Drfi.explains

Is your collagen supplement helping your skin, or is it expensive protein with good marketing? 🤔

This is part 4 of the Collagen Series!

Let’s look past the claims and look at the science.

A major systematic review and meta-analysis of 26 randomised controlled trials found that taking 2.5g to 10g of hydrolysed collagen peptides daily for 8 to 12 weeks was associated with statistically significant improvements in skin hydration, elasticity and wrinkles.

The theory is that collagen peptides may provide building blocks and signalling to fibroblasts, the cells that help produce collagen in your skin.

The catch: many collagen studies are industry-funded. A newer review found that when only non-industry-funded studies were isolated, the measurable benefits disappeared.

Industry funding doesn’t automatically make a study wrong. It does mean we should interpret bold supplement claims carefully.

My verdict: hydrolysed collagen, at a minimum of around 2.5g daily, may help skin slightly for some people. But the evidence isn’t strong enough to justify spending lots of money or believing exaggerated claims.

General education only, not personal medical advice.

Save this if you’re trying to make sense of collagen supplements.

What was your guess? 🤔 Part 4 of My Non Medical Husband Guesses Weird Medical Things!

Today’s mystery object: this slightly obscene-looking tube.

Cal’s guess? He knew it had something to do with the throat, so honestly, points for being on the ball 🏆

The real answer: it’s a tracheostomy tube. In plain English, this helps create or maintain an airway through an opening in the neck and trachea when someone needs help breathing.

Medical objects can look strange when they’re out of context. That’s why we explain them properly, without the panic 😂

Stay tuned for the next part of the Collagen Series, and follow Drfi.explains to keep updated on helpful medical and medical aesthetic info.

What was your guess? Comment down below!

Not every “weak chin” is a chin problem.

Sometimes it’s retrogenia: the chin sits back, but the jaw is normal.

Sometimes it’s retrognathia: the whole lower jaw sits back, so the chin looks smaller.

That distinction matters!

Filler, implants and genioplasty can improve chin shape, but if the underlying issue is the jaw, they won’t change your bite, snoring, airway or jaw position.

I used to be an OMFS resident and was involved in BSSO jaw advancement surgery, where the mandible is brought forward. It changed how people breathed, not just how they looked.

This is general education, not personal medical advice.

Comment “JAW” if you want the questions to ask before booking a chin procedure. Follow for the next Faces With Fi.

Part 3 of My Non Medical Husband Guesses Weird Medical Things!

Cal’s guess? A dish cover or perhaps something to shield against radiation during breast examinations 😂

Not quite, but I do love the confidence!

Today’s mystery object: an ocular shield.

Ocular shields protect the eyes during certain procedures or treatments where eye protection is needed, such as lasers. As always, this is general education, not personal medical advice.

Guess what it is before you watch the answer!

So how do you make new collagen?

This is part 3 of the collagen series!

Last time, we talked about how to reduce collagen loss. This time, we’re talking about dermal remodelling: how certain treatments can stimulate the skin’s repair pathways and support collagen production over time.

There are a few main categories:

1. Chemical stimulation
Vitamin A ingredients, including retinoids like retinol, and some chemical peels can increase cell turnover and stimulate fibroblast activity.

2. Mechanical stimulation
Microneedling creates controlled micro-injuries that trigger wound-healing pathways and collagen induction.

3. Heat-based treatments
Radiofrequency and focused ultrasound use controlled energy to create thermal remodelling in appropriate tissue layers. This can support collagen remodelling and tightening over time.

4. Light-based treatments
Fractional lasers create microthermal zones in the dermis, stimulating repair and collagen remodelling.

5. Injected biostimulators
Products such as PLLA, PCL and CaHA work in different ways, but they’re used to stimulate fibroblast activity and collagen production gradually.

None of these are one-size-fits-all. Suitability depends on your skin type, goals, medical history, downtime tolerance and clinician assessment.

Save this for your next skin consultation, and drop your questions below. Follow for more science-backed skin!

📚 Sources: Peer-reviewed literature (2016–2026). Full reference list available in the comments.

Part 2: Cal tries to guess what an Implanon is!

Spoiler: It’s not a stapler, a tiny robot, or whatever his face is suggesting 😂

An implanon is a small contraceptive implant placed under the skin of the upper arm by a trained clinician. It releases a progestogen hormone and works as long-acting reversible contraception for up to 3 years.

A few important points: it doesn’t protect against STIs, bleeding patterns can change, and it’s worth talking with your doctor or qualified clinician to see if it’s suitable for you.

What did you think it was? Comment your best wrong guess, and follow for more My Non Medical Husband Guesses Weird Medical Things.

Facial thirds. Golden ratio. Ideal proportions.

If you’ve been told these are beauty rules, it’s worth knowing where they came from.

Anthropometry is the science of measuring the human body. In facial medicine, it helps doctors assess facial proportions with more objectivity than visual judgement alone.

Dr Leslie Farkas, a surgeon, helped pioneer facial anthropometry to support reconstruction, including care for patients with congenital differences and traumatic facial injuries. It wasn’t designed to turn every face into the same template.

And normal isn’t one number.

Published anthropometric research, including international studies by Farkas and colleagues, shows facial measurements vary across populations. A proportion that looks common in one group may look different in another.

So when a filter, trend, or injector tells you your face doesn’t meet “perfect thirds”, that’s not a diagnosis. It’s a clinical tool being misused as a beauty verdict.

This is Features With Fi, a new series breaking down facial features, anatomy and aesthetic medicine with evidence, not trends.

Save this for the next time “ideal proportions” appear on your feed, and follow for the next episode.

Did you guess the same as Cal?

Not a rivet, but punctal plugs are small devices placed into the puncta, the little openings that drain tears from your eyes. Their job is to help keep tears on the eye surface for longer, which can be helpful in managing dry eye symptoms.

Cal’s reaction says it all!

This is part 1 of “Making My Non-medical Husband Guess Weird Medical Things.” Follow for part 2!

4 science-backed habits can help slow collagen loss!

Collagen naturally changes over time, but some daily choices can help protect what you have.

Start with:
1. Broad spectrum SPF daily
UV exposure drives photoaging and collagen breakdown. Daily sunscreen helps protect collagen from UV damage.

2. Topical retinoids
Retinoids can help reduce collagen-degrading enzymes and support new collagen production.

3. Reducing excess sugar
High sugar levels can bind to collagen through glycation, making collagen stiffer, more fragile and less resilient.

4. Stopping smoking
Smoking reduces blood flow to the skin, lowers collagen synthesis and increases enzymes that break collagen down.

Protecting collagen is step 1. Follow for the next video on evidence-based ways to stimulate new collagen.

References:
Hughes MCB et al. 2013, Annals of Internal Medicine
Riahi RR et al. 2016, American Journal of Clinical Dermatology
Gkogkolou P & Böhm M 2012, Dermato-Endocrinology
Knuutinen A et al. 2002, British Journal of Dermatology

Your collagen cream does nothing.

You rub it in every night. You hope for firmer skin.

Here is the science.

Collagen has a molecular weight of 300,000 Daltons. Your skin barrier blocks anything above 500 Daltons. Do the math.

This concept comes from the well-known “500 Dalton rule,” first described by Bos JD and Meinardi MMHM in Experimental Dermatology (2000), which explains that compounds larger than 500 Daltons cannot pass through the stratum corneum.

The collagen in your cream sits on top of your skin. It works as a moisturizer. It does not replace lost collagen.

So why pay for a promise your skin blocks?

Marketing sounds good. Biology says no.

If you care about your skin, look at evidence. Protect the collagen you already have.

Follow for part 2 where I share proven ways to support your skin.