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The use of food supplements with collagen before and after an operation that leaves scars in the skin is increasing more and more. In the body, collagen makes up a large proportion of all protein found in the body, more precisely a third. Therefore, it is perhaps not so strange that collagen is needed for several different tissues in the body, for example the skin, and that people therefore choose to take it as a dietary supplement both before and after an operation, to improve scar and wound healing during operations such as cosmetic surgery where you want to minimize the appearance of visible scars.
After undergoing an operation, you naturally want the wound you get afterwards to heal well so that the scarring does not become unnecessarily rough. Collagen plays a major role in wound healing after surgery. Collagen together with silicon, hyaluronic acid and vitamin C , as well as keratin and certain vitamins ( vitamin D, phoslyra and vitamin B12 ) and minerals ( iron and zinc ) can give your skin optimal conditions for healing wounds and burns and contribute to better scar healing in your complexion.
To begin with, we can go through, in a very simplified manner, how wound healing occurs after an operation.
During the first four days after surgery, the movement of inflammatory cells to the wound is stimulated. Furthermore, immune cells help to clean the wound from, among other things, bacteria. The inflammatory cells secrete growth factors that stimulate connective tissue cells to move to the wound and secrete type III collagen (the most abundant type of collagen in soft tissues after type I collagen), which will give the wound natural strength after previously being held together only with stitches.
During the second week after surgery, type I collagen is also produced. The procollagen, i.e. the precursor to collagen, splits and forms fibrils, which further increases the natural strength of the wound. After 3-5 weeks, the fibrils are cross-linked and form fibers which act as a bridge between the edges of the wound. In the sixth week, the collagen fibers begin to mimic undamaged skin. During this period of time, the risk of the wound tearing open is low and therefore you can usually start practicing physical activity again at this time. Supplementing with a collagen supplement before and after an operation optimizes the skin's conditions for healing well.
As part of collagen, silicon can accelerate the healing of burns, wounds in the skin and contribute to a less rough scar tissue in the skin.
Hyaluronic acid (HA) , the main component of extracellular matrix, is considered one of the key players in the tissue regeneration process. It has been shown to modulate, via specific HA receptors, inflammation, cellular migration and angiogenesis, which are the main phases of wound healing.
Extracellular matrix (ECM) is the substance found between cells. Around all cells, except for the cells that circulate in the blood, there is this substance which consists of a network of protein fibers, a basic substance that consists of non-fibrous proteins and molecules and liquid. Extracellular matrix is found in all types of tissues, but especially in connective tissue and cartilage.
Keratin is a protein that helps form hair, nails and the outer layer of the skin (epidermis). It helps support your skin, heal wounds and keep your nails and hair healthy. There are 54 types of keratin in your body.
The hormone vitamin D3 has been shown to have a positive effect on wound healing by promoting the production of antimicrobial peptides (AMP) in skin cells. AMP protects the body from microorganisms by forming a chemical shield on the surface of the skin.
Iron, zinc and copper are the trace minerals most often associated with wound healing. Iron is necessary for oxygen transport through hemoglobin in the bloodstream and through myoglobin in the muscle.
Iron has many key roles in the wound healing process, including oxygen transport to cells, formation of hemoglobin and collagen, the mitochondrial respiratory chain, and the breakdown of free radicals. Iron deficiency is relatively common and can result in hypoxia (oxygen levels drop and affect peripheral tissue), inflammation and skin infections.
Since iron is a mineral that provides oxygen to the wound, a lack of iron (hemoglobin) can impair the healing of wounds in your skin. Iron deficiency can also result in impaired collagen production, which negatively affects wound healing.
Z ink plays an important role in regulating each phase of the wound healing process; everything from membrane repair, oxidative stress, coagulation, inflammation and immune defense, the wound closure process (epithelialization), angiogenesis to fibrosis/scar formation. Angiogenesis is the process in the body that leads to the formation of new blood vessels from existing blood vessels.
Zinc is required for the activation of over 300 enzymes. One of these enzymes, superoxide dismutase, helps break down potentially harmful oxygen molecules in cells. Other enzymes such as DNA polymerase, RNA polymerase, protease and carbonic anhydrase also depend on zinc as a cofactor.
A deficiency of these enzymes can delay the wound healing process. This is why many see zinc as one of the best supplements for wound healing.
Zinc is important in many other processes, including cell membrane stabilization, carbohydrate metabolism, and mobilization of essential vitamins. Similar to vitamin C, zinc reduces oxidative stress and levels of specific inflammatory proteins.
Copper has been shown to have strong antimicrobial properties, with the ability to kill various bacteria including MRSA. It has also been shown that copper promotes new blood vessel formation and therefore improves wound healing.
This antioxidant is essential for optimal collagen production and also helps keep inflammation in check in your body. Wound healing requires more vitamin C than you should normally get, so supplement with collagen peptides and vitamin C for better wound healing. Vitamin C works together with collagen to build new skin tissue in the wound and optimizes that the wound heals well without leaving an unnecessarily rough scar.
The B vitamins cobalamin (vitamin B12) and folate (folic acid or vitamin B9) are essential cofactors in enzyme reactions involved in leukocyte formation (the white blood cells) and in anabolic processes in wound healing.
Folate supplementation has a stimulating effect on "wound DNA synthesis", which accelerates wound healing.
B vitamins such as folate and vitamin B12 play a role in cell proliferation, increasing the number of cells. The faster this process occurs, the faster the wounds can heal.
Wound healing can be affected by a number of different factors, for example age, smoking, alcohol consumption and diabetes. Of course, the nutrition you get is also important during this process. During wound healing, energy is needed, which we get in the form of carbohydrates, protein and fat. Of these three components, protein is the most important in the wound healing process, among other things for the formation of collagen to function normally. Protein consists of amino acids, and collagen mainly consists of the amino acids proline, hydroxyproline and glycine. During the formation of collagen, the amino acids lysine and proline are required to be hydroxylated. Hydroxylation is a process in which a hydrogen atom in a hydrocarbon is replaced by a hydroxyl group (one oxygen and one hydrogen, -OH). Iron and vitamin C are other components needed for collagen production.
Furthermore, the amino acids arginine and glutamine are important in wound healing as they are important for the immune system's role in this process. Zinc also has an important role in the wound healing process. So if you have a deficiency in any of the aforementioned nutrients, it can result in impaired wound healing.
In one study, patients undergoing hernia surgery were given a vitamin C, arginine, glutamine, and zinc supplement for 14 days before surgery, and then for another 14 days after surgery. This resulted in enhanced collagen production, compared to patients who only received a placebo before and after surgery.
If you want to take food supplements with collagen, it can help at least as well as food supplements with nutrients that promote collagen production in the body. In a study on collagen supplementation and wound healing after an operation, patients were first divided into two groups based on whether they had any medical condition that could affect the wound healing process or not, i.e. a "normal group" or a "disturbed group". Then, the participants in the two groups were randomly divided into two more groups, where one received dietary supplements with bioactive collagen peptides, and the other received a placebo. The group that received the dietary supplements with collagen and belonged to those who had a condition that could affect the healing process received a larger dose, and for a longer period of time, compared to the people in the so-called "normal group". The people in the placebo groups received different doses of maltodextrin, which is a carbohydrate made from starch. The result showed that those who received collagen peptides (both in the "normal" and "disturbed" groups) had a positive effect on wound healing.
Here at Celloptimum you can buy dietary supplements with hydrolysed collagen .
Foods that are naturally rich in collagen are animal products, such as meat, eggs, chicken, bone broth, gelatin and fish. However, the collagen mainly occurs in the parts of the animal we do not normally eat, for example in bones, cartilage and skin. Therefore, bone broth can be an extra good source.
To promote the body's production of collagen, you can increase your intake of foods rich in vitamin C and iron. Vitamin C also increases the absorption of iron in food, so it is especially good to eat these together! Examples of foods rich in vitamin C include orange, lemon, and other citrus fruits, as well as kiwi, peppers, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, strawberries, tomatoes, and kale. Iron is found in, among other things, meat, beans, lentils, nuts, dried fruit, kale, fish and quinoa, as well as other grains with a high proportion of whole grains.
Zinc is, as we mentioned earlier, also a mineral that is important for the wound healing process. Nuts and seeds are rich in zinc, especially pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds. These can advantageously be soaked to increase the absorption of zinc. Other examples of foods that contain zinc are oysters, legumes, meat and whole grains.
As we have previously also gone through, it is important to eat enough, especially of protein, because wound healing after an operation requires energy. To get the amino acids that are important for collagen production and the wound healing process, you should eat protein-rich foods, such as meat, chicken, eggs, fish, legumes, nuts and seeds. To optimize your intake of all amino acids with a plant-based diet, it is good to get both legumes and cereal products (preferably with whole grains), for example beans and whole grain rice. This is because cereals contain higher levels of the amino acids methionine and cysteine compared to legumes, but less lysine. On the contrary, legumes contain more lysine, but a lower proportion of methionine and cysteine. However, quinoa, hemp seeds and soy protein are examples of plant-based foods with a complete amino acid profile.
