Special Series On Aging
I Just Had To Find Out If The Active Ingredient In Jello Really Wipes Away Wrinkles and Cellulite
Is the latest health and beauty craze..uh... crazy?
I tried it for myself...
by Christina Henderson - Assistant Health Editor

I love it when my editors give me a fun assignment.  I'm not afraid to admit that breaking down the latest diet craze gets pretty old pretty quick.

So when my editor asked me to find out if 'BPCP' really can improve your skin and - oh baby - get rid of ugly cellulite I jumped at the chance.

If you're like me you may have heard of BPCP, but I really didn't know what it was exactly.  

I would hear of a celebrities injecting natural BPCPs to look fabulous or that it was a building block of healthy skin, but I didn't really know - you know - what it was. 

So I tried it and....
I Started Seeing Results In About a Week

Here's the short version for you article-skimmers:  YES IT WORKED.  HOLY COW DID IT WORK.  

I started mixing a scoop into my coffee every morning. I didn't really notice a taste.

I started noticing my skin looking smoother about a week into the test.  

I  noticed the lines around my eyes didn't seem as deep.  And the dry, crepe-paper skin on my hands started softening and becoming smooth again.
The author before and after her BPCP test trial, these photos have not been doctored in any way.

Then I started inspecting my thighs (yes, I know my job is weird).  I noticed that they seemed smoother too after years of watching my ugly cellulite spread around my legs and hips.

Here's where it gets really weird: my chronic elbow pain went away.  

I was in a biking accident about 8 years ago that required surgery and my elbow would always ache after a full day at the computer or when a storm was moving in (nothing makes you feel like an old lady quite like announcing "storms-a-comin folks, mah elbow's on the fritz!").

In fact this is how I felt after just a few weeks:
  • My skin was softer, smoother, and moister than it had been in decades
  •  My hair and nails have never looked better. Not kidding here, my hair hasn't been this full and lustrous since high school.
  •   I was sleeping better, I wasn't waking up in the middle of the night.
  •  My digestion and bathroom experience was much more comfortable, I had far less bloating after a big meal.
  •  My little aches and pains in my joints were gone.
  •  The cellulite on my legs was fading away.

But I was still skeptical.  This had to be  a fluke.  Or maybe that avocado wrap I did 4 months ago was finally kicking in.  Yep that had to be it.

Could BPCP really be doing all this?

That's when I really dug into research mode...

What is BPCP And Why Is It Good For Us?
BPCP stands for bovine-piscine collagen peptides. We get these supplemental collagen peptides from cows and fish, hence the 'bovine' and 'piscine'.

Turns out collagen is the most common protein in the human body. It, quite literally, keeps us together.

It forms the connective tissue in our tendons, the springy material that keeps our joints moving smoothly, and gives our skin the smooth, youthful appearance we all want.

Gelatin (yes that weird stuff that makes Jello, well, Jello-y) is processed BPCP. 
Gelatin, the active ingredient in Jello, is put through a process to break down the proteins so our body can process them - and supply them to our skin and joints. (And, no, you cannot simply eat jello to get the best form of collagen for your skin, read below for more detail)

Which makes sense.  Without the soft, spongy, and springy parts to our bodies we'd look and move pretty weird.  Our skin would hang off our bones and our joints would be extremely painful.

This is exactly what happens to us as we age and our body stops producing collagen.  

And as it turns our collagen deficiency is the primary reason we have those horrible cellulite 'cottage cheese' spots on our bodies. 

You've no doubt heard of celebrities injecting collagen into their lips and around their eyes.  

The advantage of collagen peptides, according to Dr. Hayley Goldbach of UCLA Dermatology, is that you can digest them and your body will deliver the collagen to the areas your body needs it most.

But I've heard promises of age-defying new treatments before.  

I don't know about you but...
I Am Sick of Expensive and Painful 
Treatments That Don't Work

I turned 50 last year, and divorced my husband of 23 years shortly after that.  

As much as I'd like to say I'm 'aging gracefully' and as much I'd like to think that I could pull off the 'no make-up look' that is gaining steam, the truth is I’m not a natural beauty like Alicia Keys - I need all the help I can get!

But let's face it the skin treatments for women are pretty scary - for your body and your credit card statement.

Botox, surgery, injections, facial scrubs and laser treatments - I've tried them all.  

Some of them seemed to make me look better - especially when looking in the mirror at the spa/clinic/office where I got the treatment.  But you and I know the truth: those mirrors lie.  

As soon as I got home whatever treatment I had just done seemed to melt away in a few hours.

The whole process seemed rigged so that you just have to keep doing it and giving them money forever.

And don't get me started on those "pyramid-scheme face creams".  I have friends that have been promised the moon and stars by Rodan & Fields, Nerium and umpteen other face creams that claim to melt away the years AND make you rich.

Believe me, all they ever got out of those companies was some sales brochures, high pressure 'meet ups' and broken promises.  (My best friend calls it 'scam cream' because of a bad experience she had with one company.)

I have a job, thanks. I just want a facial moisturizer that actually works! (And a bra that fits well, but that’s an article for another day.)

BPCP unlike everything else I have tried, is a supplement you mix with coffee or other beverage.  It works from the inside out.

Most treatments are like trying to make a month-old cake look better by adding more frosting. Adding BPCP to your body is really adding more cake, which means the whole thing is going to look better and you need LESS frosting, not more.

But as a writer and as someone who's been burned countless times before, I needed more proof that this stuff was really working and, more importantly, would work for my readers too.

So I dug deeper into the research on BPCP and discovered....
The Science is Sound: 
BPCP Really Does Rewind The Age Clock

It turns out the science behind BPCPs is really solid.  I mean it kind of makes sense anyway.  You're just replacing what your body produces less of as it ages.

I found at least 4 clinical, well-conducted studies by people with real credentials (that's not as common as you would think) that show that BCP really does what so many people have been saying it does (here's a couple if you're curious study, study).


One of the most interesting showed that BPCP really does improve cellulite.  The study said specifically:

"The results obtained in this study demonstrated that an oral supplementation with specific Bovine Collagen Peptide over a period of 6 months led to a clear improvement of the skin appearance in women suffering from cellulite."

But I wondered: how?  How does BPCP, which frankly seems to be the same consistency as cellulite, help get rid of cellulite?
It turns out collagen is like a plastic bag and the fat is like the groceries inside that bag. As you age the bag gets thinner and the groceries start to bulge out.

Supplementing collagen repairs this bag by making it thicker, and simply covers the cellulite to make it less visible.

 Plus BPCP helps repair your joints, which explains why my elbow pain went away.

AND - as if this wasn't all pretty great as it is - collagen can help you lose weight (study).  It provides protein, helps suppress appetite and increases energy levels, thereby helping you lose weight.

(For the record I lost about 9 pounds in my six week trial.)
Yes, even this stuff started disappearing after a few weeks of BCP.
So Should You Try BPCP? 
 Yes, But Here's The Catch

Of course this is the part where I have to say in my official 'lawyers made me say this' tone -  talk to your doctor.

Collagen might not work for everyone.  

But it's working for me.  

I take it every day now and honestly, I don't know that I'll ever stop.

I have seen steady improvement in everything from my facial wrinkles, to thigh cellulite, even my digestion is better now.  I haven't noticed my elbow pain in weeks.

The taste is not really noticeable in a cup of strong coffee or tea.  And you can bake with it or put it in a smoothie and you probably won't notice it. 

But here's the thing ladies: I would  lick this stuff up off  the floor if it were the only way I could get it.  

That's how much I love it now.  

Just be sure to get an organic, grass fed bovine-piscine collagen peptides that includes some biotin for extra anti-aging power.  Biotin is also called Vitamin B7 and is fantastic for your hair and nails.

Also make sure your collagen has a healthy dose of vitamin C and hyaluronic acid to make sure you're absorbing the collagen and not just passing it.

They aren't that many BPCP mixes that include all these extras, so be sure yours has it.


American Natural Super Collagen also includes chicken collagen which will help rebuild the cartilage in your body.

They have a special promotion going on now for multiple bottles (not a bad idea since they do sell out!).

Give it a try, and let me know what you think in the comments below...


Christina Henderson is a freelance writer, mother of 3, and world traveler who lives outside Raleigh, North Carolina.
Recent Comments:
Cathy Clarkson
Wow I after about a week I feel a millions times better.  My ahces ares gone, skin looking better.  One thing I didn't count on the confidence if would give me. I'm back on the dating market too and not exactly feeling like best self.  This has really helped me feel great inside and out.
Like   Reply    12 minutes ago
Melissa Stark
Which collagen is everyone talking about?
Like   Reply    8 minutes ago
Charlotte Smithson
Like   Reply    4 minutes ago
Harriett Mendelson
lick off the floor!  ha!  now I have to try it!
Like   Reply    17 minutes ago
Charlotte Smithson
Cellulite is seriously gone.  Not even sure how its happening, I don't care.  Customer for life.
Like   Reply    54 minutes ago
Tiffany Markle
Surprisingly, by taking this, I avoided pregnancy acne and I didn't get any stretch marks, cellulite, or veins.
Like   Reply    1 hour ago
Ruth Kimbrough
I love this item ! I have cellulite on the back of my thighs and I noticed a difference when I started taking this. I put it in my orange juice every morning. I stopped taking this for a while but remembered the results. I started back up again just to I can take before and after pics
Like   Reply    2 hours ago
Roberta Savage
This stuff helps me with my weight loss.  Already 23 pounds loss after about 4 weeks.  It helps with my appetite so I def eat less.  My knee hurts a lot less too with it.  I won't lick it off the floor but I'll definitely be taking more lol
Like   Reply    2 hours ago
Tabitha Myers
Great product! Mixes well in warm or hot drinks, no taste. My nails have never been stronger or grown as fast. Can tell that my hair is healthier... Skin hasn't been dry this winter at all.
Like   Reply    4 hours ago
Debbie Grishow Pedersen
I wish I had known of this product 20 years ago. Most of my aches are gone and the deep lines and crepe paper skin are fading away.
Like   Reply    5 hours ago
Marla C. Hilldebrand
This stuff has been so good for my joints and skin!
Like   Reply    7 hours ago
Margaret Trujillo
I absolutely love this product! I am on my third tub and even though I started seeing benefits from taking this within two weeks, I wanted to really give it a chance to do its thing. I started taking this for skin health and a hopeful reduction in fine lines. I have taken collagen before, both a popular powdered marine collagen formula (that is pretty popular on Instagram) and one that sources it's collagen from chicken and comes in a pill form. I took the marine collagen for at least 3-4 months and made it a couple months with the other one. This has given me far superior results to the others. First I will say that this dissolves just beautifully in warm liquids. I add it to my coffee in the morning and my tea in the evening. I also think that this is pretty much completely tasteless. There is no odor when opening the container and it is nearly undetectable in a beverage, especially once you get used to drinking it. I love that it helps keep me a little more full between meals while boosting the nutrition value of beverages I like to enjoy daily. As for my results, I started seeing increased nail growth in the first couple of weeks. And I really mean increased growth, not just marginally noticeable results. My nail growth was outpacing the longevity of my nail polish which I was pretty excited about it. The next thing I noticed was my hair was growing faster. I didn't measure but feel convinced that I experienced faster hair growth than I would have had I not been taking it. About 6-8 weeks into taking this collagen twice a day I noticed my lash growth was unreal. They were considerably longer and much fuller looking...other people noticed so it wasn't just wishful thinking on my part. Lastly, I have noticed right about the 3 month mark that my skin is definitely smoother. I would say I notice about a 30% decrease in the appearance of fine lines. I haven't made any changes to my skincare routine so I can safely attribute the change to the collagen. I can't speak to any digestive benefits as I didn't suffer with any issues prior to taking this product. I truly love taking this collagen and consider it an essential part of my daily routine. Highly recommend!
Like   Reply    9 hours ago
Cindy Marshall-Lewis
It does pretty much everything it claims to do. My knee feels a whole lot better. (This is not a cure however, the joint is damaged and it will never be 100% again) My hair is growing again and my skin looks amazing.  I did also notice a very slight taste at first. It’s not bad, you get used to it. And it doesn’t dissolve in cold beverages very well, so putting it in your coffee or in soup will be your best bet. I just ordere this product again, as I’m pleased with it overall.
Like   Reply    10 hours ago

Sources:
  •  The effect of oral collagen peptide supplementation on skin moisture and the dermal collagen network: evidence from an ex vivo model and randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26362110
  •  Oral supplementation of specific collagen peptides has beneficial effects on human skin physiology: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23949208
  •  Dietary Supplementation with Specific Collagen Peptides Has a Body Mass Index-Dependent Beneficial Effect on Cellulite Morphology. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4685482/
  • Daily consumption of the collagen supplement collagen reduces visible signs of aging  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4206255/
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