Beauty product of the week: Meiji Amino Collagen

Truth be told, consuming collagen on its own for beauty purposes sounds like fishy business. For one, collagen molecules are large and they do not readily reach the dermis layer of our skin. So, it’s tough to apply ‘collagen enriched’ creams topically. What about eating it?

I think that’s a better option. Eat juicy pork bellies, chomp down fish cartilage and slurp up all the shark fin’s soup your money can buy. That’s one way to obtain a good supply of collagen. But then again, it doesn’t sound feasible, unless one is on a massive weight gain plan or is filthy rich.
Well, we can opt for cheaper and more convenient alternatives.

This product is an oral supplement containing fish-derived collagen peptides which are lower in molecular weight form (1/60th the size of original collagen molecules).

1 spoonful contains:

450 mg of amino acid, arginine, that revitalizes bare skin
5000 mg of collagen peptides
60 mg of glucosamine
50 mg of Vitamin C

1 tin: 28 days supply. 1 spoonful per day.
Price: $58 SGD
Available at :Watsons, Guardian and other leading pharmacies.

How to consume:
Mix powder with any beverage or yoghurt. I would recommend that you do not take it together with caffeinated drinks as it would interfere with the absorption of Vitamin C.

My method:

Step 1: Have orange juice ready

Step 2: Scoop out 1 level spoonful of collagen

Step 3: Pour the powder into the juice

Step 4: Stir quickly and try to mix it well

You can mash the clumps against the cup and stir the mixture more thoroughly.

The collagen is virtually tasteless, so you feel like you are simply drinking orange juice.

Does it really work?

Results to date:

Well, 2 tins and counting, I would say, my skin is more well-balanced. That means, less oily, more hydrated.

Visible results include: Less acne outbreaks, no peeling corners of the mouth anymore (happens very often to me) and wrinkles?

I scrutinized. Originally, there was a small line below my right eye. And it has faded considerably. Now, don’t you roll your eyeballs. Eyes are the windows to our souls. You don’t want to have a crummy window frame, do you?

As for suppleness, I have yet to register any real results. My cheeks are no longer sunken in, but I suspect that’s a sign of putting on weight instead of being firm and supple. Hm…

Other benefits: Because it contains glucosamine, I do not have the occasional pain in my knee cap anymore. (Yea, I am an old lady).

Still, nothing in this world is a miracle product, save for surgical procedures. So, there’s a need to possess patience when trying out non-invasive beauty methods.

Verdict:

Healthy eating makes up healthy living. Since we are what we eat, sometimes there is indeed a need to include supplements to make up for certain foods that we cannot cover in our 3 daily meals.

So yea, hopefully, this product will reap me long term benefits and that’s when I can proudly say, “The secret to my beauty? I swallow.”