In this article, I will take you through my journey to knowing collagen, its benefits, and what it did to, not only my skin, but my overall health.
For many years now, collagen products have been gaining popularity all over the world. Items from topical products to oral supplements infused with this wonder protein have been occupying shelves in the skin care section of health stores and even supermarkets.
What Is Collagen?
First thing’s first: Collagen is a protein in our bodies that plays a significant role in nourishing and maintaining healthy skin, hair, and nails. This substance is found naturally in your body and plays a crucial role in protecting, smoothing and hydrating your skin to ensure that it remains elastic and firm.
To explain further, allow me to talk a little bit more scientifically:
Collagen has a lot of specific functions in our body:
It provides foundation and structure all throughout the body.
Supports and regulates the formation of healthy cells in our dermis and replaces dead skin cells
Maintaining the skin’s elasticity and keeping wrinkles and other skin problems away
Protects our internal organs by providing a layer of covering
Two of its most important roles are 1. It provides the body’s foundation for the formation of collagen, elastin, and hyaluronic acid, and 2. it holds together the skin’s connective tissues to support said formation of the aforementioned natural substances.
As we age, our body’s ability to produce collagen naturally declines, and around our mid-20’s, early signs of aging such as dry skin, fine lines, and light wrinkles begin manifesting. These are some symptoms showing that your natural collagen production is slowing down.
Here’s Why Your Body Needs Collagen
In our early years, the body produces all the collagen it needs from amino acids in foods like fish, meat, and protein-rich plant sources such as seeds. However, studies show that as you get older your natural collagen levels start to drop drastically from around 25 onwards.
Collagen Deficiency
The depletion of collagen formation in our bodies starts out at a rate of 1.5% per year - and as much as 80% of the body’s natural collagen production may be GONE by the age of 60.
Collagen deficiency may lead to early loss of the skin’s elasticity and will affect the appearance with formation of wrinkles and dehydrated skin. Furthermore, collagen decline may also be related to one’s gut health - this is because loss of protein may lead to digestive problems like ulcers.
Not going to lie, as a woman who’s nearing her 30’s, learning this information really got me worried about whether I have been taking good care of my skin and not just relying on its natural collagen formation.
I can already see the little wrinkles forming over my forehead and fine lines around the edges of my eyes. Although I have combination-type skin and have never given much thought to my skin aging, I started seeing changes when I started taking collagen every day.
Improving Collagen Production
There are plenty of ways to increase your body’s collagen levels. Natural collagen may be found in the connective tissue of animal-based diets. You could improve your collagen levels by eating products like chicken and pork skin, bone broth, and gelatin.
While I have been regularly including these collagen-rich proteins into my diet, I found that collagen supplements play a significant role in boosting my natural collagen production.
Benefits of Taking Collagen: The Results
Weeks 1 & 2: Shinier, Brighter Skin
I started drinking a collagen supplement every morning with my breakfast, as suggested by the brand that I took a chance upon. After only a few days of taking the collagen supplement, I could already notice visible changes in my facial complexion.
The fine, happy lines around my eyes have begun to smoothen and the skin underneath my eyes have lightened. I even received compliments from family and colleagues who regularly see me, saying that my skin have somewhat started to ‘glow’ and that there’s a barely-there sheen on my cheeks.
Weeks 3 & 4: Better Bones & Joints Condition
As they say; Consistency is key. So I stuck to my daily collagen intake routine of taking it in the morning before I start my day, and by the later weeks of the month, I can tell that my bones and joints’ health has improved.
I do a lot of exercising via cycling and I enjoy walking habitually (whether I’m going for a coffee run in the middle of work or taking a stroll with my partner in the evening), so my joints, especially my legs, may feel a bit sore after a while. But during this period of taking collagen supplements, I noticed that my leg action and overall mobility has improved and that I don’t get frequent pains from being tired anymore. To add, my nails and hair have also looked and felt better after taking collagen supplements.
The effects of collagen supplements may vary from a person to another, but there’s no doubt that it has improved some aspects of my life and especially my physical and overall health.
What Are Supplements?
Supplements can be any kind of vitamin, minerals, herbs, botanicals, and amino acids that you can eat or drink. You can buy supplements that come in various forms like pills, powders, liquids, and capsules to name a few.
Supplementing one's existing nutrition is the main goal of supplements. While supplements like vitamins and pills might be beneficial to health, they shouldn't be used in place of a balanced diet and active lifestyle.
Why I Prefer Liquid Supplements
As I briefly mentioned earlier, supplements can be bought in multiple forms including powders, pills, and liquids. These 3 formats are widely used specifically by collagen brands in the market today. Personally, I prefer liquid supplements. I find that this form offers convenient and enjoyable consumption, as well as a budget-friendly form of nourishment.
Through my research and reading customer feedback from multiple collagen supplement brands online, I have concluded that liquid supplements have better absorption rates over pills and capsules. This is because pills and capsules take some time to break down and dissolve in the stomach before your body can assimilate nutrients. Simply put, you can easily drink a bottled collagen supplement and get all the health benefits without the whole breaking down process. Pills can also be unpleasant to take for two reasons: they have a sticky outer layer that gives a bad mouth feel, and pills can be difficult to swallow for some people.
I have also tried out powdered collagen supplements, and while they can be cost-efficient, they aren’t the most convenient choice for people always on-the-go. The time it takes to prepare and measure scoops was not very practical versus the way that I can easily carry a sachet of collagen supplement and be on my way. Additionally, not all powdered collagen supplements taste good, and having to mix it into my drinks like coffee and juice was not enjoyable for me.
What’s The Best Collagen Supplement To Take?
I tried and have come to compile the list of top 3 collagen supplements based on their qualities and components after doing a thorough search for the best supplements. My testing method included examining a range of dietary supplements in a number of different form factors, including softgels, capsules, foods, and beverages.
In my opinion, the Collagen Glow Berries supplement from The Purest Co., is the market's top collagen supplement as it really worked wonders for me after trying it for a month. Each sachet contains 5,500mg of premium grade Japan Nitta Wellenex marine collagen peptides and 250mg of Vitamin C that can help repair your skin from within. It also contains antioxidant-rich bilberries that help prevent damage from free radicals.
The criteria is as follows:
The Purest Co Collagen Glow Berries
Key differentiators: Superior ingredients, large amount of collagen
Price: $109
Pros:
Hydrolyzed collagen peptides from Japan
Contains complementary ingredients
Made in an FDA-approved facility
The Purest Co’s Collagen Glow Berries contains a potent dose (5500mg) of marine collagen sourced from Japan in each sachet, and follows it up with supporting ingredients like vitamin C (250mg), bilberry extract, and mixed berries concentrate juice.
Collagen Glow Berries uses a patented technology to extract their collagen peptides, ensuring faster and more effective absorption of collagen into the body.
With its mixed berries concentrate juice, the taste is a hit amongst consumers and feedback is that it is just right in terms of sweetness. Not only does this make for a delicious supplement, but the Vitamin C in these berries provide added antioxidant support and improve your body’s rate of absorption.
Laneige Youth Collagen Drink
Key differentiators: Promotes sleep, moisturizing
Price: $120
Pros:
Contains GABA to promote deep sleep
Contains pomegranate and red orange extract
Made in an FDA-approved facility
If the goal is to tighten the skin and replace fine lines and wrinkles into supple skin, Laneige aims to do just that. Their Youth Collagen Drink contains fish collagen peptides that replenishes the body’s collagen supply while helping you maintain healthy skin. This drink also contains minerals that promote relaxation and help one have better sleep.
This collagen supplement, however, is on the pricey side. Laneige is one of the more well-known skincare brands worldwide so this is a hit with more mature customers who experience some sogginess and lack of collagen.
3. Isora HyperGlow Collagen Drink
Key differentiators: Protects skin from stress damage
Price: $89.90
Pros:
Protects skin from stress damage
Boosts collagen for youthful skin
Easy to consume and effective
Stress can harm your skin by breaking down collagen and causing wrinkles. But there's a solution: Isora HyperGlow Collagen Drink. It's the first drink that protects your skin from stress.
This product contains CalmComplex™ with natural ingredients that help manage stress and keep your skin healthy. It also has more than 10% collagen in each bottle, which makes your skin smoother and brighter.
Conclusion
When I first came across collagen, I thought to myself: Does it really live up to the hype? Well, after 1 month of taking Collagen Glow Berries, and based on the visible results, the verdict is:
It does!!!
Apart from visible changes, my strength and stamina has shown improvements. I feel so much better after taking collagen supplements paired with the balanced, nutritious diet. Regular intake of these may lead to significantly great effects not only on your skin’s health, but also your bones, joints, nails, and hair.
