagen into smaller pieces, called peptides, that can more easily reach the bloodstream to finally reach tissues. If we provide, through supplements, collagen peptides with an adequate size and structure, we are facilitating their absorption so that in this case they can reach the skin where we want to increase their concentration.
