There are three truths that come with having a child; a loss of sleep, a change in priorities, and a change in your body.

The first is unavoidable. Your sleep schedule becomes dictated by a newborn baby who needs to feed every three hours. The second is embraced. Priorities shift because something enters your life with greater importance than anything else.

And the third? Well, the third is a certain too. Our bodies do change but sometimes it’s our perception of what that means that is the problem.

That said, many people do find things like stretch marks really distressing. Many think this is unavoidable, but there are things that can help. One of those things is thought to be marine collagen.

What is Marine Collagen?

Collagen itself is a type of protein produced in your body.

See, every single cell in your body is made up from an amalgamation of different protein molecules. Different combinations of protein molecules create different types of tissues within your body. Of these protein molecules, collagen just might be the most important.

Collagen is the most abundant protein in your body, where it makes up around thirty percent of your total protein content. The reason being that collagen is used to make practically every single one of your body’s tissues.

It is used to make your bones, muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Moreover, it is also used in  large amounts to make arteries, veins, organs, teeth, and the cartilage in your joints.

Oh, and I should also note that it is the most important part of your skin.

Taking all of this into consideration, you can think of collagen as the sticky glue that holds your cells together. It provides strength and structure to every single one of your body’s tissues, which ensures they function properly every day.

Now, while collagen is made in your body, there is reason to believe that its supplementation can offer some unique benefits for skin (which I will discuss later).

With this in mind, there are two types of collagen supplements, being bovine collagen and marine collagen

Bovine collagen is derived from the hides of cows, while marine collagen is derived from the skin of fish.

Although they share many similarities, marine collagen contains more of the collagen used to make your skin. Importantly, the production of marine collagen is also much more environmentally friendly than bovine collagen.

Can Collagen Prevent Stretch Marks?

Collagen is a major component of your skin, providing it with strength and structure. It also provides an anchor for another protein called “elastin” which gives your skin its elastic properties.

In short, without collagen, your skin would fall apart — in fact, this may actually be what happens with age.

After the age of twenty your body starts producing less collagen. This causes your skin to become dry, thin, more fragile, and even develop wrinkles. Many experts believe this is the main reason skin deteriorates as you get older. Fact: if you have oily skin, it is an advantage since it will take longer for your skin to develop wrinkles thanks to the added protection from sebum (related read: best tinted moisturizer for oily acne-prone skin).

Additionally, during pregnancy, the skin around the stomach gets stretched. This disrupts the collagen within the skin, causing it to lose its shape and structure. As you would know, this leads to a loss of skin quality and the development of stretch marks – but it doesn’t have to.

Collagen complex supplements have been shown to cause large improvements in skin quality after as little as 8 weeks of daily supplementation. In fact, taking between 2 and 5 grams of marine collagen per day appears sufficient to cause an increase in skin elasticity and skin hydration, while reducing skin dryness and wrinkle depth.

But what about stretch marks?

Well, the good news is that the daily supplementation of a high quality collagen complex can cause notable improvements in stretch marks after as little as six weeks. This appears to come with significant reductions in stretch mark width and visibility.

So, if you are after a safe stretch mark treatment that will also prevent wrinkles, look no further.

Last Remarks

Collagen is hands down the most important protein in the human body, where it plays a vital role in the production of every single one of your organs — including your skin.

As a result, the supplementation of a high-quality marine collagen complex has been shown to cause large improvements in skin hydration and elasticity, while simultaneously reducing wrinkles and stretch mark severity.