One of the most prominent and popular nutrition trends of 2021 is strong consumer interest in taking vitamin capsules for hair. It consists of amino acids bound together to form a structural protein found in the various connective tissues in the body. Collagen has many functions, such as strengthening your bones and providing your skin with structure and support. It is also a building block for muscles, tendons, and ligaments. It is in blood vessels, corneas, and teeth.

What are collagen supplements?

When the amount of collagen reduces due to the aging process, taking a collagen supplement can help to support the body. By taking hair, nails & collagen pills rather than applying collagen topically, you are helping to increase the natural production of collagen to fortify and build collagen in the dermal layer of the skin. This helps to support the structure of the skin and provides longer-term solutions like increasing collagen levels in the skin dermis, helping the skin age healthily, improving skin elasticity, reducing facial lines and depth of wrinkles, and increasing skin hydration.

Interestingly, not all collagen is the same. It can have different benefits. The two most common are bovine and marine, or cow and fish collagen. Bovine collagen is made up of the skin, bones, and muscles of cows and is rich in type I and type III collagen. These are abundant in the body and are found mainly in the eyes, bones, joints, ligaments, and skin. This makes bovine collagen good for supporting joint, bone, and gut health as well as promoting wound healing in the skin. Marine collagen is sourced from the bones, scales, and skin of fish. It is rich in type I collagen which accounts for 90% of the collagen in the human body. 

Types of collagens

While there have been up to 28 varieties of collagen identified, there are only three main types. These are Type I, II, and III. Each has a different role in the body.

Type I is the most abundant in humans and accounts for 90% of body collagen. Its dense fibers provide structure to skin, bones, tendons, fibrous cartilage, connective tissue, and teeth.

Type II is the main component in cartilage and helps to cushion your joints.

Type III is Generally found with the Type I collagen in the body in the reticular fibers like bone marrow.

What does collagen do to the skin?

Your skin has three layers, the epidermis, the outermost layer, followed by the dermis and the hypodermis. Most body collagen pill is in the middle layer (the dermis). Skin cells in the dermis (fibroblasts) synthesize the collagen that holds the rest of the dermis together, giving our skin its underlying structure. It provides the skin with elasticity and helps make skin look refreshed by reducing the appearance of wrinkles.

Why supplement with collagen?

The main reason to ingest collagen is that we don’t make enough of it. 80% of the collagen in the skin but, after the age of 25, our bodies break down more collagen than they make. In fact, after the age of 25, you start losing about one percent of your collagen each year.

Other factors like excessive sun exposure, smoking, and pollution also activate enzymes that degrade collagen fibers and cause skin aging. By taking a collagen supplement, you can help to increase collagen and restore the fibers in the skin.

Foods with collagen

Because of the amount of collagen (being produced in the body), the only way to get collagen from food is through other animals. There is no known vegan/vegetarian source of collagen. Good dietary sources of collagen include Bone broth, EggsChicken, pork, and salmon skin.

It’s also beneficial to increase your intake of vitamin C daily as it helps increase the amount of pro-collagen- the body’s precursor to collagen. Foods such as leafy greens, broccoli, citrus, and red capsicum are filled with vitamin C and help with skin cell repair and regeneration.

Capsuline offers high-quality empty capsules to help make your own health supplement with raw ingredients of your choice, and available to supply your daily needs.