A protein naturally present in our bones, our teeth and even our muscles, collagen – sold in the form of anti-aging treatment on the shelves – has enjoyed great success in recent years. But does this “miracle ingredient” really work? The response from Dr Fatya Assadi, aesthetic doctor.
Drinks, masks, pills, creams… On pharmacy shelves, collagen is everywhere. A food supplement, praised by many advertisements and celebrities, which would, on paper, hydrate the skin and increase its elasticity. But what should we think about it? Is collagen as effective as people say? Answers.
Collagen, a false friend of the skin?
Collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body. It ensures the cohesion, elasticity, resistance and regeneration of connective tissues. But from the age of 40, its production decreases – on average by 1% each year.
An ideal argument for beauty brands, which have become interested in this famous protein. Neither one, nor two, treatments based on marine collagen are manufactured – using extracts of skins, bones, scales of fish and other marine organisms.
But if creams and drinkable solutions based on collagen abound on the shelves, studies proving its effectiveness are becoming rarer.
Unconvincing studies
Certainly, several research teams have been interested in the effects of collagen supplements on the skin (wrinkles, cellulite, etc.), nails, hair and even on joint pain (hydrolyzed collagen appears to have a protective effect on articular cartilage, editor’s note).
But the results obtained do not convince doctors: the research, carried out in the short term, was carried out on too small a number of subjects.
“There are very few studies regarding the benefits of collagen on bones or tissues. I think we will have to wait for the release of other scientific studies before talking about the effectiveness of collagen supplements for bones on the quality of the skin”, asserts Fatya Assad.
For his part, Doctor François Perrogon, contacted by TF1, is “very perplexed” about this treatment with plumping and moisturizing properties.
“Collagen is largely destroyed in the stomach and for what enters the body, there is no searching ‘head’ in the collagen which would allow it to go directly into the skin rather than elsewhere in the body. ‘body“, he emphasizes. “The risk is above all losing money… for nothing obviously. I do not advise !”
On the other hand, for all the people who have already tested this “beauty” solution, good news: collagen does not appear to present any danger.
Slide: What foods to eat to have beautiful skin?
