Do collagen supplements work?

[Howdiditgetsobad]

Just that really - will they really improve my skin and appearance? I’ve checked out a couple and the reviews are very favourable but I’d like to hear real life experiences before I take the plunge and buy some.

Article in the Guardian saying much the same thing.

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/aug/29/protein-dream-can-eating-collagen-improve-your-skin

Like a previous poster, i take marine collagen and I do notice a difference. Not just in plumper skin, but in thicker hair and joints feel better. I dont expect miracles but to me theres a noticable difference - which I notice if I stop taking them . . . and the side benefits are welcome too....no more thinning hair and fallout which is amazing!!

@Lobelia123 would you mind sharing which one you take?

[quote CharmingScene]@Lobelia123 would you mind sharing which one you take?[/quote]
Not at all - have a look here: collagenliftparis.com/
I take the Red Carpet version.

I have taken Hunter and Gatherer Bovine collagen for 10 months. If there is a difference, I haven't explicitly noticed it. I started it following major surgery. I started on the marine one but I take it in coffee and really noticed the fishy taste. It cost me around £20 for six weeks.

I have started on Ingenious Beauty capsules: £40 a month and too early to say.

The Guardian article does say: "So if you’re starting to see unwanted wrinkles or have deeper needs like wound healing and muscle repair, there’s no harm in taking a collagen supplement. However, you’re likely to get the same benefits from living and eating well and including plenty of good quality protein".

Normal jelly is bovine collagen. Or just eat haribo.

@declutteringmymind

Normal jelly is bovine collagen. Or just eat haribo.

I don't see how either of those would be healthier than collagen powder.

I didn't say they were.

Cheaper though

Following with interest.

I take biotin for my hair (slightly obsessed with hair care) and I think that's beneficial, but have remained undecided about whether to try collagen.

I have realised something today that has prompted me to come back and reply to this.

I have been taking a new brand of collagen for about 6 weeks now (this one from
Vital Proteins amzn.to/3DnTdbG) I take 3 scoops a day (1 on each coffee) and I really do think I have seen a difference in the plumpness of my skin on my face. The past week or so I have caught myself in the mirror and thought I could see a change. The other thing I have noticed it that I've been going to the toilet 💩 every day without fail for the past few weeks. I have chronic constipation due to scarring on my bowel from endometriosis. Going every morning is still quite a novelty and relief for me. It wasn't until this morning that I realised it was probably because of the collagen. I googled it and it's true. It definitely does help and the research shows it. So I will be continuing with this brand now for as long as o continue to see it working.

Just thought I'd share.

It doesn't have that effect on me IEat.

@Gwenhwyfar

It doesn't have that effect on me IEat.

Haha, maybe you're already regular enough lol? I take 2x the recommended dosage though. I don't think most people have 3-4 scoops a day though? Wither away it works for me and I'm thrilled 😂💩

druggenius.com/nutrition/does-collagen-make-you-poop/

Nope, I could definitely do with it having that effect! I take two scoops because it's a lot of calories otherwise.

Come to think of it, my 3.5kg lockdown weight gain could have padded out my face wrinkles. As I mentioned before, I don't know if it's the collagen I take or better more regular skin care products I use that have improved depth of my lines and wrinkles. Not sure whether to repurchase

@Exasperatedusername1001

Sorry, haven't had time to reply. I bought some marine collagen from Healthspan online. It was about £12 for 120/1 a day. I researched and their's is hydrolysed which apparently makes it more easily absorbed. I think you have to try these things and see if they work for you. Also, I must admit that once I'm taking a supplement I also pull back after an initial splurge because I reckon my body shouldn't get reliant on things and maybe I was a bit short and needed a top up so now I take every few days. It has made a massive difference to my skin. Maybe I should say though that I've been veggie for years so I'm not getting animal protein. I have reluctantly started eating fish occasionally.

Hydrolysed collagen is gelatine. You may as well get yourself a packet of Haribos.

OP, the science doesn’t stack up. It’s pretty well documented -just do a Google search and try to avoid the websites just promoting it.

Apparently eating cheap sausages gives you good collagen ( read this on MN so it must be true!)

I mean it’s unlikely to harm you if you try it but there isn’t strong medical evidence to suggest it’s very effective at improving skin.

Take a look on Google scholar or pubmed.

I agree with the previous posters. Collagen can't be absorbed through our stomachs as a whole molecule and will just be broken down and used as energy in the same way as anything else with collagen in it e.g. a steak. It is scientifically impossible for eating collagen to increase collagen levels in the skin.

It's shocking how cosmetic companies prey on lack of knowledge.

It is was so simple as 'eat collagen - get wonderful skin- everyone would look 21.

As PPs have said it doesn't work like that.

It's a myth.

If you really want to eat collagen, boil up your left over chicken carcass. The bones, tendons and ligaments are full of collagen. Cheaper than supplements, but still won't work for your face :)

Personally I haven't eaten a chicken for many, many years and wouldn't fancy boiling up a carcass. Even if it's organic, it's likely full of salmonella and whatever shit they've been fed.
I am not imagining the change in skin texture or gloss since trying a collagen supplement and I can see the same with DH who doesn't usually have patience with supplements.
It's well known within science that results vary wildly depending on how a trial is run, how many participants, who paid for the research, the difference between men and women's bodies, the dosage etc and no sooner is a result published than there will be another refuting the results.
Science is great but it isn't truth. For years the idea of acupuncture meridians in the body has been rubbished until now science has advanced enough for them to be found in the body within the fascia. Similarly, knowledge of the brain and mind is being turned on its head by MRI and scanning of the brain.
Each to their opinion, but science is not truth and respecting the views of others counts too.

Quick Google gives some promising results:

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23949208/
Oral supplementation of specific collagen peptides has beneficial effects on human skin physiology: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study

Ingestion of BioCell Collagen(®), a novel hydrolyzed chicken sternal cartilage extract; enhanced blood microcirculation and reduced facial aging signs
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22956862/

Preliminary results are promising for the short and long-term use of oral collagen supplements for wound healing and skin aging
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30681787/

My colleague is a Forever living (unpaid) sales rep who buys their marine collagen from FL for £80 a month. She also takes various other pointless vitamins and supplements. She then tries to convince the rest of us to buy it too. I have a biology degree so I know that ingested collagen is too big to be absorbed by the gut and get into the bloodstream to benefit the skin but I just smile and nod.

This has all been very interesting reading. Despite the potential lack of scientific evidence I think I’m still going to give them a go. I’ve seen a liquid vitamin supplements including collagen that’s meant to focus on gut health that I think I will try first.

You'll have to let us know how it goes, OP.
I'm still undecided and not convinced enough to try yet.