What do you think about when you hear someone talk about “collagen”? If your mind immediately conjures up images of people at the plastic surgeon’s office getting stuff put into their lips and faces, you wouldn’t be wrong. But we can help you paint an even bigger picture! Collagen makes up a large portion of your connective tissues and it is used in all different types of medical procedures. Without it, you’d fall apart. Literally.
What Is Collagen?
To put it simply, collagen is a protein. It’s not a globular one, though. This protein is long and made out of a triple helix strand. Depending on how much it mineralizes, collagen can be hard like bone or soft and bouncy like youthful skin. Aside from these types of tissue, collagen also makes up cartilage, corneas, blood vessels, your gut, spinal discs, and even dentin (in your teeth). It makes up so many different parts of you that if we calculated your entire protein mass, about 30% would be collagen.
Got A Soft Heart?
Of all the bouncy and elastic organs that collagen is responsible for, none is as important as the heart. This organ isn’t just a lump of cardiac muscles, it’s an intricately evolved mesh of collagen, nerves, and muscles. The collagen makes sure that the chambers of the heart and the surrounding blood vessels can withstand the pressure of the Big Squeeze. It is also how the top part of the heart is able to contract independently of the bottom half (atrial vs ventricular fibrillation).
How Else Do We Use Collagen?
We mentioned collagen injections as a cosmetic procedure to fill in wrinkles and plump up sagging faces, but did you know that collagen is also used to treat burns, used in bone grafts, reconstructive surgeries, and wound healing? It makes sense why the word collagen comes from the Greek words kolla, meaning glue, and -gen, meaning producing. It also makes sense why glue used to be made from collagen extracted from the boiled skins of animals!
Plump Yourself Up (Figuratively)
Looking for some collagen treatment but still on the fence about going to the plastic surgeon’s office? No problem, we got you covered with our collagen earring and necklaceset! This non-invasive procedure only requires a few keystrokes and mouse clicks. And you don’t need to spend a dime on transportation because we offer free delivery worldwide. You can purchase these collagen pieces for yourself or for a friend. Our collection also makes a great gift for plastic surgeons, reconstructive surgery professionals, glue or jello eaters, and starry-eyed pre-med students.
written by Science with Evie
