Antonina Erena Jul 17, 2009:

Justyna, John<br>Sorry for the delay. <br>My contact (native in Polish) states that the term used to describe collagen and elastin fibres is 'włokno strukturalne'. She says it is the first time she hears about 'włokno podporowe'.
Justyna, I think you should go with the best text option for the customer :)

Justyna Cuper (asker) Jul 16, 2009:

another example Support fibres seem a good solution. I have another similar sentence somwhere below in the text "...oraz zapewniają harmonijny układ włókien podporowych (kolagenu i elastyny)" - the more general term seems good. Antonina: I could add your suggestion in the parentheses.

Antonina Erena Jul 15, 2009:

I will be able to get a reply from a dermatologist (native speaker of Polish) tomorrow :)

John Fenz Jul 15, 2009:

włókno podporowe? Is this expression incorrect in Polish?

John Fenz Jul 15, 2009:

Antonina I'm not suggesting that collagen fibre or elastin fibre are incorrect as types of skin "support fibres". That is what they appear to be, and I certainly trust your experience in the field. However, you do state unequivocally that "the expression is improper in Polish". This is a bold statement!

All I can say is that the English translation "support fibres" is not improper in English, and is also attested by numerous examples found on native English language websites. Moreover, on those websites, skin "support fibre" is used as the general term of which collagen and elastin are specific examples.

Antonina Erena Jul 15, 2009:

I have been working in the field for some years now and I have been translating leaflets from Polish into Romanian and have never encountered this expression before. As you will notice, there is no reference with medical background, even though the formulation would suggest this.
I would most probably go for 'collagen fibre'.

John Fenz Jul 15, 2009:

support fibres vs. collagen: is there difference? Numerous sites don't seem to think there is a distinction, or rather *collagen* is offered as just one of various examples of skin "support fibres"<br><br>Source: http://tinyurl.com/mjhfxw<br><br>DECLEOR...Energ... Gel is a...treatment, considered indispensable to the structure of the *skin's support fibres*. [It] supplies the deep tissue with the active ingredients necessary for the reconstruction of its *natural collagen*. The amino acid Prolin L participates in the restructuring of the *skin's support fibres* along with the healing properties of Osmanthus Absolute Solution.<br><br>Source: http://tinyurl.com/np95fs<br><br>I would suggest you only use "collagen" if that is specifically what you want to mention, use "support fibres" as the general term.<br><br>I'm also curious: Is the expression *włókno podporowe* improper in Polish? "Support fibres" is correct as far as it goes in English. What do the Polish native speakers have to say?