Chasing Collagen

Can drinking this crucial protein give you glowing skin? Faye Remedios fi nds out if this popular needle-free beauty treatment actually works

- Faye Remedios

 

The beauty buzzwords doing the rounds today have a decidedly natural bent. People are ditching botox and chemical peels, fillers and lifts for more organic or non-invasive options to fight ageing and generally improve skin health. One trend that’s really taken off in the recent past is of Asian origin and involves something called liquid collagen. You could drink it or take it in the form of a shot or powder to plump up your skin; it provides a lot of health benefits. Or that’s the theory anyway. It’s up for debatehow much of the hype is really justified.

Collagen is an important part of our skin’s composition and gives it its strength, elasticity and structure. “It is present as a scaffold for the formation of tissues, organs and the whole body,” explains Dr Mohan Thomas of the Cosmetic Surgery Institute. “About 35 per cent of the protein in our bodies is in the form of collagen, and it is mostly found in fibrous tissues such as tendons, ligaments and skin. It is also abundant in corneas, cartilage, bones, blood vessels, the gut, intervertebral discs and the dentin in teeth and hair shafts. It plays an important role in the building and support of joints, and it may help reduce the discomfort associated with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. As far as its beauty benefits go, collagen makes up around 75 per cent of our skin, and is key to its firmness, suppleness and cell renewal.