First issues first: Collagen doesn’t make up hair.
Collagen is a protein discovered within the pores and skin, intestine, joints, and all through the physique to supply construction and power. Hair, however, is predominantly made up of one other protein, keratin. (Keratin can also be present in your dermis and nails.) Keratin is a protecting protein that acts as a barrier. All proteins are made up of amino acids, typically referred to as “the constructing blocks” of proteins.
So why is collagen typically marketed towards hair well being? Nicely dietary supplements like collagen powder aren’t truly the complete collagen molecule (which might be too giant to digest), however quite damaged down and hydrolyzed collagen. On this kind, it’s truly absorbable amino acids!
Basically: The amino acids in collagen dietary supplements can be utilized by the physique to supply different proteins, similar to keratin.
Licensed trichologist and founding father of Superior Trichology William Gaunitz, FWTS, advised mbg that the first amino acid that’s most useful is named proline1. Many collagen dietary supplements are clear concerning the amino acid profile inside their formulation, so you possibly can even discover choices that include this amino acid and are possible higher suited to hair well being.
But it surely’s not simply concerning the hair fiber itself, collagen can truly help the hair follicle and surrounding space. Rachel Maiman, M.D., board-certified dermatologist at Marmur Medical, notes that analysis has proven that collagen ranges in surrounding the hair follicle and bulb improve throughout hair development section2 (in any other case referred to as the anagen section).* Then once they go into the upkeep and shedding section, the collagen disappears.
So if the physique can create extra collagen, it might be able to help hair within the development section for longer. “As our our bodies create extra collagen, the layers regenerate. This helps our hair follicles by aiding them in re-entering the anagen section and sustaining the hair development cycle,” says Maiman.*
Certainly, we regularly speak about how one can’t have wholesome hair with out a wholesome scalp. “Collagen helps the scalp’s thickness,”* Maiman says. “A skinny scalp with inadequate collagen is much less strong and fewer able to holding the hair follicle bulbs in place.”
