Collagen is one of the hottest supplements on the market today. With the purported health benefits of collagen supplements ranging from better skin to stronger hair, it’s no surprise that new collagen users are eager to experience the difference for themselves.
How long does it take for collagen supplements to work, though?
Turning these potential benefits into reality may take a little longer than you’d think.
Keep reading to learn how long your collagen routine takes to kick in and get you glowing.
How Collagen Powder Actually Works
Many alternative (and mainstream!) health advocates and experts recommend taking supplemental collagen daily.
Why?
Collagen is a vital protein that comprises much of your body’s skin, joints, tendons, gut lining, and connective tissue.
The premise is that supplementing with extra collagen can boost your body’s internal collagen reserves.
But collagen’s mechanism of action actually goes much deeper than that.
Collagen is rich in relaxant amino acids like glycine, which may help balance most foods' excitatory amino acids.
For this reason, our ancestors ate the whole animal — ‘nose to tail’.
Modern research affirms that the relaxing amino present in collagen may calm down and regulate neurotransmission within the brain and other parts of the central nervous system. (Source)
While there are 28+ types of collagen in existence, we humans tend to use types I, II, and III the most.
These are the very same types featured in most collagen supplements.
Collagen supplements can take a variety of forms, including collagen pills and collagen powder.
If our bodies produce collagen naturally, why take more of it?
For several reasons.
As you age, your body’s ability to produce and transport collagen diminishes, leading to skin sagging, wrinkling, and discoloring over time.
If you want to look, feel, and move your best, collagen supplementation might be a good idea!
5 Incredible Benefits of Taking Collagen
Once collagen does begin to kick in and get to work within your body, good things happen.
Collagen’s primary health benefits can be divided into 5 key categories:
- Gut
- Skin
- Joints
- Muscles
- Hair and nails
Related: If collagen is good for men
Collagen for Gut Support
There’s a reason that Socrates believed that all disease begins in the gut— it’s true!
Perhaps many of collagen’s most talked-about benefits also branch out from this basic ‘root’ benefit.
Research has shown that collagen deficiency is associated with various digestion problems.
These digestive problems, in turn, may cause malabsorption, nutrient imbalances, and more.
Supplementing with collagen, on the other hand, may produce the gut via L-glutamine and other intestinal cell-fueling amino acids (including the glycine I talked about earlier).
Collagen for Skin Health
Experts affirm that collagen may reduce the visible signs of aging by nourishing the skin.
It may assist with:
- Skin wrinkling and fine lines
- Skin firmness and tightness
- Skin tone and overall glow
- Skin discoloration
- Skin sagging
Research shows that supplemental collagen can nearly turn back the hands of time — even if your skin has already been damaged by too much midday sun or other environmental factors.
It triggers your body to produce its own collagen and collagen-like molecules, like fibrillin and elastin.
Hydrolyzed collagen might be most effective if better skin health is what you’re after.
Collagen for Muscular Strength
Collagen also shines when it comes to muscular strength and development.
You might be interested to learn that muscle cells are 1-10% collagen by weight.
While it’s not officially classified as a complete protein, it does deliver nearly 20 amino acids that can complement your existing amino intake.
Some studies show that collagen supplementation can amplify the anabolic results of your strength training.
Collagen for Hair and Nails
Despite being some of the collagen’s most touted benefits, the amino’s effects on hair and nails are among its least understood.
That hasn’t stopped advocates and health experts from touting collagen’s pro-hair benefits, though!
And the research is slowly starting to back these viewpoints up.
One study found that 24 weeks of collagen supplementation may support several facets of nail health, including nail appearance and growth.
How Long Does It Take For Collagen Work (In-Depth)
So…how long does collagen take to work?
That depends on what type of product you’re taking and what you’re looking for:
- Collagen’s bone-strengthening properties: 6+ months
- Collagen’s skin-supporting properties: 1-3 months
- Collagen’s hair-boosting properties: unknown
- Collagen’s anabolic properties: 3+ months
- Collagen’s pro-joint properties: 1-3 months
- Collagen’s pro-nails properties: 24 weeks
Let’s take a closer look at these timeframes below.
How long does it take for collagen to work for skin?
Collagen’s skin-boosting qualities typically kick in for 4-12 weeks.
Before that, you might notice subtle improvements, but be sure to stick with your product for at least a month to really glow up!
Most studies affirm the idea that something shifts once you get past the 6-week mark.
One study found that collagen users experienced improved skin health markers (including more hydration and elasticity and fewer wrinkles) after 6 and 12 weeks of use. At the 12-week checkup, however, these benefits were much more noticeable. (Source)
Another study collected even more data points by noting similar skin markers after two, four, six, and eight weeks of use. This particular study reported tangible benefits after six and eight weeks — but not before that.
The verdict is clear: stick with collagen for the long run if you want to get your glow on. It may not work if you view it as another quick fix…but it probably will work if you make it a part of your lifestyle.
Some people like to ombine collagen with greens powder as there are benefits of ensuring you have the right nutrients every day.
How long does it take for collagen to work for the joints and tendons?
Collagen’s pro-joint health qualities may also take a while to kick in.
Studies imply that collagen can take anywhere from 12-24 weeks to improve joint health tangibly. One study found that joint mobility improved after 12 weeks.
And these benefits only get better with time. Another study found that joint health was most improved after 6 months of consistent collagen supplementation.
Why so long?
Possibly because joint and tendon cells take a long time to remodel. (Source)
But this section isn’t all bad news.
Collagen may actually work very quickly if relief from joint aches and pains is what you’re after.
Its anti-inflammatory, pro-thyroid properties allow it to silence discomfort within days or even hours of ingestion.
How long does it take for collagen to work on muscles?
Muscle soreness is another thing collagen doesn’t take long to address.
One study found relief might be had as early as day two of supplementation!
When it comes to building more muscle mass, however, collagen works via a slower-and-steadier route.
Three months of supplementation should be enough to see gains, particularly if you combine collagen use with strength training.
Studies show that collagen supplementation may also improve overall body composition.
How long does it take for collagen to work on the bones?
While collagen may be more than capable of strengthening your bones, this benefit takes longer to manifest than any other.
Clinical studies imply that it can take up to one year of dedicated collagen use to experience improved bone health.
That’s because bone cells turnover very, very slowly. Once again, it pays to make collagen use a lifestyle!
How long does it take for collagen to work for hair and nails?
There’s not really enough research in this area for me to give you a certain answer.
That said, most people who take collagen notice their hair and nails improving within 24 weeks.
What Factors Affect How Fast Collagen Works?
Various factors can affect how fast your collagen regimen kicks in.
And then there’s the fact that not everybody’s metabolic processes work the same way.
Some people may experience benefits immediately, while others may need to stick with it.
Top factors that affect collagen’s onset time include:
- Your dose: Larger daily doses of collagen allow its amino acids to saturate and kick in faster. Be sure to take at least 10-20 grams of collagen daily, and remember that taking much larger doses isn’t associated with many side effects. (One exception is your UC-II collagen dosage, which may not need to be so high.)
- Your diet: Eating a whole foods diet, including ‘the whole animal,’ will likely amplify the benefits you see from a collagen supplementation routine.
- Your collagen choice: Different types of collagen may kick in differently because they target different things. Type-II collagen may be best for joint-specific benefits, and it takes a moderate amount of time to kick in. Types I and III collagen may be better for skin health, which allows users to notice skin-specific benefits sooner.
Well, there you have it!