The production of cosmetic preparations containing collagen is growing exponentially, and today not every cosmetologist is able to keep up with all the new products – what are their features and what type of collagen was used in the preparation. Today, three types of collagen are used to create cosmetic formulas: animal, marine and vegetable.
Estet-portal.com found out that in order for procedures with collagen-containing products to be as effective as possible, the doctor must take into account the properties of different types of collagen, their allergenicity and penetrating ability.
- Protein of youth: the role of collagen in the fight against age
- Types of collagen and features of their use
- Properties of collagen and increase of its biological activity
- Collagenotherapy: the use of drugs with collagen in cosmetology
The protein of youth: the role of collagen in the fight against age-related changes
Throughout a person's life, collagen remains the main component of metabolism and is present in all organs and tissues, in which it is updated at different rates. The slowest renewal of collagen occurs in bone tissue and joints - there the process lasts about 12-15 months, but this essential building protein is most quickly updated in the liver (in a month).
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Skin aging and numerous health problems are the reasons why the body does not produce enough of its own collagen. Collagen is a protein that connects individual cells to each other and contributes to the formation of single cells of organs and muscles. It is built from amino acids belonging to a series of fibrous proteins.
Read also: Fibroblast stimulation and collagen synthesis – effective way of skin rejuvenation
It is believed that the true biological age of the human body is determined by the state of the proteins that connect almost all of its cells. Wrinkles, the most obvious signs of aging, are just a simple consequence of the thinning of collagen fibers in skin tissue.
Collagen is responsible for firmness, smoothness and elasticity of the skin and makes up 70% of its protein. In cosmetology, it is widely used in creams, masks, serums, injections for wrinkle correction: it restores the skin structure and moisturizes it.
Types of collagen and features of use
Manufacturers of collagen-containing products generously share stories about the merits of their products, omitting contraindications and, as a rule, not focusing on what kind of collagen is added to the cream, mask, injection. But this is important, because in the case of ineffectiveness of the drug, it is a pity not only for the money spent, but also, often, for the deceived expectations of the patient and the doctor. As a result, the patient is dissatisfied with the result, and the doctor is not satisfied with the quality of the product.
Today, three types of collagen are used in cosmetology: animal (from the skin of bulls and cows), vegetable (mainly from wheat proteins) and marine (from the skin of fish).
Some experts believe that animal collagen has less beneficial properties than vegetable and marine collagen. Due to the large size of the molecules, it does not penetrate so deeply into the skin cells. But this type of collagen is great for the production of cosmetics in the nail and hairdressing industry, where a superficial effect is needed. Therefore, it is added to preparations to restore the structure of the hair, soften the skin of the hands, feet, elbows.
As for vegetable collagen, it is well absorbed by the skin, but it is more difficult to extract than animal collagen: not all companies can afford the production of cosmetic preparations containing this type of collagen.
Collagen is actually an animal protein, and what is called "plant collagen" is a hydrolyzed wheat protein that has the properties of soluble collagen and is the most suitable alternative to natural animal collagen.
The third type is marine collagen, whose molecules are very similar in structure to our own, which is an undoubted advantage of preparations containing it.
Marine collagen proponents point out that the denaturation temperature of animal collagen is too high to penetrate the skin, while marine collagen is more suitable for such penetration. But it must be remembered that products with such collagen can cause allergies.
Besides, it breaks down more easily at low temperatures than animal collagen, so the developers have very strict requirements for the organization of its production, transportation and storage. This causes the high cost of products with marine collagen.
Properties of collagen and increase of its biological activity
So, collagen is a high molecular weight protein, a biopolymer, which is synthesized in the cells of living organisms; that is, by its origin, no matter what raw material it is extracted from (skin of fish, bulls or wheat proteins), it will always be natural, though not always the same size of molecules.
Collagen macromolecules are large and have a strictly defined spatial structure. With a very gentle extraction of collagen from animal material, native collagen can be obtained that has retained its spatial structure. Under more severe conditions of extraction, the spatial structure of collagen is disturbed, and we have a modified, denatured product, in particular gelatin.
Both native and modified collagen have a high molecular weight and film-forming properties. When used in cosmetics, they are able to provide superficial lifting and moisturize the skin. But their biological activity is low, because they remain on the surface of the skin and are not able to penetrate deeply.
Read also: The use of collagen in cosmetics: does it really work
The biological activity of collagen hydrolysates, which are a mixture of peptides - low-molecular fragments of collagen, formed when a polymer molecule breaks, is significantly higher. Unlike native and modified collagen, they are able to penetrate deep into the skin and be included in metabolic processes.
Modification of protein hydrolysates can further enhance their effectiveness. And by introducing a lipophilic substituent into the molecules of peptides, in particular palmitic acid, it is possible to multiply their ability to overcome the epidermal barrier, penetrate into the deeper layers of the skin, thereby creating a powerful lifting, contributing to restructuring of the dermis.
Collagenotherapy: the use of drugs with collagen in cosmetology
Collagen-based injections are used to stimulate the synthesis of own collagen in order to correct post-acne scars and recurrent wrinkles. Most often, preparations made on the basis of bovine collagen are used. This is a sterile bioplastic collagen material of a new generation, completely repeating the fibrous structure of human collagen, providing deep skin restoration when administered intradermally (intradermal).
Another, no less interesting type of collagen for injections is homeopathic. It has little in common with traditional animal-derived collagen. One of the forms of such collagen is an organotropic preparation produced from porcine collagen (according to the principle of tissue similarity) by potentiation in accordance with the position of homeopathic pharmacy - in D6 and D8 dilutions.
As for creams, masks and serums, it will be difficult to keep collagen in the skin with the help of these products alone. However, preparations are being developed in which the active ingredient, due to its small size, provides deep and faster penetration of the agent into the skin. When creating such drugs, vegetable collagen is most often used, because it easily penetrates into the deeper layers of the skin due to the small size of the molecules.
Pull or fill? This kind of conflict arises between doctors who work with a facelift and those who work with fillers. Depending on the morphotype of aging, we can draw up a plan for surgical treatment and decide which principle will be most effective for a particular patient.
Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein Plant Collagen is virtually non-allergic, so skin care products containing it are considered safe and effective.
According to Allseason magazine
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