Collagen, vitamin C supplementation improves signs of aging in skin

Key takeaways:

• By week 16, dermis density increased by approximately 16% in both treatment groups.
• Skin roughness and wrinkles also decreased by more than 9% and 13%, respectively, in both groups.

Supplementation with a formulation comprised of collagen and vitamin C improved the signs of aging including dermis density, texture and wrinkles, according to a study.

“Recognizing the link between nutrition and skin health, including all its possible aspects, from beauty and integrity to the aging process, has led to a growing interest in dietary interventions and supplementation for a more youthful appearance,” Katja mitek, PhD, associate professor and vice dean at the Higher School of Applied Sciences and leader of the Nutrition Institute’s cosmetics research group in Switzerland, and colleagues wrote. “Collagen supplementation has gained popularity due to its potential to stimulate the synthesis of [extracellular matrix] constituents, including collagen and [hyaluronic acid], and inhibit their degradation by [matrix metalloproteinases], making it a promising ingredient for combating skin aging.”

In this randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study, the authors examined the effects of dietary supplementation of daily hydrolyzed collagen along with vitamin C on skin aging.

A total of 87 women aged 40 to 65 years were split evenly into three groups. In the first group, 28 women received an investigational product comprised of 5 g of collagen, 80 mg of vitamin C and 30 mg of hyaluronic acid (CPHA product). In the second group, 30 patients received the investigational product comprised of collagen 5 g and vitamin C 80 mg (CP), whereas the 29 subjects in the third group received placebo.

The patients continued treatment daily for 16 weeks. Investigators conducted regular checkups at baseline, 8 weeks and 16 weeks evaluating dermis density, thickness, skin hydration and viscoelasticity, while also evaluating skin roughness and wrinkles at baseline and week 16.

By week 16, results showed that dermis density increased by 16.3% in the CP group and 16% in the CPHA group compared with placebo, with no significant differences detected between the treatment groups (P < .001 for both).

While skin roughness increased in the placebo group by week 16, it decreased significantly in both the CP and CPHA group by 9.6% and 9.9%, respectively (P < .001 for both). Supplementation also yielded wrinkle improvement with the CP and CPHA groups experiencing a 13.8% and 13.9% decrease in wrinkle volume vs. placebo, respectively (P < .001 for both).

On the other hand, there was no noticeable improvement observed in skin elasticity or hydration. Further, the authors reported that the addition of hyaluronic acid to supplementation did not seem to improve results.

“As no superior effects of the addition of HA to collagen were observed on the assessed skin parameters, we cannot confirm the ability of HA to further improve the effects observed with collagen supplementation,” they wrote.

Overall, the authors concluded that supplementation with collagen and vitamin C improves signs of skin aging such as dermis density, skin roughness and wrinkle severity.