When people think of collagen, they typically think of the skin. This is a fair approach, as collagen holds the skin together, and low collagen levels can change the skin’s appearance.
But collagen does so much more in the body than support the structure of your skin.
As such, when collagen levels are low, your body may try to tell you in various ways. This blog is so that you know exactly what to look out for when and if this happens. Because here’s the kicker: most people will experience low collagen or a “collagen deficiency” at some point in their life. And for others, this can lead to a full-blown deficiency – a state in which your body doesn’t have enough collagen for normal functioning. How does this happen?
Well, for starters, our body’s ability to create new collagen starts to diminish around the age of 25, with experts estimating that we lose at least 1% of our collagen each year after our mid-twenties.
Then, there are other things that decrease your collagen even further. To read more about that, check out our blog post, 5 Things That Destroy Your Collagen, by clicking here.
For now, let’s look at the warning signs of collagen deficiency.
6 Signs Of Collagen Deficiency
When on the lookout for signs of low collagen, there are six main symptoms. As mentioned above, collagen does way more than just prop up the skin, so you may be surprised by some of these signs. But, let’s start with the skin…
1. Wrinkles
Wrinkles are the clearest sign of collagen loss. Wrinkles form due to lost elasticity in the skin, which is a direct result of depleted collagen.
Despite the fact that your skin is 70-80% collagen, if you have low levels of collagen, your body is going to stop focusing on repairing elasticity in the skin and instead start using your collagen on other vital functions, like supporting organ structure or healing wounds.
While wrinkles are bound to happen as we get older, if you notice a sudden acceleration in wrinkles, this is a clear sign that collagen levels have recently plummeted for one reason or another and should be properly restored with a high quality collagen supplement.
2. Slow muscle recovery
Your muscles can be sore even if you don’t perform hard workouts like weightlifting. Running, hiking, or even tasks in the home like cleaning can leave your muscles feeling sore the next day. While this is normal – especially if you’ve worked muscles you don’t often use – it can be a sign of low collagen.
If you find that you’re getting sore very easily, possibly for reasons you’re unsure of, or if it’s taking longer than two days for your muscles to recover, then you could have a collagen deficiency.
Collagen works to repair your muscles and helps with muscle flexibility. So, a deficiency will not only result in longer recovery times and more frequent soreness, but it could also result in you losing muscle mass as the muscles deteriorate instead of repairing.
3. Gastrointestinal problems
Collagen deficiency has been linked to leaky gut syndrome. In your intestines, there are tight junctions that help you absorb nutrients. A leaky gut means that these junctions aren’t as tight as they should be due to the tissue separating. As a result, other unwanted substances can slip through the gaps and cause infection and inflammation.
Collagen plays a large role in repairing intestinal walls and keeping the tissue there tight and firm, just like your skin. Therefore, having enough collagen in your body is crucial for repairing and maintaining these tight junctions.
Leaky gut syndrome comes with symptoms such as bloating, gas, cramps, indigestion, food sensitivities, and pain. If you have any of these symptoms, it may be due to a leaky gut caused by low collagen.
4. Poor hair health
Collagen is an important part of hair health for a few reasons.
For starters, collagen is present within your hair follicles, responsible for delivering nutrients for healthy hair growth. Without enough collagen, your hair won’t receive the nutrients it needs as quickly, resulting in stunted hair growth, or the development of weak and brittle hair.
Additionally, a large part of what makes up your hair is collagen itself. Without sufficient collagen, your hair will be thin and weak. It can fall out easier, break more often, or struggle to grow in the first place.
If that wasn’t enough, without enough collagen present within the hair follicles, your hair follicle will be more vulnerable to cell-damaging free radicals, which collagen usually fights off. Just like with the skin, your body will prioritize other areas of your body in need of collagen before sending the protein to your hair. As such, poor hair health could be one of the first signs of low collagen.
5. Joint pain
Many people mistake joint pain as just one of the signs of getting older, but in many cases, it’s simply the result of collagen levels diminishing as time goes on.
The cartilage in your joints is 60% collagen. As such, collagen is essential in rebuilding and repairing the joints and maintaining their structure.
In addition, collagen provides flexibility and cushions your joints. So, if your body doesn’t have enough, your joints will be more prone to damage.
If you’re experiencing any discomfort or lack of function within your joints, you may simply need a boost in collagen.
Slow injury recovery
Being the most abundant protein within they body, almost any injury – whether it’s a broken bone, cut, or even result of a surgery – is going to need a large amount of collagen to properly repair the tissue.
If you don’t have enough collagen, however, your body is going to struggle to make a full repair in the proper timeframe.
When you get hurt, the amount of time it takes for you to heal can be an indicator of collagen levels.
Restoring collagen levels
Thanks to modern science, we now know that collagen levels depleting with each year is a HUGE reason why we experience the “normal” signs of aging.
With this knowledge, we can take more control. It starts with restoring and maintaining collagen levels within your body so your tissue, hair, skin, joints, organs, and more can all remain young and healthy.
Today, our sister company, EverBella, has Complete Collagen Plus at up to 30% off.
