Collagen is immensely important for the skin. A good supply of collagen in the skin provides structure and support and simply makes your skin look firm and youthful. Not surprisingly, there are an array of creams, food supplements and aesthetic treatments that promise to increase the collagen content of your skin. But what collagen treatments are there? Should you consider a supplement or a laser treatment? Or should you consider an aesthetic treatment? Read on to find out…
Collagen for skin: Creams
If you are looking for a face cream or lotion to increase collagen production in your skin, your best option may be to choose a product that contains vitamin A or its derivatives retinaldehyde and retinyl retinoate (different derivatives or forms of vitamin A). These active ingredients have been shown in scientific studies to stimulate collagen production in the skin as well as reducing enzymes that break down collagen. Vitamin A and its derivatives can have side effects such as irritation and flaking skin, so it’s important to consult with a healthcare professional to get guidance on what suits your skin type.¹
Collagen for skin: Food supplements
Food supplements come in all sorts – pills, bars, powders and drinks. There are many scientific studies on collagen supplementation and its effect on the skin. The collagen will often come in the form of a hydrolysate or peptide to improve absorption and is derived from various animal and non-animal sources.
Studies have shown that collagen supplements can improve skin hydration, collagen density and collagen deposition.² However, some of the food supplements studied have also contained other nutrients, which makes it difficult to assess to what extent the studied effect was due to collagen. However, as with skin creams, if a food supplement had amazingly dramatic effects on skin tightening and skin firmness, far fewer of us would have sagging skin.
Collagen for skin: Peels
Peels come in different strengths. Peels that you can do at home often contain small particles or enzymes that gently remove dead skin cells on the skin surface to make it temporarily smoother. There are also chemical peels that have a more pronounced ablative (removal or deconstruction of dead skin cells) effect, so they can reach deeper layers of the skin.
The purpose of chemical peels is to trigger 'controlled damage’ to the skin to destroy living cells and coagulate membrane proteins. This controlled damage will induce an inflammatory response, followed by regeneration and repair of the skin, which can have a skin tightening effect and restore the dermal architecture. The deeper the peel, the better the effect on skin renewal, however, there will also be an increased risk of side effects such as hyperpigmentation and infections.²
Consult with your healthcare practitioner and make sure you understand the risks and benefits before considering a treatment.
Collagen for skin: Energy-based devices
There are an increasing number of energy-based devices on the market that use different technologies to stimulate collagen production in the skin – IPL, lasers, fractionated lasers, radiofrequency, ultrasound and so on. Although they are based on different technologies, they have similar effects on the skin.
An ablative laser treatment for the face has a similar effect on the skin as chemical peels, as it removes the top layers of the skin. Radiofrequency, ultrasound devices, non-ablative lasers or fractionated laser treatments on the other hand, use heat to denaturalise dermal collagen below the skin’s surface (i.e., change the structure of the collagen). Essentially, these treatments induce a controlled form of wound healing response and skin tightening – just like peels, but without the same disruption of the skin surface.¹
IPL and laser treatments use light of a specific wavelength. IPL devices filter out specific wavelengths whereas lasers emit the specific wavelength. A fractionated laser treatment, on the other hand, delivers an effect in a pixelated fashion, which is gentler to the skin’s surface and requires less downtime. However, just as with peels, the more ablative, the greater the effect, so fractionated laser treatments might not be as effective as an IPL or laser treatment. With more aggressive forms of treatment comes more temporary skin damage, bringing a higher potential risk of side effects such as hyperpigmentation, infection and scarring.¹
Radiofrequency produces an electrical current inside the skin, which generates heat. Ultrasound is another technology used to heat the skin below the surface to induce a denaturalisation of collagen, causing a wound healing response and skin renewal.
If you are considering a laser treatment for your face or any other energy-based device treatment, consult a healthcare practitioner and make sure that you fully understand the risks and benefits of such a treatment.
Collagen for skin: Injectable treatments
Collagen biostimulators work in a different way to peels and energy-based devices, in that they do not induce controlled damage and a wound healing response. Instead, they stimulate collagen production directly in the dermis by injecting microparticles of a collagen biostimulator. The microparticles will stimulate a mild inflammatory response, which induces fibroblast cells to produce new collagen. The collagen renewal occurs over the course of several months. The microparticles slowly degrade and disappear from the skin, while the new collagen network remains. Side effects that can occur with collagen biostimulators include injection related reactions such as bruising, itching, tenderness, redness or swelling in the treatment area. Other side effects such as lumps or nodules can appear during the course of treatment. As with all other collagen treatments, remember to always consult a qualified healthcare practitioner and make sure you understand all benefits and risks of the treatment.
References:
- Ganceviciene R. et al, Dermatoendocrinol. 2012;4(3):308–319.
- Vollmer DL., Int J Mol Sci. 2018 Oct; 19(10): 3059.
AU-NBD-2200103, TAPS NP18917