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Many people don’t think of it this way, but the skin is the largest organ of our body and it serves as a protective barrier from the external environment. It acts as an elastic covering, which prevents bacteria, germs and chemicals in the environment from entering the body. It also plays a major role in regulating body temperature, enabling us to sense things like heat, pressure and pain as well as producing vitamin D. The skin is made of two primary layers known as the dermis and the epidermis. The epidermis is the outermost layer of the skin, acting as our waterproofing and general barrier against the elements.
The dermis is the layer beneath the epidermis and plays a main role in protecting and cushioning the body and internal organs from stresses and strains. It offers support and structure to the epidermis and elasticity to the skin as well. This layer is also the home to a large number of nerve endings, which provides a sense of touch and heat, as well as hair follicles, blood vessels and sweat glands.
Apart from the skin functions mentioned above, there are substances that can be absorbed through the skin. Absorption through the skin is the method used by manufacturers of beauty creams and medications to send substances into the skin or into the body. There are an enormous number of creams all designed to renew skin and make skin look younger. Creams that contain collagen account for a tremendous share of the beauty market.
Since our ability to synthesize collagen ourselves diminishes as we age, we find that our skin will begin to wrinkle and sage when collagen levels are depleted. Collagen creams are aimed at replenishing collagen in the skin with the promise of giving the skin a firmer, less wrinkled appearance. The question is, how effective can they be if the skin is the body’s barrier to entry?
The theory of absorbing collagen through the skin is easier than the reality. It’s not as simple as just putting a substance on top of our skin and it miraculously becoming younger. There are limitations to absorption through skin. Before looking into these, it is important to know how substances are absorbed into the skin. A substance or chemical enters the skin through either the epidermis, glands or hair follicles. The sweat glands and hair follicles account for only about 1% of the entire skin surface, so the primary method for substance entry is through the epidermis. Topical substances must manage to penetrate the epidermis’ seven cell layers before it can get to the dermis where it might enter the blood. By and large, the problem with collagen creams is that most of the collagen molecules are too large to pass through the skin’s formidable barrier.
The limitations for skin absorption include the concentration of the substance applied on the skin, duration of contact, solubility of the active ingredient in the cream, and that the only area that can benefit is where the creams are actually applied. These limitations are considered in modern collagen creams, so in addition to collagen, many may also contain additional substances that help to promote the production of collagen in skin such as vitamin A, E and C.
More effective than creams are collagen supplements which provide collagen peptides to all of the body’s tissues that require collagen for strength and structure. Since collagen represents 30% of the body’s total protein, a lot of tissues are in need of collagen boosting.
Collagen peptide supplements are very tiny molecule comprised of specific amino acid sequences. These sequences are what the body needs to be able to boost collagen synthesis throughout the body. Marine collagen supplements offer a superior absorption for greater amounts of the peptides in the blood stream. Fish collagen peptides - peptides obtained from marine sources - are much more easily digested and absorbed when compared to collagen from other sources. This translates to better efficiency in collagen synthesis not only in the skin, but throughout the entire body. The results are impressive - improved skin health all over the body; better hydration so skin is not so dry; reduced wrinkle depth and better skin tone, increase in skin elasticity, reduced itchiness, reduced pore size, decreased hyperpigmentation and healthier glow from top to bottom.
Due to the greater absorption rates, collagen supplements are becoming more and more popular. DeepMarine offers a 100% made-in Canada, pure, clean collagen that is ultra-effective. DM’s fish-sourced collagen provides extremely small molecules which give greater benefits to those who want healthier, younger looking skin.
