ELI5 Collagen - what makes it special and important for your skin?

How does collagen differ from other proteins? What are the different types of collagen? Is there a way to slow down collagen loss as we age? What is the relationship between collagen and gelatin? ... we explain like I'm five Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community and in particular the following users whose questions and comments formed the basis of this discussion: leosar, kkl81, leg3ndwaitforitdary, thehealadin, yet_md, diffyqgirl, catortle- and jorhiru To the ELI5 community that has supported us so far, thanks for all your feedback and comments. Send us an e-mail: [email protected]