A growing phenomenon. Now it is impossible to escape the advertising that praises the benefits of treatments with collagen, this structural protein that is the most produced by the human body, which makes up 75% of the skin and also helps strengthen bones and hair. The only problem is that after the age of 25 the body produces less and less collagen; it is estimated that the rate decreases by around 1.5% annually, which can cause the appearance of wrinkles or certain weakening.
Among the users conquered by these cures is Amandine. For this young woman, eating this powdered food supplement every day has become an unchanging ritual for four years. “I drink it in my lattes, I mix it with my herbal teas, in teas, in my smoothies, I drink it in broth,” she says.
“I immediately felt benefits in skin elasticity, thicker and smoother skin, healthier hair, more hair mass. In general, we felt more oily,” adds who plans to open a “collagen bar” in Paris.
“Everyone should accept it”
What is the real effectiveness of these remedies, when, in all their forms, of bovine or marine origin, in capsules or powder, they are widely acclaimed on social networks? Physician and aesthetic doctor Philippe Azoulay told BFMTV that “everyone should take it.”
“What is recommended for taking collagen is to perform cycles of three months, without exceeding a dose of 10 grams per day,” he explains. However, there are contraindications for pregnant women or people suffering from kidney failure.
In pharmacies, where collagen sales have sometimes doubled in a few weeks, we are also witnessing the arrival of a new audience for these products. “Basically, it was mainly athletes who used it to support their joints,” confirms Samuel Allali, dietitian-nutritionist at the Opéra-Chaussée-d’Antin pharmacy in Paris.
“Now we have all kinds of people, from 20 years old to older people,” he adds.
A useless fashion?
Guest this Wednesday morning on BFMTV, Isabelle Rousseaux, dermatologist and member of the board of directors of the dermatologists’ union, brings a disadvantage to these ecstatic reactions. Her opinion is also quite clear on the subject: “I don’t think it will help much.”
“Pas plus que de prendre un bouillon de poule ou une soupe de poisson une à deux fois par mois. The collagen se trouve dans les des mammifères, les arêtes des poissons, donc c’est la même chose”, argue-t- she.
According to her, the tablets sold in pharmacies, by their very nature, would not have the ability to act directly on the skin, despite their promise.
“When you swallow a tablet with collagen, it is a large molecule full of amino acids, when it reaches the intestine it disintegrates and the amino acids go into the circulation, but they go everywhere, not only where they are needed, at the level of the skin” , describes the specialist.
According to Isabelle Rousseaux, the best solution to obtain beautiful skin, from a certain age, continues to be the use of retinol-based creams to stimulate collagen production in the body. And to conclude, regarding these fashionable remedies:
“It’s a service for those who make and sell them.”
Source: BFM TV
