Collagen is a protein that is very important for your body. It helps keep your skin, hair, nails, muscles, and joints strong and flexible. As you get older, your body makes less collagen, which can lead to wrinkles, thinner hair, and joint pain. Many people use collagen supplements and beauty products, hoping to look younger and feel better. This article explains what collagen is, how it works, the different types, and whether supplements really help. It also shares natural ways to boost your body’s collagen and clears up common myths. What is Collagen? Collagen is a protein that acts like a scaffold, giving shape and strength to your skin, hair, nails, muscles, and joints. About 75% of your skin’s dry weight is collagen, which helps keep it firm and prevents sagging. There are several types of collagen, but the most important are Type I, Type II, and Type III. These types help build and keep your skin, bones, cartilage, and other tissues healthy. Your body starts making less collagen in your mid-20s, which is why you might notice more wrinkles or stiff joints as you get older. Things like too much sun, smoking, and a poor diet can make your body lose collagen even faster. That’s why some people turn to collagen supplements and creams to try to replace what’s lost.

Natural oils are popular in hair care, especially as people look for more natural beauty solutions. Two of the most popular oils are coconut oil and argan oil. People use them because they help moisturize, protect, and sometimes strengthen hair. This article explains how these oils work, their benefits and downsides, and what science says about them. The goal is to help you decide if these oils are right for your hair routine.

Curanail 5% is an over-the-counter product containing amorolfine, and is a topical treatment used for fungal nail infections. The nail solution is painted onto the infected nail using the brush provided. It works by soaking in through the nail to kill the fungus responsible for the infection. A fungal nail infection most commonly affects the toenails but can also affect the fingernails. It is most commonly caused by the same fungi that cause athlete's foot. The fungi often cause the infected nail to become discolored, brittle, thickened or distorted. If left untreated the nail may be destroyed and the surrounding skin can also become infected. This medicine is available for purchase over-the-counter in some pharmacies, but is not available in the United States. How does Curanail work? Curanail contains amorolfine which kills fungi and prevents the infection from spreading further. Amorolfine is able to penetrate the nail’s surface and creates small holes within the fungi’s outer membranes. This causes the fungal cells to leak which is why the fungi dies. In order to get the best result using Curanail, it’s vital to make sure you file down the infected nails using the nail files provided before each weekly application. This allows Curanail to absorb deeper within the nail to have the best chance of fully killing off the fungal infection.

Finasteride (also known by the brand name Propecia) is a medication used to treat hair loss in men. It is also used to manage urinary symptoms in men with an enlarged prostate, also known as benign prostatic hyperplasia. Finasteride is used to manage the most common type of hair loss, often associated with ageing, called male pattern baldness or androgenic alopecia. It is commonly used alongside minoxidil liquid or foam, another hair loss medication. Unlike minoxidil, which can only facilitate hair regrowth, finasteride can prevent hair loss as well. Finasteride is considered most effective on the crown area of the scalp, although studies have shown it can benefit all areas of the scalp affected by male pattern baldness. Finasteride is mainly available as tablets to be taken once a day. The best results are seen when the medication is taken every day, and it can take around six to nine months before you see the full effects. Many people that take finasteride experience a shedding phase early on in their treatment (usually in the first few months). This phase causes you to lose more hair than normal as older damaged hairs are lost. These are then replaced by newer and stronger hairs. Shedding is nothing to worry about, and it shows the medication is working. Although finasteride can cause hair regrowth, it is considered to be more of a preventative medication for further hair loss. Therefore, it is best to begin finasteride treatment when you first start to notice signs of male pattern baldness. If you have already lost most of your hair, finasteride is unlikely to be useful as it is not usually associated with massive amounts of hair regrowth. Also, any regrowth that you gain is not permanent; if you stop taking finasteride, this hair will fall out again.

Fungal nail infections will not get better without treatment. Treating a fungal nail infection can take a long time, and it is important to know that treatment is only necessary if the person is bothered by the look or feel of the nail. Here Healthwords's pharmacists walk you through the options available.

Rogaine contains minoxidil as its active ingredient. Minoxidil is a medication originally used to treat high blood pressure. However, it was later discovered that a side effect of minoxidil tablets was an increase in hair growth and thickness, which pleased those patients who were experiencing balding. It’s now been formulated as a liquid or foam to apply to the scalp to target the most common type of hair loss, often associated with aging, called male or female pattern baldness or androgenic alopecia. Minoxidil tablets can still be used to treat hypertension, but it’s not one of the common treatments. Minoxidil hair loss treatment can be obtained without a prescription from a pharmacy or online in two strengths, 2% (recommended for females) and 5% (recommended for males). Minoxidil should be applied twice daily, 12 hours apart, and allowed to work for at least 4 hours without washing or rinsing the area.

The active ingredient in Selsun shampoo is a medication called selenium sulfide. It is effective in treating itching, flaking, or scaling of the skin due to conditions such as dandruff and seborrheic dermatitis. Selenium sulfide has antibacterial and mild antifungal properties. It also has an effect on reducing irritation and slowing down the production of skin cells and excess natural oil (sebum) on the scalp, which can cause dandruff.

Terbinafine is an antifungal medicine used to treat fungal infections caused by a fungus or yeast, including athlete's foot, fungal nail infections, ringworm, and pityriasis versicolor. Terbinafine is available as a cream or spray for treating athlete's foot, ringworm, and pityriasis versicolor. You can buy these from a pharmacy or supermarket. It also comes as tablets for treating fungal nail infections and other fungal infections, however, this is only available on prescription.