Collagen supplements seem to be everywhere you turn – the local grocery store, juice bar, supplement shop, and online ads. And there is good reason for it. Collagen can be somewhat difficult to get from a normal diet, unless you are a very adventurous eater. You might be asking yourself, “Are collagen peptides safe?” The answer is yes, and supplementation is a safe and easy way to add this nutrient to your daily routine.

What is collagen?

Collagen is a protein found pretty much everywhere in the body. Although there are various subtypes of collagen used as building blocks for different types of tissues, they all have a role in the composition of your skin, cartilage, connective tissues, bones, and blood vessels.

Collagen supplies the body with the building blocks it needs to repair itself. Some areas of the body need more building blocks than others to keep up with general maintenance – one being the skin on your face. So, what does collagen do for your face?

Before we answer that question, let’s further break down what collagen is.

What is collagen made from?

Most collagen on the market is made from animal sources, with collagen derived from beef or fish sources being the most common. Each source has a slightly different mix of collagen types. Type I and type III collagen are the most common, and the types most often used in collagen supplements. Both types are featured in Thorne’s two collagen products – Collagen Plus and Collagen Fit.

Type I is the body’s most abundant collagen type and plays a critical role in supporting skin, connective tissues, and bone. Type III is the second-most abundant type of collagen in the body, and it works alongside type I collagen because the two are found in the same locations.

So, while the health, hydration, and elasticity of the skin are the most common areas of support, you can also see improvement in body composition and joint health when using a collagen supplement that contains both type I and type III.

When does your body stop producing collagen?

Perhaps you are beginning to see signs of aging like wrinkles, fine lines, and age spots. You might be asking yourself questions like: “When does collagen production slow down?” or “When do you stop producing collagen?” Or, if you’ve Googled a search phrase like, “collagen production age,” then you’ve come to the right place.

Luckily for us, the answer is, technically the body never stops making collagen. Otherwise, we’d be recreating gruesome scenes like from “Raiders of the Lost Ark” as our skin and connective tissue turns to goo. Still, natural collagen production slows as we age. But the good news is you can still focus on aging in a healthy way.

Much like muscle production, collagen production begins to slow starting about age 30. Lovely little biological twofer, I know. So when this begins, we see a slowdown of production that occurs more and more with each passing year. Over time, this becomes apparent with loss in hydration/luminance, sagging skin, fine lines, and wrinkles. We see this commonly happening first in areas of high oxidative stress, like the skin on the face, neck, and hands. This is why supplementing with collagen peptides can help us continue seeing the health benefits this mighty little protein has. 

Five health benefits of collagen

There are several benefits we see with collagen supplementation. Some you might already be aware of, and others will be new to you. So, let’s review these facts about collagen supplementation:

Collagen supplementation supports healthy skin.* Collagen is good for the skin – all skin, but it is especially great skin support for the face.* As we age and as we deal with the environmental insults our body must process, we see collagen break down. So, supplementing can support skin health, especially with fine lines, wrinkles and skin hydration.*

Collagen supplementation supports healthy joint function.* Collagen is a building block for tendons, ligaments, and cartilage – all important components of joints. Collagen can help reduce joint stiffness by supporting a healthy balance of inflammatory cytokines in the joints.* 

Collagen supplementation supports healthy body composition and strength.* This finding is newer and very interesting. In a study, when active men took collagen, they experienced a significant increase in what is known as fat-free mass compared to the placebo group.*1

Collagen supplementation supports the structure and function of your brain.* Another fairly new area of research is collagen as a cognitive support supplement.* The pilot work, which was done in 2020, found collagen resulted in positive structural changes in the brain alongside improvements in cognitive function.*2 Although there is more work to be done in this field, this is an amazing study that highlights the broad range of benefits that can be obtained with collagen supplementation.

Collagen supplementation supports gut health.* A 2022 study found that collagen supplementation improved digestion in healthy women, including reducing bloating and stomach discomfort.*3 Although this is a new area of research, so the mechanism of action for collagen’s benefit on gut health is not yet elucidated, it’s speculated to involve beneficial changes in the microbiome.

Is collagen right for you?

If you are concerned about structural support, whether it’s your skin, muscles, joints – even your brain or gut – then you might benefit from collagen supplementation.*

And younger individuals can benefit if they are looking to support lean body composition and strength training.*

Skin-related issues associated with the age-related decline in collagen are generally not seen until after age 30 – and those changes are subtle. Thus, use of Thorne’s collagen products for skin support are used most frequently by individuals in the 30-50 age range.

New data supporting brain structure and function points to the potential value of collagen supplementation past age 50.

Although we might think of aging as a hard line drawn in the sand that begins in your 50s or 60s, aging actually begins much earlier and is gradual. Underneath the skin, these same aging processes are happening slowly in our joints and muscles. So, collagen is a supplement to consider for an adult of any age.

The takeaway

Now that you know the answer to your question, “What does collagen do for you face?”, you can check out Thorne’s collagen suite.

Promote optimal fitness and support joint health with Thorne’s Collagen Fit, an unflavored collagen peptide formula that can be easily mixed into a favorite beverage.* Or shake up your routine with Thorne’s Collagen Plus, a passion berry-flavored powder that enhances your skin, nail, and hair health.*

For more on collagen, check these other Take 5 Daily articles:

  1. Collagen for Your Skin
  2. The 5 Most Common Types of Collagen – the Body’s Most Abundant Protein
  3. 6 Supplements that Maintain Healthy Skin from the Inside Out
  4. Five Expert Tips for Cold-Weather Skincare

References

  1. Kirmse M, Oertzen-Hagemann V, de Marées M, et al. Prolonged collagen peptide supplementation and resistance exercise training affects body composition in recreationally active men. Nutrients 2019;11(5):1154. doi:10.3390/nu11051154
  2. Koizumi S, Inoue N, Sugihara F, Igase M. Effects of collagen hydrolysates on human brain structure and cognitive function: a pilot clinical study. Nutrients 2019;12(1):50. doi:10.3390/nu12010050
  3. Abrahams M, O'Grady R, Prawitt J. Effect of a daily collagen peptide supplement on digestive symptoms in healthy women: 2-phase mixed methods Study. JMIR Form Res 2022;6(5):e36339. doi:10.2196/36339