Collagen is one of the main structural proteins of the skin, which keeps it tight and smooth. With age, its levels decrease, which causes sagging of the skin and the formation of fine lines and wrinkles. Collagen stimulators prevent this loss by stimulating the natural processes for synthesis of new collagen (collagenogenesis).
Content:
Importance of Collagen for our health and appearance
How age affects Collagen in our bodies
Collagen synthesis stimulators
What are the benefits of Collagen additives?
How to promote Collagen syntesis in my body?
What are Collagen stimulators?
It is a fact that the human body consists mainly of water, fat, and protein, among which collagen plays a dominant role. The word collagen has Greek roots (kolla – glue and the suffix -gen – to create). Collagen is the main type of protein that builds the human body. It is found in connective tissues, skin, bones, cartilage, and blood vessels and accounts for 25% to 35% of all proteins in our bodies. Collagen is synthesized naturally in the human body by the binding of different types of amino acids into long and complex chains, thanks to fibroblasts. With age, the synthesis of young collagen in the body decreases by an average of 1% per year.
Collagen is a major protein in the body that forms the structural framework of skin, muscles, tendons, blood vessels, and other tissues. It accounts for about one-third of all proteins in the human body and consists of amino acids linked in long, triple-stranded chains called “collagen spirals.” Depending on the amount of collagen they contain, the tissues in the human body have different strength and resistance.
Science distinguishes, according to their structure, 28 types of collagen found in the human body, divided into two large groups – fibrillar type and non-fibrillar type. Nearly 90% of all collagen in humans is fibrillar type I and type III. Collagen is a major component of bones, giving them strength and flexibility. Collagen is a major component of tendons and ligaments, which connect muscles to bones and bones to each other. Collagen is the main protein in cartilage, which protects the joints. The walls of blood vessels contain collagen, which maintains their elasticity and strength.
Collagen is found in every part of the body where structural support is needed and comes in two types: fibrillar and non-fibrillar.
Non-fibrillar types of collagen are highly diverse, have specific functions, and are much less prevalent in the human body.
The fibrillar types of collagen are:
Type I collagen is the most common collagen in the human body. It forms large, eosinophilic fibers known as collagen fibers, which make up most of the rope-like dense connective tissue in the body. Collagen makes up a large part of the skin, providing it with elasticity and strength.
Type II collagen is the main component of joint cartilage on joint surfaces. It accounts for 50% of all proteins in cartilage and 85-90% of the collagen in joint cartilage.
Type III collagen is a protein composed of three identical peptide chains (monomers), each of which is called an alpha 1 chain of type III collagen. Type III collagen is one of the fibrillar collagens, whose proteins have a long, inelastic, triple-helical chain. Type III collagen is a major structural component of hollow organs such as large blood vessels, the uterus, and the intestines. It is also found in many other tissues along with type I collagen. In addition to being an integral structural component of many organs, type III collagen is also an important regulator of the diameter of type I and II collagen fibrils. Type III collagen is also known to facilitate platelet aggregation by binding to platelets and therefore plays an important role in blood clotting.
Collagen IV is a type of collagen found primarily in extracellular basement membranes, providing structural support to cells and tissues. It is the only type of collagen that is encoded by six different genes. Together with other proteins, it forms unique basement membranes in a tissue-specific manner.
Collagen V is a form of fibrillar collagen found in dermal-epidermal junctions, the placenta, hair, and in association with tissues containing type I collagen. Collagen V is part of the extracellular matrix and is resistant to digestion by gastric collagenases.
Collagen plays a key role in maintaining healthy skin, strong bones, and properly functioning joints. It keeps the skin firm, elastic, and glowing. Collagen prevents the formation of wrinkles and is a key factor in wound healing. In addition, collagen contributes to the strength of bones and joints, ensuring their resistance to stress.
Low levels of collagen in the human body, in turn, lead to soft and sagging skin, a pale complexion, and wrinkles.
The human body continues to synthesize young collagen throughout its entire life. On the other hand, part of the available collagen is broken down by the enzyme collagenase. This is how nature has created a continuous process of renewal in the human body. The balance between the rate of collagen synthesis and breakdown changes from positive to negative with age. The amount of collagen in the human body peaks at around 25 years of age. With age, the amount of collagen in the body decreases, leading to a gradual loss of skin elasticity and density, the appearance of wrinkles, and a decrease in bone and joint strength. This process is natural and inevitable, but it can be slowed down by various methods and procedures.
In order for the human body to produce young collagen, it must have sufficient adequate nutrition from which to extract the necessary amino acids to bind into the long and complex collagen spirals of the different types and forms of collagen necessary for the proper functioning of all organs and systems in the body. To produce collagen, it is important to live a healthy lifestyle, eat well, sleep well, be physically active, and avoid factors that lead to its destruction.
Eat regularly and healthily. Eat a variety of foods rich in amino acids and vitamin C.
Live actively with moderate and regular physical activity.
Avoid excessive sun exposure and protect your skin from the harmful effects of UV rays.
Smoking and consumption of alcoholic beverages. Note: Recent studies confirm that moderate consumption of red wine stimulates the synthesis of young collagen, thanks to the polyphenols it contains.
Sedentary lifestyle. Lack of exercise “puts the body to sleep” and slows down its natural processes, such as the synthesis of young collagen.
Stress. High levels of cortisol suppress the production of young collagen.
Excessive sun exposure. The sun’s UV rays alter the structure of the skin, reduce its collagen content, and make it thinner, less healthy, and less elastic.
Unhealthy diet. Consuming sugar, highly processed, fried, or monotonous foods deprives the body of some or most of the building blocks of collagen – amino acids.
Note: Vegans and vegetarians, take note – there are no plant foods that can provide your body with all the amino acids it needs! Collagen is found only in animals.
Food supplements containing collagen have become particularly popular in recent years. They are all absorbed through the stomach and go through the full cycle of metabolism in the body. When collagen enters the stomach, its long, triple-stranded chains break down into amino acids, which are carried through the bloodstream to every part of the body where they are needed. In this sense, taking collagen for joints or bovine collagen will not increase the amount of collagen in your joints. Nor will drinking liquid collagen or collagen powder smooth out the wrinkles on your skin that suffer from a lack of collagen.
Nutritional supplements, as their name suggests, can only add amino acids that are missing in the body. If you eat a vegan or vegetarian diet, taking collagen supplements is a must for you, because otherwise there is no way to supply your body with the amino acids necessary for the synthesis of young collagen. If you eat a healthy and balanced diet, taking collagen supplements is unnecessary. High levels of amino acids in the blood do not in themselves stimulate the synthesis of young collagen.
In order for your body to start synthesizing young collagen, it must decide that it needs it. Any injury, for example, triggers a healing process in the body that generates young collagen. In medicine, there are many methods known to “trick” the body into thinking it needs healing and to trigger the process of young collagen synthesis:
Superficial mechanical stimulation. The most widely used mechanical method for stimulating collagen is massage, which has been well known since ancient times. Mechanical stimulation performed on the surface of the skin sends signals to the fibroblasts in the deep layers of the skin and triggers the production of young collagen. The process is the same as when bruising the body. At Skin Line Aesthetic Clinics, this method is used in Endermology – mechanostimulation procedures with LPG Alliance.
Controlled skin damage. Any injury to the body triggers a recovery process in the body, which is associated with the synthesis of young collagen. In controlled damage, as the name suggests, the body’s innate mechanisms are used to repair the damaged areas. At Skin Line Aesthetic Clinics, this method is used in microneedling procedures with Dermapen. Dermapen microneedling uses patented technology for controlled skin injury, which can create up to 1920 micro-injuries per second.
Collagen stimulators. Collagen stimulators are injectable products that aim to “trick” the body into thinking that there is an injury at the injection site, thereby triggering natural healing processes. This is achieved by injecting substances that are normally found in the human body and have the ability to irritate tissues to synthesize collagen.
Collagen stimulators are injectable products, and the purpose of using them in procedures is to stimulate the synthesis of own collagen in the skin. They are applied to improve texture, tighten the face contour, smooth wrinkles, correct lost volume, restore the density of the skin due to aging.
The main types of collagen stimulators include polylactic acid (PLLA), calcium hydroxyapatite (CaHA) and polycaprolactone.
Those products differ from the well known hyaluronic fillers, which add volume in the moment of injection, as they have a more long lasting effect – firstly, the active ingredient fills the existing wrinkles, and in the long term, it gets resorbed by the body, replacing it with new own collagen, which improves and strengthens the skin structures.
The procedures with collagen stimulators are effective and safe. Their effect develops continuously and lasts between a few months to a few years, depending on the choice of product and the individual characteristics of the patient. They are combined successfully with other procedures, such as energy-based devices, hyaluronic fillers and others.
In Skin Line, we work with the most established collagen stimulators on the market. You can read more about them here:
Book a consultation at Skin Line Plovdiv
Plovdiv, 91 Maritsa Blvd.
Book consultation in:
Book a consultation at Skin Line Sofia Mladost
Sofia, Mladost 4, Blvd. Aleksandar Malinov 91
Book a consultation at Skin Line Sofia Center
Sofia, 12-16 Dragan Tsankov Blvd.
Book a consultation at Skin Line Varna
Varna, 53 Knyaz Boris I Blvd.
