Combat Collagen Loss During Menopause

 

 

 

 

 

Skin Doesn’t Just Keep Your Insides In!

 

 

The skin is undoubtedly the body's most significant organ, acting as a shield between your internal organs and the harmful organisms of outside world. Not only does it keep your insides safe and secure, but also provides an adaptable barrier to protect you against harmful organisms and external factors. But to function optimally, your skin needs to be healthy and generally healthy skin not only functions efficiently but looks great too! It boosts self-confidence by making us feel good about ourselves. 

 

 

 

 

 

How External and Internal Factors Affect Your Natural Aging Process

However, our skin endures both internal and external environmental challenges while performing its primary function of safeguarding our vital organs from harm. Exposure to UV radiation from sunlight, harsh chemicals in cosmetics we use daily or pollution like car fumes can all take their toll on this crucial organ (1) (2) (3). Moreover, unhealthy lifestyle choices such as poor diet habits or excessive alcohol consumption coupled with stress levels could speed up natural aging processes affecting overall health adversely.

 

All these factors plus our genetic make-up results in skin aging, characterized by features such as wrinkling, loss of elasticity, reduced dermal thickness rough-textured appearance and senile dry skin; these appear differently in every person - we all have wrinkles in different places due to the different ways we live our life and also our genetic make-up.  As we are living longer, we are living in our aging skin for longer and many of us would like to maintain our healthy, radiant skin for as long as we can or at least care for our skin in the best way possible so that it continues to function effectively. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Structure of Collagen: A Closer Look

We hear of collagen a lot in cosmetic products but what exactly is it and do we need it?
 

Collagen Structure: Collagen Protein

Collagen is a protein - a building block of our body – our body needs it to grow, function and sustain itself properly. 
The structure of collagen predominately found in the skin is a bit like that of a rope it has 3 chains wound around each other forming a collagen triple helix. The chains are made up of a repeated pattern of 3 amino acids glycine (Gly), proline (Pro), and hydroxyproline (Hyp). These building blocks combine to form collagen fibrils of great strength and tensile force, it is what gives our skin its structure and strength.  As the skin ages, the quantity of collagen fibrils deceases and their structure changes too, the fibrils become less densely packed together and fragmented which gives skin the visible signs of aging such as skin wrinkling and loss of elasticity, which are observed in both naturally and photoaged skin (1) (2) (3) (4).
 

Collagen Structure: Collagen Fibrils

 

In contrast, collagen fibrils in young skin are in abundance and have tightly packed, well-organized intact collagen fibrils.  Unfortunately, we can’t turn back the clock and relive life with the uncompromised collagen of our younger selves, but we can provide the optimum nutrients for our skin both inside and out now, to replenish the key nutrients that help our bodies at certain life stages to sustain the components it needs that lead to healthy, youthful looking skin.

 

 

 

 

 

Exploring The Reasons Behind The Decrease In Collagen Quantity and Structure

The decline in collagen quantity and structure is mainly due to the changes in chemical signalling which is often induced by reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated during natural aging and by external factors such as prolonged UV damage and smoking. Having less collagen present means that there are fewer collagen fibrils to interact with the cells that signal the production of collagen and so less is produced, and we enter the cycle of this leading to the deterioration of collagen production and further decrease in the amount of dermal collagen.

 

 

 

 

 

Aging Skin and Collagen: The Key to Radiant Skin

As we age there is a progressive decline of skin thickness, hydration and elasticity resulting in more wrinkling and what we consider as aging skin.  The decline in our youthful smooth complexions are mostly due to the loss of dermal skin collagen and reduced rates of collagen deposition in the layers below the epidermal skin that is presented to the world (5) (6).
The epidermis, the outermost layer of our skin, is composed of a dense network of specialized epithelial cells called keratinocytes. Beneath it lies the dermis which contains fewer cells but has an important component known as extracellular matrix (ECM). This cocktail provides strength and elasticity to all layers due to its high collagen content. Our recent blog delves into how estrogen levels throughout a female’s lifetime can affect collagen production - check out the blog here Signs That Your Skin Is Affected By The Perimenopause

 

 

Collagen Depletion During Menopause

There is evidence that there is a strong correlation between skin collagen loss and estrogen decline in the years of post-menopause. It was first noticed in 1941 that postmenopausal women with osteoporosis had skin that was noticeably thin (7). Further research has since demonstrated that skin thickness decreases along with skin collagen content and bone mineral density in the years following menopause, particularly in the initial postmenopausal years (8). Researchers found that skin collagen declines on average at 2.1% of skin collagen and skin thickness at 1.13% per postmenopausal year in the initial 15–18 postmenopausal years – with us living longer; with there actually be any left?! 

More recently research has looked at the years leading up to the menopause, as it has become more known that the menopause isn’t just a sudden time-frame of a lady’s life where her menstrual cycle just instantly stops, it was found that collagen began its decline in the body with the onset of the perimenopause and that rate of decline is fairly rapid at 30% reduction in the first 5 years of the perimenopause.  This is at an age where we may not realise, we are in our perimenopause years, we just begin to notice those wrinkles appearing more and put it down to natural skin aging.

 

 

 

 

 

Should HRT Be Used To Improve Skin Conditions?

There was a great study that decided that because skin is affected by lifetime sun exposure and smoking, that they would use nuns as their subject matter so that they could limit these confounding factors and focus on the effects ofestrogen on chronological aging – they found that when the nuns were given estrogen replacements it resulted in increased collagen synthesis showing that the reversal of collagen decline of collagen and that the decline of collagen is strongly  linked to estrogen levels. Research also shows that ladies using Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) have an increased collagen content and dermal thickness and that collagen content is affected by both estrogen and androgen levels so as well as external aging factors such as UV damage, the balance of our hormones and the balance of ECM components that affect the collagen content of skin (9) (10).

 

This all sounds great, we could all use HRT to help our skin, but unfortunately HRT is not suitable or recommended for everyone and it certainly isn’t given if you rock up to your doctor and suggest you want HRT to improve the appearance of your skin even though skin issues are a vastly overlooked symptoms of the menopause and greatly affect our overall well-being.  This is the point where ladies tend to reach for those collagen containing products with many just applying it to their outer skin and not considering replacing the bioavailable collagen. 

 

Bioavailability of Collagen: What You Need to Know

There are a few approaches to increase the bioavailability of collagen in the ECM which in turn feeds our outer skin; with current research suggesting that dietary methods are most effective (11) (12) (13) (14) (15) (16).  Of course, there is the route of consuming collagen in your everyday diet, and this should never be overlooked.  However sometimes this isn’t possible everyday and so to ensure consistent supply of collagen then supplementing a healthy diet is often the preferred method.

The oral route of replenishing collagen is at the moment scientifically shown to be the most effective method, which is why our Rebalance My Skin food supplements contain the optimum quantity of high-quality collagen alongside other nutrients that support collagen production as well as supporting other aspects of skin health and function.

Research has shown that after ingestion of a specific type of collagen (not all collagens are the same), it is metabolized to bioactive peptides in the gastrointestinal tract, which are then released into the blood stream and accumulated in the skin to form the collagen in the ECM which subsequently replenishes the collagen in the epidermis (11) (12) (14).

 

 

Unlocking the Potential of Collagen Supplements with a Little Know Ingredient

Another method and one that works in tandem with menopausal skin issues is to consume food that mimics estrogen as they have been shown to increase collagen and elastin production to keep skin supple and elastic and rebalance sebum production to counteract any over or under production of sebum that can result in oily or dry skin respectively. Some of these foods are plant estrogens, with genistein showing the most promising results and is favourable as it binds to a particular estrogen receptor in a cell’s nucleus called estrogen receptor beta (Erβ) (17) (18) (19).

Recent studies have investigated the effects of genistein on collagen biosynthesis in human dermal fibroblasts and the signals released by fibroblasts when the cells were induced to receive oxidative stress (20).  The study suggested that when genistein was present in the food source supplied to the fibroblasts they continued to produce collagen even when exposed to oxidative stress and suggests that when genistein is present in the diet then collagen was synthesised more efficiently.  It was interesting to see that the quantity of genistein present didn’t need to be at elevated levels to protect the fibroblasts rather the quantity needed is nutritionally attainable (1 μM), meaning food sources of genistein may have the same effect (20).  This is why REMY’s Rebalance My Skin for menopausal skin support contains optimum quantities of genistein to boost collagen production every way we can and help alleviate menopausal skin issues too with our carefully formulated blend of natural ingredients.

 

REMY: Rebalance My Skin – Your Easy Way To Healthy, Radiant Skin During Perimenopause

REMY’s menopausal assistance food supplement offers a balanced approach to replenishing collagen content in the skin from the inside.  REMY uses a high-quality collagen source to help you increase the bioavailability of collagen when ingested and subsequently released into the bloodstream. REMY’s Rebalance My Skin product also contains a carefully balanced array of beneficial components including genistein to assist in restoring collagen production itself and subsequently improve the production of elastin.  Check out our blog about the wonderful genistein here Genistein for Estrogen and Menopause.
 
Choose REMY today as we offer a comprehensive approach towards skincare health catering especially those undergoing hormonal changes such as menopause!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bibliography

1. Pathophysiology of premature skin aging induced by ultraviolet light. Fisher G.J., Wang Z.Q., Datta S.C., Varani J., Kang S., Voorhees J.J. 1997.

2. Vitamin a antagonizes decreased cell growth and elevated collagen-degrading matrix metalloproteinases and stimulates collagen accumulation in naturally aged human skin. Varani J., Warner R.L., Gharaee-Kermani M., Phan S.H., Kang S., Chung J.H., Wang Z.Q., Datta S.C., Fisher G.J., Voorhees J.J. 2000.

3. Role of age-associated alterations of the dermal extracellular matrix microenvironment in human skin aging: A mini-review. . Quan T., Fisher G.J. 2015.

4. Intrinsic aging vs. Photoaging: A comparative histopathological, immunohistochemical, and ultrastructural study of skin. El-Domyati M., Attia S., Saleh F., Brown D., Birk D.E., Gasparro F., Ahmad H., Uitto J. 2002.

5. A study of the decrease of skin collagen content, skin thickness, and bone mass in the postmenopausal woman. Brincat M., Kabalan S., Studd J.W., Moniz C.F., de Trafford J., Montgomery J. 1987.

6. Estrogen accelerates cutaneous wound healing associated with an increase in TGF-beta1 levels. . Ashcroft G.S., Dodsworth J., van Boxtel E., Tarnuzzer R.W., Horan M.A., Schultz G.S. 1997.

7. Postmenopausal osteoporosis – its clinical features. Albright F, Smith P H, Richardson A. 1941.

8. A study of the decrease of skin collagen content, skin thickness, and the bone mass in the postmenopausal women. Brincat M, Kabalan S, Studd J W W et al. 1987.

9. Skin collagen and bone changes related to age and hormone replacement therapy. Castelo-Branco C, Duran M, Gonzales-Merlo J. 1992.

10. Does hormonal skin aging exist? A study of the influence of different hormone therapy regimens on the skin of postmenopausal women using non-invasive measurement techniques. Callens A, Valliant L, Lecomte P et al. 1996.

11. The Presence of Food-Derived Collagen Peptides in Human Body-Structure and Biological Activity. . K., Sato. 2017.

12. Collagen Hydrolysate Intake Increases Skin Collagen Expression and Suppresses Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 Activity. Zague V., de Freitas V., da Costa Rosa M., de Castro G.A., Jaeger R.G., Machado-Santelli G.M. 2011.

13. Parameter der Hautalterung: Hautfeuchtigkeit, Hautelastizität und Hautrauigkeit. Schlippe G., Bolke L., Voss W. Einfluss oraler Einnahme von Kollagen-Peptiden auf relevante. 2015.

14. Oral Collagen Supplementation: A Systematic Review of Dermatological Applications. Choi F.D., Sung C.T., Juhasz M.L., Mesinkovsk N.A. 2019.

15. Cryptic Peptides from Collagen: A Critical Review. Protein Pept. Lett. Banerjee P., Shanthi C. 2016.

16. Oral Intake of Low-Molecular-Weight Collagen Peptide Improves Hydration, Elasticity, and Wrinkling in Human Skin: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study. Kim D.U., Chung H.C., Choi J., Sakai Y., Lee B.Y. 2018.

17. Menopause and the skin: old favorites and new innovation in cosmeceuticals for estrogen-deficient skin. Lephart E, Naftolin F. 2021.

18. Phytoestrogens (resveratrol and equol) for estrogen-deficient skin- controversies/misinformation versus anti-aging in vitro and clinical evidence via nutraceutical-cosmetics. ED., Lephart. 2021.

19. The pros and cons of plant estrogens for menopause. Bedell S, Nachtigall M, Naftolin F. 2014.

20. Nutritional concentration of genistein protects human dermal fibroblasts from oxidative stress-induced collagen biosynthesis inhibition through IGF-I receptor-mediated signaling. Sienkiewicz P., Surazyński A., Pałka J., Miltyk W. 2008.