Collagen is one of the substances in our skin that helps to give it its buoyancy and elasticity. Having lots of collagen then can help to reduce the appearance of scars and wrinkles by making the skin appear thicker and giving it the flexibility and malleability to return to its original shape and close over the valleys that are formed of wrinkles. As we enter old age our natural supply of collagen begins to run out, which is one of several reasons that our skin becomes more wrinkly and we begin to show the visible signs of ageing.
What Is Collagen Cream?
Thus collagen cream is a cream that includes collagen in its design in the hope that it will be able to replenish some of that collagen to the skin and thus help to reverse some of the visible signs of ageing and remove wrinkles and scars.
Do Collagen Creams Work?
Most of us have a basic understanding of what collagen is which is why collagen creams are so cleverly marketed – they sound like they should work easily. However the reality is sadly quite different and topical application of collagen is unlikely to have any effect whatsoever. This is simply because the collagen particles are too large to be absorbed by the skin in order to be of any use. In other words you are rubbing them on top of your skin where they will remain until they are eventually washed off. At the same time the amount of collagen and proteins actually used in most products is so minimal that even if this was effective, it would provide very minimal difference in the grand scheme of things.
The Future
There are some interesting techniques that some skin care companies are employing to make their creams more effective. For instance some companies utilise hydrolysed collagen which is essentially collagen that is broken down small enough to be absorbed – but this is likely too small to be effective.
Other solutions are claiming to be ‘transdermal’ and to have ways of transporting the collagen to the correct layers of skin. There is currently no scientific evidence for or against these methods so it is an interesting line of research.