Collagen is a type of protein that exists in humans and other mammals; it also plays an important role in our body structure and support. Looking back to the 19th century when it was first discovered by scientists, its shape was very similar to flowing glue. In the Newton dictionary it is defined as“yielding gelatin when denatured by boiling,”therefore, we can see its strong durability and elasticity. With the development of biotechnological products, the secrets of the twenty seventh collagen gene has been unveiled, along with this, came all kind of commercial collagen products, benefiting the sick and the beauty loving population.

Leaving aside the difficult to understand biotechnological language, and focusing more on our daily environment, do you know how many collagen products are there for us to use and choose from? From the earliest bio-applications that accelerate scar healing, to artificial bones, cartilage, blood vessels, and even joints; we can find traces of collagen everywhere. In recent years cosmetic products containing collagen have become very popular, there are even oral collagen treatments for autoimmune system diseases, allowing this mysterious yet agreeable biotechnological product to be deeply involved in our lives.

Since collagen is so easy to use, then can it be used as an injectable filling? The answer is yes. Collagen has very high degree of compatibility and low autoimmune qualities, it can be absorbed and decomposed by the human body, and collagen is not easily rejected by the human immune system as a foreign object. These characteristics allow collagen from all kinds of animals to be used successfully as injectable fillings for human bodies. The use for collagen injections has been around for several years, rehabilitation and orthopedic doctors often use collagen injections for joints to reduce pain caused by arthritis, and specialized use of collagen as cosmetic fillings; earlier there was Zyderm popular in the USA, and recently approved product: KAI (product of Japanese company Koken)…etc. to choose from.

Collagen products with filling purposes are the same as hyaluronic acid products; they are both used to inject“static wrinkles”or sunken scars. The so called static wrinkles, in simpler words, are wrinkles that exist on your face without making any facial expressions, such as nasolabial fold, forehead wrinkles, and wrinkles between eyebrows…etc., all these can be cured by collagen injected into the dermis and allowing it to fill up, making these age marks difficult to see. The other use for collagen injectables is to sculpt different facial features, such as injecting the nose dorsum or the nose tip for nose jobs, injecting the lips for plumper lips, injecting the lower eye line to create youthlitis, injecting the lower eye bags to fill in the crease, or injecting the earlobe to make it fuller…etc., you can say it has all types of uses. If the surgeon says it is a location that can be injected, collagen can give you satisfactory results.

So what are the differences between hyaluronic acid and collagen? The biggest difference between these two products is how long their effects last. Using Japanese KAI collagen as an example, its effects can last for over 1 year, in some instances up to 1.5 years. From my observations in Japan and the reviews of the Japanese doctors, it does indeed have these results. Hyaluronic acid injections on the other hand can only be maintained for 9 months. In addition KAI collagen is extracted from the dermis of Australian calves, it is considered an animal synthesized product, and it has a different source compared with non-animal synthesized hyaluronic acid. If you are allergic to animal protein or are an allergy prone type, I would suggest injecting hyaluronic acid to be safer. If you are not sure if your body can accept collagen injections, most doctors will try this product on your hand first and test for allergies, this way you do not have to worry.

All worldwide sources of collagen for medical use are controlled in strict environments to ensure that the animals from which the collagen is extracted are not contaminated by viruses or bacteria. Using the KAI collagen as an example, it is extracted from Australian calf skin, well known for its strict control. Picked to be the source of biological material from the time it was born; the processes all have a set of international standards. In addition, it has been proven scientifically that calf skin tissue has no possibility to be infected by diseases similar to mad cow disease, therefore, misleading rumors cannot replace the verification of science and high-level quality control.

In any case, collagen or hyaluronic acid injections offer beauty loving women a different choice aside from surgery, but this does not mean they can replace the attributes of traditional surgery; the two can complement each other, and patients can get each according to needs; this is the true spirit of micro cosmetic surgery. Due to the rapid improvement of biotechnology, in the near future, there will be even more variety of fillings available for cosmetic surgery, another benefit for consumers.

Do you want to show yourself off in the upcoming Christmas holidays? Collagen injections are a 10 minute cosmetic surgery, and will make you more attractive. Don’t forget to find a good qualified surgeon, and allow yourself to be safe and beautiful!