In recent years, collagen peptides have become one of the most sought-after ingredients for functional food and supplement manufacturers. In particular, skin health products based on collagen peptides are appearing in greater numbers around the world.

Collagen plays an essential role in skin health, providing the skin with a firm structure as well as elasticity and resistance. Making the most of these inherent characteristics, GELITA has developed VERISOL^®, an ingredient that provides the highest possible efficacy in human skin. It influences collagen metabolism directly within the skin, increases moisture levels and prevents the formation of wrinkles. And now, new research has also shown that similar Bioactive Collagen Peptides (BCP^®s) can improve the wound healing process.

From a medical and an aesthetic point of view, wound healing is a key priority for patients and practitioners. And although the positive influence of specific bioactive collagen peptides on matrix synthesis and skin physiology has been shown in several preclinical and clinical studies, evidence regarding the efficacy of orally applied collagen peptides on wound healing has been lacking. To rectify this, GELITA undertook a trial investigating the impact of specific BCP^®s on normal and disturbed wound healing.

A daily dose of either a placebo (maltodextrin) or specific BCP^®s was ingested by the patients for the entire healing phase (maximum 12 weeks). The results of this observational trial clearly showed the positive effects on wound healing achieved after oral application of BCP^®s. One hundred percent of the patients in the verum group had good or very good outcomes and were extremely satisfied with their healed wounds. In contrast, none of the 10 patients in the placebo group had a very good outcome.

The ingredient’s positive effect on skin is derived from its direct impact on dermal extracellular matrix turnover, with a subsequent and significant increase in collagen and elastin synthesis. Studies on humans have confirmed a stimulatory effect on tissue granulation, a decrease in inflammation parameters and improved perfusion flow, especially in terms of microcirculation, which might explain the striking wound healing results seen in this trial.

In summary, specific collagen peptides have shown their ability to support the range of wound healing treatment options currently available to physicians. In view of the above study results, there is a clear recommendation that ingesting GELITAs specific BCP^®s will deliver improved results.

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