Page 48 - Retail Pharmacy Assistants - November 2020

46 SKIN CARE FROM PAGE 45 What about collagen? Essential in connective tissue development and repair, collagen is the most abundant extracellular matrix protein in vertebrates. One of the many functions of collagen is to provide the skin with structure and keep it firm. This decreases with age because collagen levels start dropping, causing the skin to sag. Ms Holmes highlights that foods such as bone broth and chicken contain bioavailable collagen the body can “access right away”. “However, this can pose a problem for those who are vegetarian or who have histamine issues,” she said. She adds that fish have ligaments made of marine collagen that would not be beneficial for people suffering from allergies. Collagen is also found in powder or capsule form, in yoghurt, coffee creamers and gummies, and even in matcha green tea powder and recently in collagen-infused milk. Ms Mahoney says many believe that when people exercise, fibroblasts, or cells that produce collagen, become more active and raise the collagen level. “There is a link, but what has to be kept in mind, though, is that the building blocks of bone density and growth can only be worked on, which can extrapolate to good skin,” she said. “People are the sum of what they’ve been up to. Someone can’t neglect themselves for 50 years and then say, ‘I’ll exercise or eat my way to better skin and health’.” Ms Mahoney says research can lead people in all sorts of directions, and while studies may have valid points, they must be viewed in context. “The best way to see it is that, overall, an active lifestyle has many benefits, which usually include an improved complexion and general health, including mental health,” she said. “It’s a bit like eating vegetables, which is one of those things you do because they taste good but also because they have many different benefits that can’t be broken down into the sum of nutrient parts.” The public’s preoccupation with collagen is not insignificant, with a report from Grand View Research predicting that the collagen industry is set to reach a value of US$7.5 billion by 2027. Ms Holmes points out that as people age, the top layer of their skin thickens out and becomes bumpier and more withered, while simultaneously the deeper skin layers thin by about six per cent over a 10-year period, resulting in more creased and folded skin. However, the degree to which people exercise can affect this process, because exercise sparks myokines, she adds The myokines are synthesised and released by myocytes during muscular contractions and implicated in autocrine regulation of metabolism in the muscle as well as in the paracrine/endocrine regulation of other tissues and organs, including adipose tissue, the liver, and the brain through their receptors. “Myokines – interleukin-15 – come about, which play a role in thickening the underlying skin layers and lessening the thickness of the outer layers, which also makes for smoother and better skin,” Ms Holmes said. RETAIL PHARMACY ASSISTANTS • NOV 2020