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Cosmetic Surgery and the Use of Collagen

Collagen is the main protein found in the animal connective tissue. As a matter of fact 40% of the protein in mammals is collagen. It is also one of the long fibrous structural proteins like the enzymes, quite tough and inextensible and makes the main component of cartilage, ligaments, bone, teeth and tendons. For skin strength and elasticity, a good collagen along with keratin is required. As such degeneration of collagen resultant of old age means wrinkles. Well collagen is also required for strong blood vessels as well as for tissue development. In fact collagen is increasingly used in burns surgery and cosmetic surgery.

Its uses:

• Industrial uses: When collagen is partly hydrolyzed, it produces gelatin, which used in many foods. Though nutritionally both collagen and gelatin lack protein quality, some of the collagen based dietary supplements does improve quality of skin and finger nails.

Collagen is also great as glue. In fact the oldest glue ever used, dated some 8000 years back was collagen. Not only then were collagen applied to hold utensils but even now its still very useful for musical instruments like the violin and guitars which has to be opened every now and then for repairs, and collagen on reheating can be softened easily unlike the synthetic plastic adhesives which are permanent.

• Medical uses: Collagen use is well known for cosmetic surgery and for burns surgery too. Though for those with high rate of allergic reactions are not recommended due to prolonged redness of its effects. But it only happens to those sensitive to collagen. Anyhow, collagen is great for construction of artificial skin substitutes like skin burns. The collagens may be either bovine or procine, used with a mixture of fibroblasts, growth factors, silicones and glycosaminoglycans.

Collagen is commercially sold as a joint mobility supplement too.

Types of collagen:

Presently there are twenty eight types of recognized collagens. As a matter of fact collagen is found throughout the body and in different forms. One of the most abundant one is the Type I collagen in the scar tissue, found in organic part of the bone and tendons. Type IV collagen is present in eye lens, Type V in placenta, Type VI collagen in interstitial tissue, Type IX collagen in cartilage etc.

Due to collagen defects, certain genetic defect also occurs like the osteogenesis imperfecta commonly known as the brittle bone disease. Some other genetic diseases caused due to lack of collagen and linked to other diseases are Bethlam myopathy and Ulrich myopathy caused by mutations, congenital muscular dystrophies etc.

Jeffrey Meier of Jam727 Enterprises at http://www.Jam727.com offers detailed articles about Collagen at http://www.jam727.com/collagen.htm

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