Thursday, 26 January 2017 09:13

Skin Supplementation

Written by   Louise Marchesin, global head of marketing at Skinade®

In the ever-growing beauty industry, consumers are faced with more and more options when it comes to pretty much everything. From supplements and treatments to products and surgery, the available options are vast.

With this in mind, it is no surprise that consumers are becoming savvier and looking for more ways to enhance their beauty routine, particularly with a skin care supplement that works from the inside out.

However, with an already crowded market, many newcomers are confused by how these supplements work and which options are right for them.

As people age, their collagen production slows down, affecting the appearance of their skin. Innovation in ingredients and manufacturing processes has allowed for new and more effective supplements to enter the market. Engineered specifically for skin, they aim to reboot collagen production from the inside for younger-looking skin.

When it comes to collagen, there are two common ways to supplement the protein: tablets or liquids. Each method works differently to deliver collagen to the body and offers varying absorption rates of ingredients. The Physicians Desk Reference puts the absorption rate of tablets at between 10 and 20 percent, as opposed to liquids, which are listed at a much higher absorption rate of over 95 percent. The reason for this huge discrepancy is because nutritional drinks in solution can pass through the lining of the stomach and enter the bloodstream directly, while pills and tablets must pass through the digestive system, where a great deal of the ingredients are simply passed through the body without being properly absorbed. While collagen tablets are broken down into their base amino acids by the digestive system, the collagen avoids this fate by being directly absorbed into the bloodstream. In fact, this process happens from the second the liquid enters the mouth, delivering visible results.

Dr. Paul Banwell, a cosmetic surgeon, states, "For improved efficacy, the skin supplement needs to be absorbed appropriately; this is dependent upon both its bioavailability of the supplement and molecular weight of the collagen. To maximize the bioavailability and benefits of collagen, it is critical that the total product is completely in solution and that the molecular weight of collagen is as small as possible. The smaller the molecular weight, the more likely it is to be absorbed into the bloodstream. It is also important to note that the stability and benefits of a product formulated in complete solution cannot necessarily be replicated with home-use tablets and powders suspended in liquid so research thoroughly before you stock these products for your patients and clients."

Want to read more?

Subscribe to one of our monthly plans to continue reading this article.

Login to post comments

Skin Care Blogs

Scope This

body { overflow-y: auto; } html, body { min-width: unset; }