Can eating pig's trotters every day really improve your skin?

Everyone wants to look young and youthful, but as time goes by, it is difficult to avoid sagging, dullness, and roughness of the skin. Some people try to improve their skin by eating more foods rich in collagen, such as pig's trotters, but does this method really work?

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Collagen exists in large quantities in skin, cartilage, tendons and ligaments, and is indeed the main substance that maintains skin elasticity and prevents wrinkles. As time goes by, the collagen is lost, and the skin becomes bumpy. Unfortunately, the lost collagen cannot be supplemented orally.

The collagen-containing foods we eat must first be broken down into amino acids in the intestines before they can be absorbed by the body. After absorption, the amino acids are transported to various parts of the body to synthesize new proteins. Therefore, there is no difference between eating collagen and eating eggs, and they will eventually be broken down into the same thing in the intestines. Oral collagen cannot achieve the effect of "what you eat is what you need".

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If eating it directly doesn't work, will applying collagen on the face work? The answer is no. The skin is the largest organ in the human body and mainly plays a shielding role. Collagen is a large molecule and has no way to penetrate the skin and enter the human body. It can only stay on the surface of the skin and have a short-term moisturizing effect.

Therefore, whether collagen is applied or taken orally, it cannot significantly improve skin quality. After learning about collagen, next time you see this kind of product, don't follow the trend and buy it.

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Reviewer: Zhang Na, Associate Researcher, Doctoral Supervisor, Peking University School of Public Health