Collagen Though Useful in Cosmetic Surgery Is Still Controversial

Collagen - it's a word in the beauty field today that's still causing confusion. On the one hand, it has proven to be a useful adjunct to cosmetic surgery. On the other, it's seems to be due to claims made about it as an ingredient in skin care products.

The controversy stems from the fact that various cosmetics companies have been putting collagen in skin care products, Claiming that it "rejuvenates" by replacing lost proteins in the lower skin layers, or that it smooths out and removes wrinkles.

Similar claims for creams, and the like, are as old as cosmetics themselves. Years ago, the government forbade the use of such words as "rejuvenate" that implied that a cosmetic could make skin younger.

Companies using collagen are now trying to persuade the regulatory agencies that this substance really does the trick, and that the old ban should be lifted. For the use of collagen in cosmetic surgery there is no controversy.

It's all part of a timely scenario. The population continues to age. Baby boomers have hit their 50s in large numbers. Plastic surgery is on the upswing, and beauty counters are laden with creams targeted toward aging skin that suffers from loss of elasticity, sun damage and, eventually, wrinkles.

New creams are billed as enhancing the body's regenerative system. One company's product claims it's meant to trigger the repair system at the level of fine skin around the eyes.

According to Dermtz, Its big business and getting bigger. In a total cosmetics market of billions in revenue, Americans continue to spend millions on moisturizers and face lotions and on products designed to eliminate wrinkles.

Collagen is a natural substance, a protein found in connective tissue, so that it amounts to almost one third of the human body's protein. It has long been used in such medical products as surgical sutures designed to break down in the body and disappear. The sutures do this because collagen once again becomes part of the body's tissues.

Injections for such problems have long been performed, usually with purified silicon. While inert, so that no infection need occur, silicon does not become part of the tissues, and if not very carefully injected, it can move to other sites.

Implant research has been a successful effort to find a better substance for filling out depressed scar and wrinkle areas that affect the appearance- Collagen implants don't solve all cosmetic surgery problems. For example, they work very well with lines from nose to mouth, and for the lines between the brows, but not with forehead lines. Forehead skin is too tight to be treated easily by any cosmetic surgery or injection. Collagen works much better with lengthwise soft-tissue depressions than with deep scars, such as the ice pick type also seen after acne.