“Like all other proteins, collagen is made up of individual amino acids. When you consume collagen or any other protein, your body breaks it down in to its individual amino acids before they are absorbed in to your circulation. Once in circulation, these amino acids are available to any of the tissues or cells of the body that need them,” she explains. ”Unfortunately, there is no way whatsoever to direct precise, individual amino acids to a certain area of the body. In other words, when you take a collagen supplement, the cells of your pancreas are just as likely to absorb the individual component amino acids for its own use as your skin is to do so.”