The Effects of Resveratrol and Collagen Supplementation on Facial Aging- Study

By Heather Hausenblas, PhD & Stephen Anton, PhD.

“…As individuals age,the skin’s appearance changes due to a variety of intrinsic and extrinsic factors (eg, sun damage, smoking, diet).4–6 Because of the emphasis some modern societies place on the importance of youthful-looking skin, it is not surprising that findings from recent studies indicate that aging skin has negative psychological consequences that become more pronounced with increasing age.7 These outcomes include reductions in self-esteem and social relationships, and increases in symptoms of anxiety and depression.8–11

Because many people have a negative perception of aging skin, effective, noninvasive, safe, and inexpensive interventions are needed that can reduce or even prevent the visible effects of skin aging, such as wrinkles and dryness, along with the resulting reductions in body satisfaction.12,13 Nutricosmetics represent a potential intervention to improve beauty and health. Nutricosmetics (also known as beauty pills, beauty from within, and oral cosmetics) refer to nutritional supplements that are taken orally to improve beauty and health, in particular the structure of the skin.14 Research is needed, however, to substantiate the potential skin and beauty testimonials and assumptions of many nutricosmetics.15

Currently, there is growing interest in both hydrolyzed collagen (or collagen hydrolysate) and resveratrol as nutricosmetical products to attenuate the negative effects of skin aging. Collagen fragmentation that occurs over time results in decreased structural integrity and impaired function of dermal fibroblasts.16 Because collagen-derived peptides have a variety of unique biological properties that have potential health benefits, they may slow the skin aging process. Schwartz and Park17 found that women who took a hydrolyzed collagen supplement (BioCell Collagen®) for 12 weeks had significant improvements in skin dryness/scaling and global lines/wrinkles. The women also had a significant improvement in the content of hemoglobin and collagen in the skin dermis.

There is also a growing interest in dietary bioactive antioxidant compounds, such as polyphenols, for their potential to improve both skin appearance and general health. Resveratrol is a polyphenol that has been researched extensively for its powerful antioxidant capacity.18–20 Like many other polyphenols, resveratrol has a chemical structure that gives it the potential to act as a beneficial antioxidant through electron delocalization and reactions of certain functional groups.21 Along with its ability to impact cellular functions, its protective qualities may prevent the alterations in the extracellular matrix of the skin that occur with aging.16 The functioning of the extracellular matrix has a large impact on the aging of skin, a result of fragmented collagen fibrils present in the matrix.

Resveratrol may specifically help reduce the intrinsic aging process (influenced by genetics), while restoring the skin and protecting it from the extrinsic (environmental) aging factors.22 Reactive oxygen species have been implicated in a number of age-related skin disorders. Oxidative stress has a large impact on the appearance of aged skin, and studies have been conducted to test the effects of nutricosmetics containing resveratrol on certain oxidative stress indicators. In the study conducted by Ghanim et al,23 resveratrol was linked to reductions in the generation of reactive oxygen species, and additionally led to decreases in the proinflammatory markers p47, TNF-α, IL-6, and SOCS-3. More specifically, resveratrol may support the function and structure of the skin by reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and improving skin tone by reducing the impact of free-radical damage to the skin. 24–25

Because healthy skin is associated with a youthful appearance, skin satisfaction may be related to body satisfaction.26 For women in particular, a youthful and thin physical appearance has often been found to be related to attractiveness.27–28 Changes associated with aging such as wrinkled skin and weight gain may take women away from societal ideals of attractiveness and may result in decreased skin and body satisfaction. Due to the potential reductions in body satisfaction as a result of changes in skin aging, research is needed to examine the effects of interventions that can potentially improve skin appearance, and thereby lead to improvements in both skin satisfaction and body satisfaction.

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of a dietary supplement (ie, Collagen Booster^TM by Reserveage Organics) designed to enhance skin health on outcomes related to visible signs of skin aging, as well as skin and body satisfaction. We hypothesized that participants would have increased skin satisfaction from baseline to 6 months and visible improvements in their facial skin (eg, reduction in wrinkles). We also hypothesized that skin satisfaction and overall body satisfaction would be positively related.”

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https://www.naturalmedicinejournal.com/article_content.asp?edition=1&section=2&article=460