What
is Collagen Therapy ?
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Collagen is a natural
protein that has been used since 1976 for cosmetic purposes. Found throughout
the body, collagen can provide a great texture, resilience, and appropriate
shape to fill in depressions and wrinkles. Since everybody will develop varying
levels of wrinkles with age, collagen injections have proven to restore a more
youthful and smooth appearance by filling in the lost skin tissue and wrinkles.
It is a natural beauty treatment that replaces collagen in the
skin that has deteriorated over time. This futuristic treatment swiftly erases
lines, banishes wrinkles, softens scarring and solves the problem of lack of
fullness or definition of the lips.
Bovine collagen
injections are made from extracted cow skin, which is purified, sterilized and
processed into a liquid form before being used for cosmetic purposes, Bovine
collagen injections results typically last between six weeks to a year depending
on the type of injection used. Bovine collagen injections have been on the
market for a long time and are generally considered the standard against which
alternatives are measured.
Because collagen is a
protein that breaks down naturally in the body, bovine collagen injections are
not permanent. The effects of bovine collagen injections can vary depending on
the type of injection filler material used. Zyderm I is used to treat more
superficial scars, while Zyderm II can treat deeper scars and those with a
greater surface area. Zyplast can be used for longer and deeper scars and
imperfections.
Patients may notice
slight throbbing or stinging in the treatment area for a few hours after the
injections have been given. Redness at the injection site will disappear after
24 hours, and some temporary swelling or bruising may occur. If the swelling or
redness continues for more than a few days, a physician should be contacted
immediately.
Several weeks after the collagen injections have been performed, the purified
bovine collagen will break up and be replaced by newly formed human collagen.
However, this too will be reabsorbed by the body, and subsequent injections must
be administered in order to maintain a youthful appearance. New collagen
injections are recommended every three to six months depending on how quickly
the body absorbs the new collagen. In rare instances, collagen injections have
been known to last for one to two years.
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Why do Lines
appear ?
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In young skin, the collagen framework is intact and the skin remains
moisturized and elastic. It’s resilient to the many facial expressions we adopt
as well as everyday environmental exposure. But, over time, the support
structure weakens and the skin loses its elasticity. The skin begins to lose its
tone as the collagen support wears down. Every time you smile, frown or squint,
you put stress on the collagen in your skin. The effect of these facial
expressions is cumulative and facial lines begin to appear |
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Smooth
Away Lines & Wrinkles
Looking the best you can is a priority no matter what
your age. Staying fit and healthy goes a long way towards maintaining your looks
and self-esteem but what if there are areas that need a little work? You
wouldn't think twice about dieting and exercising to loose a few pounds and you
shouldn't think twice about a quick and natural treatment that can erase crow's
feet around the eyes, frown lines, nose to mouth lines or vertical lines around
the lips.
Paris
Lip Back top
top
Lips that deserve to be kissed need to be
kept in perfect condition As the lips contain few sebaceous glands always use a
softening and moisturising balm. Choose your
lipstick carefully, look for a moisturising formula in a colour
that complements your skin tone. If you have a poorly defined lip line, try a
little Collagen Instant Therapy to enhance the lips. If your lips are uneven or
simply lacking in fullness, Collagen Instant Therapy can give you the look you
want.
The Paris Lip technique uses implants that
have been used for over ten years by more than half a million women and men to
smooth out facial lines between the brows and around the eyes, nose and mouth.
The procedure is quick and simple and most of our clients are out of the clinic
in about half an hour
Quick
Guide to Injections
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Procedure: Plump up creased, furrowed, or sunken facial skin; add
fullness to lips and backs of hands. Works best on thin, dry,
light-coloured skin.
Length:15 minutes to 1 hour per session.
Anaesthesia: Usually none; local may be included with
the injection.
In/Outpatient: Outpatient.
Side Effects of Injections: Temporary stinging,
throbbing, or burning sensation. Faint redness, swelling.
Risks of Injections: Allergic reaction including rash,
hives, swelling, or flu-like symptoms; possible triggering of
connective-tissue or autoimmune diseases. (A skin test is required
before collagen injections to determine whether an allergy exists.)
Contour irregularities, infection.
Duration of Results: Variable; a few months to 1 year.
Pre-treatment Skin Tests
Prior to injection with collagen, two skin tests are performed to
ensure that no allergy to collagen will cause a reaction.
What is collagen ?
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Collagen is the fibrous structural protein that makes up the white fibers
(collagenous fibers) of skin, tendon, bone, cartilage, and all other
connective tissues. It is also found dispersed in gels of the body to provide
stiffening, such as in the vitreous humour of the eye. In other words,
collagen is the natural protein that composes most of the body’s structural
support and is the primary substance of connective tissue. It is the fibrous
connective tissue that holds our body together. Collagen is present in all
multi-cellular organisms.
Collagen gives the different organs and tissues their strength and elastic
properties. Twenty-five percent of the dry protein weight of the human body is
collagen. Seventy-five percent of our skin is made of it, and in total – some
thirty percent of our entire body is collagen. Collagen is part of the natural
make-up of tendons, ligaments, joints, muscles, hair, skin, and vital organs.
When the body’s essential supply of collagen is reduced, the body is affected.
Weakness, fatigue, aches, pains, and an overall lack of performance are
frequent symptoms of the problem – symptoms that only increase as we get
older.
Besides its many structural properties, collagen serves as the major catalyst
for growth and repair of nearly all the body’s tissues. Many different aging
diseases are related to the body’s supply of this vital protein and to
disorders in the collagen itself. When our body’s collagen production is out
of stock, so are we!
Collagen and
Ageing
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The body’s production of collagen slows with aging. This slowing process
is stealth-like and rather insidious. It starts slowing in our mid-twenties,
picks up speed in our thirties and forties, then roars like a freight train
through our fifties and sixties. Lack of collagen, or the body’s improper use
of collagen, is the stuff that old age is made of. We first notice it on the
outside of our bodies when tiny lines and wrinkles. By that time, the lack of
collagen production and collagen damage is already affecting the inside of our
bodies. The damage gets our attention as strains and sprains become more
severe. Things we have always done, like running or jumping, suddenly seem
more painful. Injuries that have never proven serious before begin to hurt us.
Joint pain becomes more problematic. We are feeling the pains of aging.
With continued aging, our connective tissue and muscle tissue breaks down due
to an increase in collagen deficiency and damage. As a result, we experience a
weakening of our skeletal structure. Like a stealth bomber, collagen
deficiency sneaks up on us under the radar. Outside the body, the slowing of
the skin’s production of collagen with age becomes increasingly more
pronounced. The skin starts to wrinkle. It loses the youthful glow that our
spouse and loved ones once admired. The appearance of healthful radiance
vanishes. Soon we develop ridges and furrows, red marks and brown spots. Our
skin dries out in places.
Research scientists have been aware of the problem, but until very recently
there was little that could be done because most non-medical collagen
supplementation was useless. The body was simply unable to assimilate it.
Collagen, wrinkles and stretch marks
The body’s production of collagen in the skin begins dropping around the
age of twenty-five. But, it really picks up speed in the forties and fifties.
Many studies have demonstrated that our skin’s natural production of collagen
decreases at a rate of 1% per year after the age of forty. So, by the time a
person reaches fifty-five, they have lost and additional fifteen percent of
their collagen production capacity. By age seventy, the loss is over thirty
percent and climbing.
Why you need collagen
for youth and health ?
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Collagen is naturally produced by the body and can be taken in from select
food sources. It is vital to the body’s functioning because it is the tie that
binds! The body’s use of collagen cannot be overstated. It makes up the body’s
joints, muscles, hair, skin, tendons, and ligaments. It provides the structure
to our body and forms the molecular cables that strengthen the tendons.
Collagen makes up the vast resilient sheets that support our skins and
internal organs. Bones and teeth are made when the body adds mineral crystal
to the body’s collagen.
Collagen fibers are woven together like pieces of fabric to form a network in
which new cells grow and reproduce. Any time the body needs to build new
cells, such as in the healing or growing process, collagen plays the central
role. Collagen is the substance that protects and supports the softer tissues
of the body, and it is what connects them with our skeleton. In other words,
collagen is both the material and the glue that holds our body together.
How The body rebuilds itself
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Young people have pituitary glands that produce and abundance of GH
(Growth Hormone). With aging, this hormone steadily decreases and the emphasis
shifts to collagen. Collagen’s function in the body is to convert its natural
protein molecules into the essential amino acids that are required by the
body. Thus, collagen performs the important maintenance function of the body.
Whether the body can efficiency rebuild and repair itself is dependent upon
its ability to convert one body resource into another. This process of protein
synthesis is a metabolic process requiring collagen as a catalyst. As collagen
diminishes in the body, both the resource and the catalyst are reduced.
Research has shown that much of the body’s vital metabolic repair work takes
place when we sleep. It has long been known that the body switches gears
shortly after we fall asleep. It moves from its normal, active-involvement
state to a rebuilding-and-maintenance state. It is during this sleep that the
body searches about for available collagen and other important nutrients to
convert them into the important materials needed by the body.
Collagen synthesis is something that those of us who wish to look and feel
younger must be interested in. Therefore, any food supplement that can enhance
the rebuilding or the healing process is something that we should strongly
consider.
Collagen & The Body
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Arthritis
Arthritis is a general term describing inflammation in joints. The most
common form of arthritis is osteoarthritis, which is also called degenerative
joint disease. Osteoarthritis is associated with a breakdown of cartilage in
joints and most commonly occurs in the hips, knees, and spine. It can
dramatically affect the finger joints and the joints of the toes. With sixty
million Americans suffering from arthritis, there is an arthritis epidemic.
John Klippel, Medical Director of the arthritis foundation, flatly stated,
This should be a wakeup call. We’ve always suspected the problem was greater
than we had known about.
Unfortunately, the common methods of treatment won’t change the progression of
osteoarthritis. However, two nutritional supplements, glucosamine and
chondroitin have been observed to relieve pain and to slow the breakdown of
cartilage, which in itself is a significant part of osteoarthritis. What is
particularly interesting is that glucosamine and chondroitins (both sulfates)
are components of normal cartilage. Some researchers have successfully
demonstrated that the two substances appear to stimulate new collagen
production. The only thing better would be to take a bio-available collagen
supplement directly.
In order for osteo arthritis to be treated effectively, the cartilage and
synovial fluid in the joint must be protected against further destruction. At
the same time, it is desirable to stimulate anabolic restoration of joint
cartilage and synovial fluid. Collagen protein protect and restore joint
cartilage by:
Supporting and enhancing anabolic chondrocyte synthesis.
Supporting or enhancing the synthesis of synovial fluid, which is required to
lubricate the joint.
Inhibiting free radical enzymes and auto immune processes that degrade joint
cartilage.
Removing blockages in blood vessels leading to the joint.
Collagen proteins helps the body to rejuvenate naturally in order to
regenerate cartilage and healthy joint function. Aging and trauma disrupt the
body's ability to use its own chondroprotective agents, which has led to an
epidemic of arthritis throughout the world.
The most common collagen diseases include rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatic
fever, lupus erythematosus, dermatomyositis,
polyarteritis nodosa, and scleroderma. Most of the collagen diseases, such as
rheumatoid arthritis and rheumatic fever, are characterized by widespread
joint pain.
Bursitis, tendonitis and tendinosis
Bursitis, tendonitis, and tendinosis are three of the more common collagen
diseases affecting us as we age, causing us to look and feel older. Bursitis
is caused by arthritis inflammation or by infection. The joint areas most
commonly affected are the shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, back, and ankle.
Individuals with bursitis will have pain, tenderness, and stiffness near the
affected area. As a result, local muscle weakness frequently develops as a
result of avoiding painful joint movements, such as those caused by climbing
stairs.
Tendonitis, an inflammation of the tendons, has mostly been considered the
cause of tendon pain and an associated loss of strength and movement. More
recently, researchers discovered that most people diagnosed with this disease
have no signs of tendon inflammation. Consequently, medical sciences have come
to see tendonitis more properly classified as tendinosis. Today, the terms are
used interchangeably.
Tendinosis/tendonitis is caused by a breakdown of the collagen-composed tendon
tissue. Collagen contributes to the robe-like structure of a tendon and to its
strength. When collagen breaks down, small tears appear in the tendon,
weakening it and causing pain. This collagen disease can affect children and
young adults just as those who are aging. It is especially wearing on those
who perform repetitious task in their jobs, sports, or daily activities.
Carpet layers suffer this affliction in their knees, writers in their wrists,
and tennis players in their elbows.
Bursitis and Tendonitis/tendinosis can be successfully treated by resting the
painful areas, applying ice, or taking pain relievers. This gives the body
time to repair and reproduce the cartilage damage… provided the body is still
producing the necessary amounts of collagen.
Cartilage
Cartilage is a rather firm rubber material that covers the ends of bones
in normal joints. The primary function of cartilage is to reduce joint
friction and, since cartilage can change shape when compressed, serve as a
shock absorber for the bones.
Cartilage can change shape because it is composed of more than seventy percent
water, which can be redistributed with compression or movement. Since
cartilage does not contain nerves, you never feel pain when these changes
occur. When collagen disease strikes as we age, this shock absorbing quality
is reduced. That is why activities like running and jumping feel less
comfortable as we age than when we were younger.
Collagen is a key component of cartilage, providing it with its strength. When
the body’s collagen production is reduced, cartilage production is affected
and so are all the body systems that contain cartilage.
Shrinking Height
As we age, we
grow shorter. All of the problem of being overweight, having bad posture, and
growing shorter as we age are related in many ways to the body’s lack of
collagen and its ongoing collagen destruction. The decrease of collagen
production results in decreased metabolism, which leads to an increase in
weight. The increase in weight places stress on our joints and spinal disks,
which wears away at our posture and height. This starts another cycle of
collagen disease and… well, you get the picture.
No matter what your height, the
tall person and the short person will both shrink with age. Getting shorter
has become part of getting older. It is also a part of feeling older.
Part of our height is made up of the cartilage between our spinal disks.
Physical stress, poor posture, added weight, and the aging process cause these
discs to thin out. As they thin, the body shrinks. It is not uncommon to see
elderly people lose eight inches or more in height by the time they have
reached seventy-nine.
The problems of reduced cartilage further exacerbate the shortening process.
Without a proper supply of collagen, the body cannot repair itself, so it
continues to shrink. In addition, the loss of bone mass that occurs with aging
creates a situation where the human structure not only grows shorter but
begins to twist and turn. This places further stress on the already damaged
spinal column.
The problems of diminished collagen supplies are not just with the elderly.
The younger, over thirty-five population suffers from beginning to advanced
degenerative collagen disease as well. Admittedly, the negative affects of
poor food processing has taken its toll. Nutrients that we should be getting
in our food are processed out. In addition, the general population suffers
from an overall lack of nutritional understanding.
Collagen Capsules
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COL-BOOST
Col-Boost
collagen Capsules are made from 100% Pure Hydrolysed Collagen.
Col-Boost
Collagen Beauty Formula is a daily nutritional supplement for skin, hair
and nails. When used as directed, the results may include a glowing
complexion with a reduction in frown lines, crows feet and nasal labial
lines as it may help stimulate natural collagen production. Collagen may
act to plump out the skin and reduce the appearance of fine lines and
wrinkles.
It
has also been found to strengthen brittle nails and studies have shown
dramatic increases in the diameter of the hair ranging between 9.3% and
11.3% when collagen was ingested daily. Your hair should be stronger and
more elastic as a result of taking collagen.
★★★★★
