Last week I saw a programme on TV called Band Baja Bride in which a would-be bride is groomed, prettified and clothed for her wedding. In this episode the girl was given several injections of collagen on her chin to fill it out and make it look less weak. I contacted a few companies that do this and found out that thousands of people now go for collagen fillers. There are so many actresses whose lips get thicker with every film. So many ageing socialites whose wrinkles have disappeared and whose cheek bones are as high as when they were eighteen years old. That they look really silly has not occurred to them. Trying to look young has now become a passion for older people and an equal craze for young people who want their features changed. One of the ways that have been adopted is to inject collagen into the skin. From the Greek kola for glue, the word collagen means "glue producer" and refers to the early process of boiling the skin and sinews of horses and other animals to obtain glue. Collagen is a naturally occurring fibrous protein in the tissue of humans and animals. Collagen gives structural support to bones, skin, tendons, ligaments and blood vessels. It is responsible for skin strength and elasticity, and its degradation leads to the wrinkles that accompany ageing. As humans grow older they start losing the collagen which gives their skin elasticity. So, the new craze is to inject it into the skin so as to make it look firmer. But if you are going to use it, then you should know where it comes from: Three main sources of collagen are bovine (cows), porcine (pigs) and marine fish.
• Bovine collagen is extracted from cow skin. Cosmetic bovine collagen is a mixture of Type-I collagen which comes from the tendons and bone and Type III collagen which is taken from the skin, lungs, intestinal walls, and the walls of blood vessels of the cow. It's then sterilized, purified and rendered into a liquid form for cosmetic use. This form of collagen is primarily used as a skin filler and scar remover .
• Porcine collagen, rendered from the skin tissue of pigs, is generally used for collagen replacement therapy to smooth wrinkles.
• Marine collagen is derived from cold sea fish . Sea Collagen is made from the skins of yellow fin tuna and blue shark skin. Unlike other types of collagen, marine collagen isn't injected, but is instead taken as a supplement or as a topical cream. Cosmetic companies such as Olay, Loreal and Eleris manufacture creams and capsules that include marine collagen. This means that you are injecting cow meat, pig meat or fish meat into your face. Bovine collagen, like all collagen, breaks up within your body and becomes part of it. The effects of the collagen usually last for only six months to a year (The risks associated with bovine collagen use are allergic reactions and possible connective tissue disorders such as arthritis and lupus.) Cows and pigs are kept in herds by the cosmetic collagen companies. Zyderm and Zyplast which are the biggest cosmetic collagen manufacturers have their own cow and pig herds. These animals are kept in sterile conditions and fed artificial food in closed sheds. They never see the daylight, they do not move. They are given hormone injections and their blood is tested regularly to see that they have no unwanted bacteria. At the age of six months , the calves are killed and their fat melted. Companies like Koken from Japan proclaim that they only use calves aged six months or younger bred in Australia . They throw away the bodies and use only small parts of each baby animal’s skin. The calves live in absolute misery as laboratory animals and thousands and thousands of them are killed yearly as the demand from the cosmetic industry grows. Do you want a cow or pig treated like this? Do you want your skin to be made of cow or pig?
Maneka Gandhi
To join the animal welfare movement contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• Bovine collagen is extracted from cow skin. Cosmetic bovine collagen is a mixture of Type-I collagen which comes from the tendons and bone and Type III collagen which is taken from the skin, lungs, intestinal walls, and the walls of blood vessels of the cow. It's then sterilized, purified and rendered into a liquid form for cosmetic use. This form of collagen is primarily used as a skin filler and scar remover .
• Porcine collagen, rendered from the skin tissue of pigs, is generally used for collagen replacement therapy to smooth wrinkles.
• Marine collagen is derived from cold sea fish . Sea Collagen is made from the skins of yellow fin tuna and blue shark skin. Unlike other types of collagen, marine collagen isn't injected, but is instead taken as a supplement or as a topical cream. Cosmetic companies such as Olay, Loreal and Eleris manufacture creams and capsules that include marine collagen. This means that you are injecting cow meat, pig meat or fish meat into your face. Bovine collagen, like all collagen, breaks up within your body and becomes part of it. The effects of the collagen usually last for only six months to a year (The risks associated with bovine collagen use are allergic reactions and possible connective tissue disorders such as arthritis and lupus.) Cows and pigs are kept in herds by the cosmetic collagen companies. Zyderm and Zyplast which are the biggest cosmetic collagen manufacturers have their own cow and pig herds. These animals are kept in sterile conditions and fed artificial food in closed sheds. They never see the daylight, they do not move. They are given hormone injections and their blood is tested regularly to see that they have no unwanted bacteria. At the age of six months , the calves are killed and their fat melted. Companies like Koken from Japan proclaim that they only use calves aged six months or younger bred in Australia . They throw away the bodies and use only small parts of each baby animal’s skin. The calves live in absolute misery as laboratory animals and thousands and thousands of them are killed yearly as the demand from the cosmetic industry grows. Do you want a cow or pig treated like this? Do you want your skin to be made of cow or pig?
Maneka Gandhi
To join the animal welfare movement contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.