When it comes to supporting the youth and vitality of your skin, many ponder what they can put on topically that will help. Yet in reality it's what you do from the inside that makes the biggest difference, and in this regard the use of collagen supplements can be invaluable.
Collagen is the most abundant protein in the skin, comprising up to 80% of it.
Not only is it responsible for the thickness and plumpness of your skin, it is largely what holds your skin cells together, not to mention the rest of your body. At Optimum Health we have always provided the graphics: that without collagen we would be a puddle on the floor. So as you can imagine, it is a critical component for maintaining skin structure, and you can support your collagen reserves through diet and supplementation.Yet, given how plentiful collagen is in the animal world, the dietary sources of it are surprisingly few...at least in terms of what most people would find appealing. If you are willing to eat the skin and gristly tissues in between the meat and bones of animals, or boil bones, then you can get a source of collagen/gelatin in your diet. (Gelatin is just boiled or cooked collagen). But for those who are turned-off by this, it is also an option to consume hydrolysed collagen in powder form, such as Bulletproof Upgraded Collagen. ("Hydrolysed simply means broken up into smaller protein segments...and don't worry, it is more or less flavourless.)
Collagen hydrolysate can be incorporated into a wide variety of foods or beverages....such as smoothies, or even your tea or coffee. It can have a wide range of health benefits for your skin, hair and nails, energy levels, and in general connective tissues around the body.
Yet if you are interested in doing more intensive healing and regeneration... not only for your skin, hair and nails but cartilage, ligament, tendons, and joints as well... a very specific hydrolysed collagen, called BioCell Collagen® has some excellent evidence behind it.
Beauty-From-Within Skin Support
BioCell Collagen® is made-up of specific amounts of Type II collagen, chondroitin sulfate, and hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid is well-known for being able to absorb and help retain over 1000x its weight in water. And if you think this may help your skin retain its moisture, and plump appearance with less wrinkling, you would be right, as this study on BioCell published in the Journal "Clinical Interventions in Aging" showed.
View More clinical studies on BioCell.
Yet, the effects of BioCell Collagen on skin aren't just due to the hyaluronic acid. As mentioned, BioCell also provides Type II collagen, (the kind predominant in joints.) The hydrolysed form it is in not only yields much higher bioavailability, but may also stimulate cells known as fibroblasts to produce collagens type I and III, i.e. the main types found in the skin. In addition to supporting the skin, this fibroblast stimulation may also explain the broad spectrum healing effects on soft and connective tissues that we at Optimum Health have observed for years!
Read More: BioCell Collagen® Increases Type I, II and III Collagens. 
At Optimum Health we have been aware of and sharing information on the benefits of BioCell Collagen® since the 1990's! In 2006 we came out with our Opti-Joint supplement.(which could just as easily have been named "Opti-Skin".)
In addition to helping maintain the moisture content and healthy texture of the skin (with 50 mg of hyaluronic acid, 100mg chondroitin sulfate, and 300 mg mg of collagen per capsule), we have found few supplements with as broad an anti-inflammatory and healing effect. We have found even nasty and hard to heal injuries, such as shoulder, tendon, and ligament injuries to respond dramatically and quickly...not to mention basic osteoarthritis!
So if you would like better looking, more supple skin, and to support the function of your joints and connective tissue at the same time, Optimum Health's BioCell Collagen® supplement called Opti-Joint may well be able to help you achieve both simultaneously.
You can check-out further scientific evidence and references backing BioCell Collagen®, and see our previous article on the topic via the links below.
Read More: BioCell Collagen Benefits
More info about Collagen: Natural Skincare With Collagen Type 2
Until next time,
Be well!
John
