In category Beauty: Beauty Tips
Collagen constitutes 35% protein and 70% of the body skin protein
Due to its structure, collagen is able to greatly expand. A thick layer of collagen gives the skin firmness and elasticity.
During the aging process the collagen fibers lose moisture, particularly in the skin around the eyes, mouth, and forehead, which leads to the appearance of wrinkles
Due to the high water binding capacity, collagen is used as a moisturizer in cosmetics, opposing the epidermal moisture loss. It can absorb water up to 30 times its own weight.
Scientists have found that collagen helps revive skin cells, allowing new cells rapidly reach the surface of the skin.
He "works"?
It is known that human skin consists of three layers - the epidermis, dermis and hypodermis. The dermis acts as a frame that provides the elasticity, strength and extensibility of the skin. It can be compared with an unusual mattress: both water and spring, where the role played by the springs collagen and elastin fibers, the space between them is filled with an aqueous gel composed of mucopolysaccharides (glycosaminoglycans). Collagen molecules are indeed reminiscent of the spring - protein filaments they twisted like spirals.
Elasticity and resilience of the dermis, which "rests" the epidermis, is defined as a state of "springs" - collagen and elastin fibers, and the quality of the aqueous gel formed by glycosaminoglycans. If the "mattress" is not in order - weakened "spring" or gel does not hold moisture - the skin begins to sag, stretch and move during sleep, laughing and crying, wrinkle and lose elasticity. Thus the image of large folds, such as nasolabial.
In young skin collagen fibers and glycosaminoglycan gel is constantly updated. But with age, the update of the intercellular substance of the dermis is slower to accumulate damaged fibers, and the number is steadily decreasing glycosaminoglycans.
The main objective of the cells of the dermis - to continuously update the intercellular substance (glycosaminoglycans). Responsible for this process fibroblasts. In aging skin fibroblast activity decreases. However, their ability to degrade extracellular matrix for a long time remains the same, while the ability to synthesize new rapidly lost.
In aging skin collagen fibers become thicker, but the number and their flexibility decreases. The resulting structure of the collagen matrix is broken, the moisture content in the intercellular substance of the dermis is reduced and the skin loses its elasticity and flexibility.
- Within 5 years after the menopausal skin loses about 30% collagen
- After 35 years of reduced elasticity of the skin due to accumulation of inelastic collagen
- The first signal that the development of collagen is broken - the appearance of wrinkles nemimicheskih
- If you have already outlined the nasolabial wrinkles, it's time to sound the alarm
Collagen! But what?
Today, many companies offer cosmetic creams with collagen. The prices for the products range from $ 100 to $ 300. The thing is that the effectiveness of cosmetics depends on the nature of collagen.
In modern cosmetics are three types of collagen: animal (made from the skin of cattle), vegetable (wheat protein) and sea (extracted from fish skin).
According to recent studies of the Association of Russian cosmetology, used in cosmetics animal collagen least effective. Moreover, in some cases it may even worsen the condition of the skin.
Firstly, it has a too large molecule and is not capable to penetrate the skin cells
Secondly, as a rule, this collagen is incompatible with the human skin. Third, the skin cells can not "build" a ready collagen. The same goes for elastin
Floral collagen skin perfectly assimilated, but it is much more difficult to produce than animals, so not all companies can afford high-tech production plant collagen
Sea collagen molecules can be reorganized, simulating skin tissue. Getting into the skin, the molecules assimilated due to its excellent compatibility, because marine collagen in their structure strongly resembles our own. But cosmetics with marine collagen can cause allergies.
Furthermore, the cosmetic properties of the collagen vary greatly depending on its quantity and quality. Many products utilizing collagen can give little effect (or no) because of poor quality of collagen.