Collagen supplements for your skin - Asian American Culture and Lifestyle

Health benefits of collagen

Women these days are the epitome of multi-tasking and time management. Having a professional career, raising kids and being the anchor of the family can be very daunting and tiresome. As a hardworking woman, sometimes we want to treat ourselves so that we can relax and not dwell on our stresses. I like to eat healthy and exercise, but I want to give my skin just as much attention in my time strapped day.

In this post I want to focus on one aspect of skin care. Obviously, you can find plethora of skin care routine and processes that in itself will take forever to sift through – remember you do not have time as luxury. This post is to give you one trend that is gaining popularity at the moment.

What is collagen

Collagen is a very hot topic on many skin care treatments. Korean, Japanese and Taiwanese beauty products are the latest beauty trends and collagen is the latest hot topic and I want to share this information.

Collagen supplements are sold in powder, liquid or pill. Collagen supplement provide high collagen, vitamin B1 and B2, and vitamin C. Collagen is responsible for healthy joints and skin elasticity, or stretchiness(delaying age related wrinkles). It’s in your bones, muscles, and blood, comprising three quarters of your skin and a third of the protein in your body.

Before going to personal recommendation and experience, the readers should be aware of several things. Collagen supplements like any other supplements, are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This puts the burden of quality and marketing claims on the manufacturers and not under any government scrutiny as long as none are false or misleading.

So, as a consumer, we need to educate ourselves and make sure we do our proper vetting and research. For example, we need to make sure the collagen source is not recycled from waste by-product. Companies that get their bones and tissues from cage-free, free-range, and antibiotic-free sources is a good start to your research. One thing to check is to make sure the trusted brand with a third-party label like National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) or USP certified. Check manufacturers’ website to see what they are doing to ensure quality of their products.

Japanese collagen recommendation

My sister, who lives in Japan, has many experience with collagen pills. Collagen products have been very trendy in Japan and there are wealth of different products and manufacturers. From her experience on taking different collagen pills, she feels her skin muscle elasticity improving and less dryness. She is able to better apply her cosmetics as well.

DHC and Fancl are popular brands in Japan and are best recommended. They both are reputable and trusted brands in Japan. Here are some differences in both.

DHC is better value in terms of price. A 60 day supply of DHC is about $30 while Fancl is about $40.
The Fancl HTC Collagen DX 30 contains 900mg of collagen in addition to apple polyphenols which help prevent the damage of ultraviolet. This creates a double benefit of protection for your skin from premature aging, and of healthy skin support from the supplement.
DHC Collagen Supplements 60 Days contains fish-based collagen peptide along with vitamin B1 and B2. It helps improve skin quality and maintain moisture.

They both perform the main intended function of giving healthy, youthful skin by using collagen as their main ingredient. They add different supplements to perform additional function. It is up to you to decide on which supplement may be the best fit for your skin or what you are looking for.

Leave me a comment if you have any additional questions. Or have you tried them, let me know what you think of the products.