A Buying Guide for Choosing the Best Collagen Supplement for Skin
Think collagen supplements are just meant to promote better skin? Think again! While collagen supplements are generally used to restore the skin's youthful glow, these products have a variety of health benefits too! But with hundreds of brands offering the same product, how do you find the best collagen supplement for skin? Here is our in-depth buying guide:
What is Collagen?
Collagen is a type of protein that contains a combination of 19 essential and nonessential amino acids. These nutrients are best known as the building blocks of protein, which is an important source of energy for living cells. Collagen plays a critical role in human health; it promotes better skin, muscle, and bone health. Apart from promoting better skin, muscle, and joint health, collagen strengthens the immune system, improves digestion, and boosts athletic performance.
While the body produces collagen naturally, the production slows down as we age. This is the reason why we develop wrinkles, aching joints, and weak muscles as we age. Taking collagen supplements is a great way to enjoy collagen’s many health benefits.
Factors to Consider When Choosing the Best Collagen Supplement for Skin
The Source
Collagen supplements are extracted from different sources. If you are taking collagen supplements to improve your skin, it's important to choose a product that's packed with type 1 collagen. Type 1 collagen makes about 80% of the skin's dermis layer. This protein gives the skin a plump, soft yet firm texture. Type 1 collagen is also responsible for promoting skin elasticity, restoring the skin's youthful glow while reducing sagginess. When shopping around for collagen supplements, choose a product that contains at least 90% type 1 collagen. Usually, these supplements are derived from porcine, bovine, and fowl.
Bioavailability
When choosing which collagen supplements to get, go for a product that has gone through the process of process of hydrolysis. Collagen molecules are too large to be absorbed by the body. The process of hydrolysis breaks too-large collagen molecules into smaller chains called collagen peptides. The hydrolyzed collagen peptides are easily absorbed into the bloodstream but they are pricier than your average collagen products.
When shopping around for collagen supplements, choose a product that contains hydrolyzed collagen. In particular, look for products that contain type 1 hydrolyzed collagen with high bioavailability.
These products are more effective than cheap supplements because they contain a complete chain of amino acid sequence. In addition, the collagen peptides are broken down so they are easily absorbed by the skin, allowing you to see amazing results faster.
Potency
When looking for the best collagen supplement for skin, choose a product that offers the highest concentration of hydrolyzed collagen. These products are much more potent than cheap supplements, helping you maximize the benefits of collagen at a much faster rate.
Studies show that taking high concentrations of hydrolyzed collagen (at least 10,000 mg. a day) reduces wrinkles and restore skin thickness in just 6-8 weeks! That’s because the potency of the supplements trigger the skin to heal itself, stimulating the production of skin collagen. Always check the label of the product to ensure you’re getting the right level of potency. A watered down formulation is only a great waste of money. Taking it will not make much of a difference in your skin.
Conclusion
Just like any products, collagen supplements are not made equally. As a customer, you have to be selective in terms of the products you choose. Reaping the benefits of collagen will take some time so it’s important that you are getting your money’s worth. And these products aren’t exactly cheap so always check the label to determine the supplement’s quality, source, and potency to ensure that you’re getting the best collagen supplement for the skin.