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 energy. Hair, then again, is predominantly made up of one other protein, keratin. (Keratin can 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, usually referred to as “the constructing blocks” of proteins.
So why is collagen usually marketed towards hair well being? Effectively, dietary supplements like collagen powder aren’t really the total collagen molecule (which might be too giant to digest) however slightly damaged down and hydrolyzed collagen. On this kind, it is really absorbable amino acids!
Basically: The amino acids in collagen dietary supplements can be utilized by the physique to supply different proteins, corresponding to keratin.
Licensed trichologist and founding father of Superior Trichology William Gaunitz, FWTS, informed mbg that the first amino acid that’s most useful is named proline1. Many collagen dietary supplements are clear in regards to the amino acid profile inside their formulation, so you’ll be able to even discover choices that comprise this amino acid and are doubtless higher suited to hair well being.
However it’s not simply in regards to the hair fiber itself, collagen can really 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 surrounding the hair follicle and bulb enhance in the course of the 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 could possibly 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 reentering the anagen section and sustaining the hair development cycle,” says Maiman.*
Certainly, we regularly speak about how one can’t have wholesome hair with no wholesome scalp. “Collagen helps the scalp’s thickness,”* Maiman says. “A skinny scalp with inadequate collagen is much less sturdy and fewer able to holding the hair follicle bulbs in place.”
