The importance of collagen in the body

Collagen is one of the multifunctional proteins found in different parts of animal and human body. In fact, collagen is the most abundant protein in our body. The most occurring collagen types in human body are I, II, III and IV and they can be found in over 90% of the body’s structures and tissues – skin, ligaments, tendons and bones. For some collagen product and perhaps more information on collagen, check out http://www.collagenuk.co.uk/.

Three layers make up the skin: subcutaneous tissue, dermis and epidermis. The thickest layer is dermis, containing collagen III and I. Those collagen types give the skin resilience, stability and durability. This means that collagen is very responsible for what your skin looks like and if it is not present in necessary percentage, its absence might cause thinning of the dermis and wrinkle formation. Also, when our skin is wounded or broken, one of the factors needed to repair the damages is also a collagen.

Collagen makes up about 30% of the bones (type I) and we do not have to mention that the bones give our body support and shape. Collagen gives resistance and strength to our bones and its absence might cause various diseases including Osteogenesis imperfecta, so the bones might become easy to fracture and quite brittle.

As humans grow older, collagen level decreases and approximately by the late twenties the majority of people do not produce enough of this protein to properly maintain over-all health. Environmental toxins, sun and other external factors might be responsible for the slow down in collagen production and therefore our skin and cells might show some signs of aging. Therefore, it might be very useful to use skin care products containing collagen and to help our skin preserve its youthful and healthy look. Also, there are some collagen supplements available at the market which are designed to increase over-all health of our cells, body and skin.