May 16, 2019 by Collagen powder and supplements are surging in popularity due to their purported anti-aging skin benefits. But, can collagen reverse wrinkles and is it worth the money? Can Collagen Reverse Wrinkles? Collagen supplements are touted for their skin, hair, nail, and joint benefits but can it reverse wrinkles? It’s true that youthful skin contains ample amounts of collagen and a loss of collagen is what leads to lines and wrinkles. However, it’s not true that the best way to replenish your collagen is by taking collagen powders or supplements. In my experience, you’ll see greater wrinkle reduction and collagen-boosting benefits by consuming a collagen-generator, which helps your body naturally produce more collagen. What is Collagen? Collagen is a protein made by our body, naturally, every single day. It’s found in our skin, bones, tendons, muscles, teeth, and nails. Collagen keeps our skin looking smooth, plump, and youthful, earning it the nickname the youth protein. It’s plentiful in babies, which contributes to their cute, pudgy body. but diminishes slowly but surely as we age, resulting in skin that eventually creases and wrinkles. Cells called fibroblasts are responsible for making collagen. In order to make collagen, our body utilizes various nutrients from the foods we eat including amino acids (which we get from protein), Vitamin C, zinc, copper, silicon, sulfur, and omega-3. What is Collagen Powder? Collagen supplements are made from the powdered flesh and bones of animals such as cows, chicken, pigs, or fish. Like humans, these animals have fibroblasts which allow them to make collagen. Collagen powder is surging in popularity. I’ve seen it added to smoothies and all sorts of meal bars, drinks, and other functional foods. While consumption of collagen powder is generally safe there are two major concerns with it. First, most collagen comes from conventional animals. It’s extremely important to choose organic animal products, no matter what form they’re in, to avoid unnecessary exposure to antibiotics, pesticides, and hormones. Second, if you already consume enough protein (most people do), you may be throwing your money away. Since collagen is broken down like any other food source of protein, consuming it doesn’t translate to an equal and direct increase of collagen in the skin. Does Eating Collagen Powder Increase Collagen in Skin? Your body treats all protein equally, in the sense that it breaks it down into amino acids. This is true whether you’re eating collagen powder, meat, fish, or beans. Your body then uses those amino acids for various different processes. For example, it can use amino acids for collagen formation, or some other job, such as energy production, immune system functioning, hormone production, or muscle building. Despite the widespread marketing of collagen supplements, there are very few studies on the effects of collagen powder on human skin. If you already consume a generally healthy diet with adequate protein, you already have the building blocks for collagen production. What you may be missing, though, are highly productive and healthy fibroblasts which are the cells that generate collagen. What Causes the Loss of Collagen? Age alone is not responsible for our loss of collagen. Instead, environmental factors which cause oxidative stress is, such as: High sugar consumption Lack of antioxidants (from vegetables + fruit) Sun exposure (UV radiation) Smoking Chronic Stress Pollution High levels of homocysteine (Homocysteine is a common amino acid, that isn’t unhealthy until it accumulates in high levels. High levels could be due to a lack of B6, B12, or folate or high intake of meat/animal products). Oxidative stress not only damages collagen and elastin but also damages our cellular collagen factories, the fibroblasts. This results in less productive fibroblasts which means less new collagen is produced. What is a Collagen Generator? A collagen generator is a vegan substance that increases the number and productivity of fibroblasts to generate more collagen in your body naturally. How does a Collagen Generator Reverse Wrinkles? Choline-stabilized OrthoSilicic Acid (ch-OSA) is a clinically proven collagen generator. It works by activating the biological pathways that generate collagen. In other words, it prompts your fibroblasts to generate more collagen. Your fibroblasts once again start producing the optimal amount of collagen. Taking ch-OSA is sort of like turning on a light switch, but in this case, the collagen switch! The new collagen formed from taking ch-OSA fills in the “gaps” in skin collagen, effectively filling in fine lines and wrinkles from the inside, and smoothing out the skin. Ch-OSA also reduces excessive homocysteine by converting it to methionine, an amino acid with powerful antioxidant properties. The Clinically Proven Benefits of a Collagen- Generator In rigorous double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials – the gold standard of clinical testing –BioSil, the number one ch-OSA supplement, has been proven to increase skin elasticity 89%, and reduce fine lines and wrinkles by 30%. Research also found that BioSil increases hair strength and thickness by about 13% each, increase bone mineral density at the hip by 2%, and increases bone collagen formation by 15%. (1) Those are some serious anti-aging and beauty-boosting benefits! How Can You Naturally Increase Collagen in the Body & Reverses Wrinkles? Wrinkles develop as a result of the breakdown of collagen. Oxidative stress causes the breakdown of collagen and decreases the number and productivity of our collagen-producing cells, fibroblasts. If you want to increase collagen in your body: Limit sources of oxidative stress (including but not limited to excessive sun exposure, smoking, stress, sugar, etc.) Consume a diet high in antioxidants. Follow the Ideal Plate Ratio to ensure you get enough. Supplement with BioSil, the clinically proven collagen generator. Where to Find BioSil Collagen Generator You can purchase BioSil online at Vitacost or Amazon. You can also find it in most health food stores and vitamin shops. If you’ve tried it, share your experience in the comments below. Disclosure: I have purchased and used BioSil personally for the last 2 years. Because I know my readers would be interested in this information, I reached out to BioSil and asked them to sponsor this post. All reviews and opinions expressed in this post are based on my personal view, and I still continue to purchase BioSil independently.