Why eating collagen powder does not put collagen into your wrinkles

OK, so before we dig into why this new "trend" of everyone eating collagen powder will not take away your wrinkles.. lets talk about where this rumor came from..

Social Media 

People have the ability to choose what is displayed about them on social media, and can create a whole life or business separate from who they actually are, and are all of the sudden "experts" on everything.  It is all perception.  The problem lies with creating a FALSE reality.  For instance, there are many "businesses" out there that are not businesses at all.  They are not paying taxes, they may not even be generating income, and in many cases are not qualified.  These are the accounts that are shaping decisions for many consumers and this can be misleading.

You will see a trend among many "fitness" or "model" accounts promoting this new "collagen powder" to drink.   Some of these accounts were paid to promote this, and others are just following the trends.  The claims are that this magic drink will improve the health of your skin and take away / prevent wrinkles.  If any of these accounts actually had a degree in nutrition, medicine, or science they would know this is simply not true... so let's clear up WHY :)

Why it won't work (the science)

When you ingest collagen you are ingesting a type of protein.  All proteins are composed of amino acids, and are broken down into amino acids in your stomach.  Collagen is not going to be digested as collagen, and used by your skin, it will be digested as amino acids just like all other proteins.

Marketers are preying on consumers hoping to sell that putting collagen in your body will create more collagen for your body but a little bit of scientific research says this simply is not true.  

 (Image source)

So, is collagen powder bad for you?  No, but it is simply providing you with amino acids which you can get from other forms of protein as well including meat, dairy, etc.  Save your bank account from splurging on this super expensive protein and get yourself a well balanced diet!  These "collagen powders" are super expensive compared to other forms of protein.. save your money and treat yo self to that new bikini you've been eyeing! 

If you're still stuck on the whole collagen in / collagen out theory, save yourself some money and buy a gelatin supplement or eat some jello :) yummmmm!