06/07/2026
Collagen!!!
You may think of it as an ingredient in skin care, but we think of it as the critical building block of connective tissues. It's like the bricks in your wall. What does it take to build collagen? You need:
*Amino acids
*Iron
*Vitamin C
*Copper
*Zinc
~B12 rounds it out to maximize collagen production.
~Vitamin D functions as a supporting actor by maintaining certain collagen-rich areas, like your bones.
Think of it like a recipe, and you need these ingredients. You could make chocolate chip cookies when you're low on ingredients, but if you only have a few chocolate chips, well, they're just not as good.
In our experience, patients with connective tissue disorders are exquisitely sensitive to changes in their iron status, and Dr. Stauffer hypothesizes that this is because iron is necessary for building collagen, so when your collagen is already mediocre (or worse) due to your underlying disorder, you're really going to feel it when your iron drops even to the lower half of normal. While amino acids, vitamin C, copper, and zinc are also necessary, deficiencies in these are rare in the USA. We find our patients feel better and function better when their storage iron (ferritin) is maintained between 50-100. We do this through oral iron and IV iron, depending on the situation.
What's your ferritin level?
