If you’ve been to a cosmetics counter or nutrition store recently, you’ve likely seen the promotion of “collagen” as a “cure-all” for everything from sagging skin to aching joints. Why is that, and what actually is collagen? At its most basic, collagen is a substance naturally produced by your body that plays a role in skin renewal and the replacement of dead skin cells, along with providing structure, strength, and elasticity to your skin. It also supports and strengthens your bones, muscles, and connective tissues so its production, or lack thereof, plays an important role in your mobility and flexibility as you age. As you get older, your body produces less collagen and the quality of what you do produce is not as high as the collagen you produced as a younger person. Women in particular suffer a significant slowdown in collagen production after menopause, though everyone over the age of 60 experiences a slowdown. How do you know your level of collagen is decreasing? You’ll likely notice the appearance of your skin is changing (more wrinkles and sagging are likely) and in your muscles and tendons, you may notice more stiffness, aches, and even loss of some mobility, with some joint damage and joint pain possible. For more on collagen and its production in aging bodies, look here.

Many of us are most concerned about the loss of collagen as we notice our facial appearance changing. The question then becomes whether there’s a way to replenish your collagen supply to prevent lines, sinking, hollowing, or sagging. There are many potential ways of addressing your reduction in collagen production, some with some science behind them and others with more marketing than miracles. First, you do have some power on your own, without any outside interventions, to help fortify your supply of collagen. Unsurprisingly, eating a healthy and balanced diet, such as the Mediterranean diet, can help make sure your body is well-positioned to produce collagen. Among the foods and nutrients you want to make sure you consume? Protein for sure, along with vitamin C, zinc, and copper. This means including such foods as citrus, berries, eggs, bone broth, and beans in your regular diet. You should also be aware that many lifestyle factors can lead to diminished collagen production, such as smoking, UV exposure (yet another reason to wear sunblock!), and the ingestion of too much sugar or refined carbohydrates.

What about collagen supplements? Is it possible to boost your collagen levels (and address your facial concerns) by supplementing your diet with pills or powders containing collagen? The problem with collagen supplements is the same problem that frequently surfaces whenever someone reaches for a nutritional supplement: There is little rigorous data to support the value of collagen supplements, the supplements that are being sold are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration and the reality is, just by ingesting a supplement you have no guarantee that whatever collagen makes it into your system (most gets absorbed into your GI tract before it can do any good) will actually go to work on your facial appearance. So while there’s probably little risk to taking a collagen supplement, it’s not likely to provide the kind of help you are hoping for. Nonetheless, people seeking help spent $2 Billion on collagen supplements in 2021 alone, and that market is projected to keep growing.

So is there any hope of replenishing your collagen production? While creams or potions containing collagen are likely not to be of much help (the collagen in those products cannot really be absorbed into the skin) there are topical skin care products that can stimulate collagen production, including retinol, vitamin C serums, and alpha hydroxy acids. Moreover, there are facial interventions, including radiofrequency, ultrasound, and microneedling that can produce some results, as they are applied directly to the areas of concern and there is evidence demonstrating that the “micro-injuries” they cause to the skin stimulate the healing properties found in collagen. For more on these possible options, dial up your dermatologist and click here.