Skin care how far should you stretch it

Skin care how far should you stretch it

August 2023

While collagen supplements can be helpful  for the skin, don’t let them supersede the  

importance of diet and lifestyle, cautions  Lata Agarwal 

Age is inevitable, but ageing isn’t. For  centuries, the search for the elixir of  youth has continued to obsess (and  elude) mankind. Having embraced my  

40s now, I get why people hesitate to  look closely in the mirror, dreading  those fine lines. I now understand the shock and disbelief that comes  

with discovering crow’s feet, or  why people jump into the face  yoga bandwagon, buy that  oil, and start those lifts and  stretches.  Truth be told, age will catch  

up. Youth will have to step  back, and the skin will  begin to lose its freshness, elasticity, and plumpness,  bit by bit, with each passing  

day.  

Blame it on collagen. Collagen is the main  structural protein in the body. Its fibrous  structure is used to make connective tissue  and is a major component of bones, skin,  muscles, cartilage, tendons, and ligaments. It is  also the most abundant protein that our body  produces naturally. Our skin gets its structure,  suppleness, and stretch from collagen. There  are several types of collagens, but our body  mainly consists of Type I, II, and III. Types I  and III are of greatest relevance when it comes  to skincare. But as we age, collagen production  depletes, and our once tight, plump skin loses  its strength and elasticity, gradually giving way  to lines and wrinkles, leading to sags and folds.  

Collagen: the next big thing 

A New York-based dermatologist, Dr Whitney  Bowe, described our body’s collagen as “ropes  

of protein in the skin.” The rope remains tight  when young, but as we grow older, the ends  begin to fray. Unfortunately, our bodies are  unable to keep up with the speed of collagen  loss, and replacement happens slowly, leading  to signs of ageing. 

This explains why collagen is made out to  be the Next Big Thing in modern skincare,  both offline and online. Be it a pharmacy,  skincare store, or your Instagram feed, collagen  supplements are the highlight, or more so, the  knight in shining armour, promising to rescue  your maturing skin and reverse ageing. Who  wouldn’t love that? But the question remains:  Are collagen supplements really worth it?  

Typically sold in the form of pills and powders,  oral collagen supplements are available widely  

Can collagen restore what time steals away?

Beauty 55 

as collagen hydrolysate, hydrolysed collagen, or  collagen peptides. Claiming to restore what age  takes away from you, these supplements have  now found a place in people’s morning coffees,  teas, or smoothies in a bid to support the health  of their skin and hair, bones and joints.  

The research 

However, extensive research regarding the  efficacy of these supplements is lacking, and  whether ingested collagen does what it is  purported to do is riddled with doubts. While  long-term clinical trials are yet to establish  collagen intake as an anti-ageing miracle,  controlled research and randomised trials  of certain collagen products are showing  possibilities for skin and joint health  improvement. The consumption of hydrolysed  collagen peptides, a smaller form of collagen,  has reported positive results with effective  absorption and benefits in ageing skin and  bones.  

This is significant as these oral supplements are  hard to digest and absorb. A large molecule like  collagen cannot be absorbed by the body while  it’s intact, in its whole form; so, it must be broken  down into smaller peptides or amino acids for  absorption. Collagen supplements, therefore,  are already broken down into shorter chains of  peptides of two or three amino acids to assist in  their digestion and absorption, increasing their  absorption into the bloodstream and thereby  enhancing their bioavailability.  

Since collagen depletion also leads to a loss of  cartilage and joint problems as we age, trials  show notable differences in joint mobility and  decreased joint pain in cases of osteoarthritis  and in athletes with supplementation.  

The grey area 

Nevertheless, doctors remind us that we can  never be sure how much of the supplement is  effectively absorbed by the body and where  those peptides actually end up. Whether they  find their way to the target organs to make  more collagen is also debatable. But the human  body is intelligent and will prioritise areas that  are in dire need of the protein first, so one may  expect to feel better in some way or the other  while ingesting these dietary supplements.  

Oral collagen supplements do seem worth a  try and are generally considered safe, but it is  important to read labels carefully before starting  to consume these products. Supplements are  usually combined with various other ingredients  which might not be well-tolerated by everyone  and could pose potential health risks. For  instance, certain herbal extracts and high doses  of vitamins included in supplements to improve  skin, nails, and hair conditions might interact  with commonly prescribed medications, cause  allergies and could also prove unsafe for  pregnant or breastfeeding women. Although  there are no high risks or serious side-effects  involved with collagen supplements, one must  exercise caution and consult a healthcare  professional before popping that pricey pill.  

The dietary way to boost collagen 

“Diet plays a surprisingly large role in the  appearance and youthfulness of your skin,” says  certified holistic nutritionist Krista Goncalves,  a certified holistic nutritionist (CHN). “And  that all comes down to collagen.” Now that is  good news, isn’t it!  

Taking the food-first approach to combat  collagen loss could be a more sustainable  and effective regimen for anti-ageing. We  must not be blinded by the flamboyance and  glamour of the supplement fad, as a healthy  diet and lifestyle are the cornerstone for lasting  youth and vigour. There is no substitute for  eating, sleeping, and exercising right. Also,  supplements can add value only when essential  lifestyle factors are in order.  

Protein-rich foods like chicken, fish, eggs, tofu,  soy, legumes, and whole grains boost collagen  production as they contain the amino acids that  make collagen. In addition, natural collagen is  found abundantly in animal flesh like meat  and fish that contain connective tissue. Bone  broth is recognised as one of the most potent  sources of collagen, prepared by simmering  animal bones for long hours. Bone broth made  of bones and connective tissue, contains a host  of vital nutrients like calcium, magnesium,  phosphorous, collagen, glucosamine,  chondroitin, and amino acids, hence offering  hefty doses of anti-ageing collagen.  

Fruits and veggies win hands down What’s more, foods containing antioxidants  such as Vitamin C have a significant role to  play in reversing inflammation in the body and  slowing collagen loss. Citrus fruits like oranges,  lemons, grapefruit, and limes are full of this  nutrient, but berries too are an excellent source.  Raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries  provide huge amounts of Vitamin C to the  body and reduce oxidation considerably, thus  preventing collagen damage. Other nutrients  that bolster the process of collagen production  include zinc and copper.  

A 2012 review of nutrition and ageing stated  that fruits and vegetables rich in vitamins  and minerals were the safest and healthiest  harbingers of good skin health. Tropical  fruits like guava, kiwi, pineapple, and mango  are reliable sources of Vitamin C, and zinc.  Vegetables like tomatoes, bell peppers, leafy  greens, garlic, beans, and nuts like cashew are  powerful collagen boosters and great additions  to a wholesome diet. So, get those tomatoes,  peppers, garlic, and beans out, and toss in a  handful of nuts and a few tangy orange segments.  Voila! You’ve built yourself a formidable wall  against ageing and collagen breakdown.  

Fruits and vegetables are safe harbingers of good skin Things to avoid 

To accellerate health and collagen synthesis  as we age, it is imperative to also address  unhealthy habits and lifestyle disorders that  derail health, cause inflammation, and lead to  early signs of ageing. 

To start with, excessive consumption of sugar  and refined carbohydrate foods should be  strictly avoided as they trigger inflammation  and hasten collagen loss.  

Other habits like cigarette smoking and  drinking too much alcohol need to be avoided  or regulated to safeguard our body’s natural  collagen. One must also learn to manage  stress and regulate cortisol levels that promote  collagen loss, with the help of practices like  yoga and meditation.  

Things to do 

Wearing sunscreen daily is a must to shield  the skin from undue exposure to the sun and  harmful UV rays to prevent photoaging, which  is the leading cause of the early appearance of  lines, pigmentation, and other skin woes.  

Now, we come to the most ignored unhealthy  habit—sleep. The relevance of adequate sleep  cannot be reiterated enough when it comes to  anti-ageing. Quality sleep is the foundation for  high immunity, strength, and vitality in our  bodies, and it plays a crucial role in looking  young and feeling energetic. So, pause before  you indulge in that late-night movie and save it  for another ‘day’; after all, youth is too heavy a  price to pay for it. 

A healthy lifestyle is a combination of a well balanced diet along with regular exercise, and  exercise is non-negotiable. Be it walking in your  neighbourhood park every day, practising yoga  asanas at home, or hitting the gym for strength  training, exercise must become a coveted habit  as it slows down cell degeneration, releases  happy hormones, and makes you glow. What  more can you ask for? 

Pearls of wisdom 

After all that has been said and done, we  understand that the use of dietary collagen  for anti-ageing is still nascent, and experts are  wary of drawing conclusions or making blanket  statements. Although collagen supplements  look promising and bring hope for the skin  industry, one size doesn’t fit all, and there is  ample room for extensive research into the  

matter. While we seek more answers, there  are some pertinent questions we need to ask  ourselves: Does an anti-ageing pill or powder  get to decide how you age? Even if the sagging  skin is restored and your face is taut and  unlined, would you be able to recreate the  person you were in your 20s or 30s? And what  exactly would you call anti-ageing? 

Well, youth is more than just wrinkles and lines,  hydration and elasticity. It is inimitable and  original. The freshness, innocence, and rawness  of youth cannot be matched; it is intangible. 

So is beauty. Beauty is a personal choice and  cannot be boxed into a particular figure,  number, shape, or appearance. We must steer  clear of all claims that create fear instead  of love and acceptance for who we are. Fear  internalises ageism which can mislead one  into making poor choices like squandering  on Botox, fillers, or going under the knife in  the chase for youthfulness. Anything that we  choose to incorporate into our beauty regimen  should be a welcome treat to ourselves: a gift  to pamper the ‘beauty’ we already possess, a  celebration of our best assets. Not something  that stems from fear and fuels insecurity. Real  beauty lies in realising that no matter how fast  we race to arrest ageing, time will catch up and  we must know when to rein in and stop. 

Lata Agrawal, born and brought up in the plains of Siliguri, West Bengal is  a passionate writer and poet at heart. She has worked as a content writer and  editor for various companies and websites, and is now an active blogger and  freelancer.