When most people hear the word collagen they immediately think of the range of collagen skin care products that are available on the market. These creams and applications can help to smooth away the wrinkles of aging. Collagen treatment can also be injected to help smooth away small unsightly wrinkles. Collagen certainly has many uses in the cosmetic industry and it is widely used in many products. The protein that is collagen, however, is used in quite a few other applications as well aside from the cosmetic industry and not many people are aware just how useful it is.

The collagen that is used in collagen skin care products refers to a long protein that is found in the connective tissue of especially mammals. It is a long fibrous protein unlike the others in the body and makes up 25% of the total proteins found in the body. That is because collagen is an essential part of the intra-cellular matrix that keeps supports the tissues throughout the body. Collagen is also found inside some cells and the high tensile strength of the protein gives these cells a powerful and elastic structure. Along with keratin, collagen is what gives the skin its elasticity and it is the degradation of collagen through age that causes wrinkles. Collagen skin care products and treatments seek to work against this natural degradation by adding more collagen or promoting collagen production.

Aside from collagen skin care products, collagen has some industrial uses as well. When it is heated the strands break up to form globules of what is known as gelatin. This gelatin is used in many foods such as deserts and such but also has uses in various pharmaceutical endeavors. For a long time collagen was also a source of glue and ancient peoples used to boil the sinews of animals to create and adhesive substance. This glue is thermoplastic, meaning that it softens when heated up and is still used today when making musical instruments since it makes them easier to repair.

In medicine, collagen can be used for a variety of things. Aside from collagen skin care applications such as collagen injections to smooth out wrinkles or using it face creams and such, collagen is often used for other things. The collagen that is gathered from various animals, notably pigs and cattle, can be used to make a range of surgical implements. Since these animals are under strict control when being reared, the chance of contamination is virtually zero. Collagen based gels are also used to replace fatty tissue during surgery when the patient does not have enough.

Collagen is a very useful substance. Though it is likely to remain known as being part of collagen skin care products, it will continue its good works elsewhere. From being part of our food, to keeping our instruments in one piece, to making us look young and beautiful once more - collagen certainly has a wide range of uses. What makes it really useful is that it is readily available and can be collected without any waste.