Yes, you can take collagen forever. Collagen is a protein that is found in the connective tissues of animals. It is responsible for giving our skin its strength and elasticity. As we age, our skin begins to lose its collagen, which can lead to wrinkles, sagging skin, and dryness.
So do you have to take our collagen forever? Well, that's up to you! Taking our collagen now will help support the health of our current skin, hair, and nails, and will hopefully help reduce the appearance of the wrinkles/sagging skin we currently have.
Collagen peptides have been safely used in doses up to 10 grams daily for up to 5 months. Side effects are rare.
As such, no matter your goal for using collagen, it will take at least 8 weeks to experience noticeable results ( 6 ). Most studies use a minimum of 8 weeks to assess collagen's effects on skin health and joint pain relief, but other studies use longer periods, such as 12 months, for bone health ( 9 , 14 , 22 ).
Some research has found that taking daily collagen powder could help make your bones denser, slowing the aging process that makes them brittle and helping your body to produce new bone. Skin elasticity and hydration. Collagen supplements have been shown to improve skin hydration and elasticity for older people.
Collagen supplements on average 3-4 times per year for most types of collagen. But with hydrolyzed collagen, you can continue to supplement for many years with the recommended dose to maintain the desired effect.
When you stop taking collagen supplements, there won't be any side effects (thankfully). But, the most important thing to note is that any health benefits you may have experienced while taking the supplement will eventually fade away. The reason being, your body naturally synthesizes collagen.
After daily collagen supplementation for a few weeks, you will typically start to notice a few things: hair growth, skin hydration and skin moisture, improvement in joint health and skin health, lessening of fine lines, and other possible anti-aging improvements.
Human studies are lacking but some randomized controlled trials have found that collagen supplements improve skin elasticity. [3,4] Other trials have found that the supplements can improve joint mobility and decrease joint pain such as with osteoarthritis or in athletes.
Does Collagen Tighten Saggy Skin? Studies have indicated that supplemental collagen is beneficial for skin health, including tightening sagging skin (known as elasticity), boosting hydration, and lessening the appearance of wrinkles.
Collagen's role in the body
Collagen is a protein that serves as one of the main building blocks for your bones, skin, hair, muscles, tendons, and ligaments. "Collagen is what keeps our skin from sagging, giving us that plump, youthful look," says dermatologist Dr. Ohara Aivaz.
As a general rule, it can be a good idea to start taking collagen between the ages of 20 and 30. The body's natural collagen production starts to decrease around age 30, but there could be benefits to getting a head start on boosting the body's collagen status.
Collagen supplements may not be safe for: People with fish, shellfish, or egg allergies (collagen supplements may contain these allergens as ingredients)16. People with a Kosher or Halal diet. People with a vegetarian or vegan diet.
Collagen supplements cannot cause hair loss, though too much collagen in the skin can cause another condition called scleroderma. While some collagen supplements can cause mild side effects depending on the patient, any hair loss is unrelated and can be symptomatic of a more serious issue.
"Collagen supplements or skin products can produce an allergic reaction, which could, in rare cases, be life-threatening. Symptoms of an allergic reaction include itching or tingling in the mouth or area of skin where collagen is applied, swelling of tongue or skin, wheezing, abdominal pain, nausea, and/or vomiting.
One review of 11 studies focusing mostly on women found that taking 3–10 grams of collagen per day for an average of 69 days led to improvements in skin elasticity and hydration ( 6 ). These supplements may work by stimulating your body to produce collagen on its own.
How can I naturally rebuild collagen? You can naturally support the collagen production process by using topicals such as vitamin C and retinol, collagen peptide supplements, eating a nutrient rich diet, and avoiding habits that damage the collagen (such as poor sleep and sun exposure.)
Current research reveals that collagen use could result in a reduction of wrinkles, rejuvenation of skin, and reversal of skin aging [16], which may improve skin hydration and elasticity [17].
Collagen won't mess with your hormones.
You really can't go wrong with collagen since most people can tolerate it well and it contains important collagen subtypes found in our own bodies, generally giving it a minimal, if any, effect on hormones. Its increased bioavailability is also a plus.
Once seniors reach the age of 65-70, collagen production starts to decline at about 30% per year. But, it's never too late for collagen!
The skin becomes thinner, drier, and less elastic. The loss of collagen leads to wrinkle formation. Your body begins to lose collagen when you turn 30.
As we age, we begin to notice many changes to our bodies. Collagen is one of the best supplements for women over 50, and as well as targeting wrinkles, you'll find there are so many great benefits of adding this to your daily routine.
Many people think taking care of their skin should start when they begin noticing the signs of ageing; however, research suggests that the best time to start is much earlier than we think. The good news is that it is never too late to revitalise damaged skin.