Whether you’re interested in improving the tone and texture of your skin or warding off some of the effects of aging, you’ve probably heard the buzz about collagen supplements. But you may be wondering if these supplements are worth the hype. The answer, experts say, depends on the health issue.
In a meta-analysis published in a 2026 issue of Aesthetic Surgery Journal, researchers evaluated 113 randomized controlled trials, involving nearly 8,000 participants and collagen use for a wide array of conditions. They found that collagen supplementation had benefits for skin elasticity and hydration, musculoskeletal health, and osteoarthritis, while the findings were less convincing for oral health and cardiometabolic factors such as blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels.
Here’s what to know about collagen and for which health concerns it might be most helpful.
Collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body, and it provides structure, strength, and integrity to your skin, bones, muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Cells called fibroblasts produce collagen, but this productivity declines as you age—on the order of about 1% to 1.5% per year—which is one reason why wrinkles and facial lines become more apparent as people get older.
Other factors that can contribute to collagen degradation include sun damage, smoking, and alcohol consumption, says Dr. Melissa Mauskar, an associate professor of dermatology at the UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. Menopause and autoimmune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus can also accelerate collagen loss, according to the Arthritis Foundation.
You can get collagen from foods such as chicken, turkey, beef, pork, seafood, gelatin, and bone broth. But “most people don’t get enough collagen in their diets in the modern age,” says Dr. Doris Day, a clinical professor of dermatology at NYU and co-author of Rebooting the Biome: How Properly Caring For Your Skin Biome Can Do M
