Can BioSil Stimulate Collagen?
Do you have a medicine cabinet full of skin care products that claimed to help with lines and wrinkles yet failed to live up to their promises? If so, you may be looking for innovative ways to get rid of wrinkles, such as taking oral collagen supplements or even trying out a product called BioSil. BioSil is a dietary supplement manufactured by the company BioMinerals NV in Belgium. It is claimed to stimulate collagen-generating cells in your body in order to significantly improve the health of bodily tissues, including the skin, hair, nails, bones, and joints. So can BioSil stimulate collagen production to give you more youthful skin, thicker hair, and stronger nails? Read on to find out!
What is BioSil?
BioSil is a dietary supplement that is formulated to help nourish your body’s three “beauty proteins” (collagen, keratin, and elastin) and restore them to more youthful levels. Taken as a once daily oral capsule, BioSil is claimed to help reduce fine lines and wrinkles, thicken and strengthen hair, strengthen nails, and promote healthy bones and joints. BioSil capsules are vegetarian and do not contain soy, dairy, egg, corn, gluten, fish/shellfish, or peanut/tree nuts.
How does BioSil work?
So how does BioSil work to provide all of these benefits to your skin, hair, and nails? As with any product, we must evaluate the key ingredients in order to understand how it works. The active ingredient in BioSil is the brand’s patented ch-OSA (choline-stabilized orthosilicic acid), which is a bioavailable form of silicon. ch-OSA is claimed to help naturally regenerate collagen, keratin, and elastin in your body.
In regards to the skin, silicon is important for the optimal synthesis of collagen and for activating the hydroxylation enzymes, thereby improving skin strength and elasticity. Orthosilicic acid (OSA) has been shown in studies to stimulate fibroblasts to secrete collagen type I. In addition, animal studies have found that ch-OSA increases the hydroxyproline concentration in the dermis (hydroxyproline is one of the three main amino acids that make up collagen). Silicon is also involved in the synthesis of elastin, the protein that provides bounce and allows skin to return back to normal when moved.
Increasing collagen production in the skin is important because collagen is responsible for keeping the skin strong, firm, and youthful. Unfortunately, the human body produces less and less collagen with age. In fact, after the age of 20, a person produces about 1 percent less collagen in the skin each year. Moreover, environmental free radicals (from things like excessive sunlight exposure, smoking, pollution, etc.) can degrade collagen and elastin proteins. The result is skin that becomes thinner and more fragile with age. By “turning on” the collagen-generating cells in your body known as fibroblasts, BioSil may be able to help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
So how does BioSil work for the hair and nails? It turns out that silicon is also involved in the synthesis of keratin, the main protein in hair and nails. In regards to hair, it is suggested that higher silicon content in the hair fiber results in a lower rate of hair loss and increased brightness.
The manufacturer has even conducted clinical trials in order to demonstrate the results of taking BioSil. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, the women taking BioSil (all healthy women in their 40’s, 50’s and 60’s who showed clear signs of sun-damaged skin on top of natural-aged skin) reduced wrinkles by 30.0%, increased skin elasticity by 89%, thickened hair by 12.8%, strengthened hair by 13.1%, and dramatically increased nail hardness.
How fast does BioSil work?
Now that you know how BioSil can stimulate collagen, you may be wondering: how fast does BioSil work? According to the manufacturer, loyal BioSil users report the strengthening effect on nails in about 3 weeks. They usually notice the thickening and strengthening effect on hair and the effect on their skin somewhere between weeks 4 and 5.
Where is BioSil sold?
BioSil is only sold through third party online and physical retailers. You can buy BioSil on websites like Amazon, GNC, The Vitamin Shoppe, and more. Local retailers that sell BioSil include Whole Foods, Sprouts, GNC, The Vitamin Shoppe, and more.
What is the BioSil return policy?
Since BioMinerals NV does not sell BioSil on their website, you must find the BioSil return policy from the retailer where you purchased the product.
BioSil reviews
Since BioMinerals NV does not publish customer reviews on their website, we had to turn to Amazon to evaluate BioSil reviews. After more than 1,600 customer review, BioSil has received an average rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars.
Positive BioSil reviews mention that this supplement is not only effective, but also works fast (some customers report seeing results in as little as a few weeks). For example, one positive BioSil review says, “I am noticing a huge difference in my skin and hair since taking Biosil. My skin looks younger and the fine lines on my face seem to be diminishing. My hair was really dry and brittle but now has become soft and shiny! Love Biosil!”
Many of the negative BioSil reviews mention that it’s possible to develop cystic acne after using BioSil. For example, one BioSil review says, “Took this for about 7 months and while it made my hair grow faster, it gave me the worst cystic acne on my cheeks that I’ve ever had. Not even 3 days after discontinuing use, the inflammation and cysts began to decrease. It took months to fully heal and over a year later I’m still dealing with the scarring from this product. I can say for a fact that it helped my hair and nails, but unfortunately it destroyed my skin.”
References: Arch Dermatol Res. 2005 Oct;297(4):147-53. Epub 2005 Oct 26. “Use of silicon for skin and hair care: an approach of chemical forms available and efficacy.” Anais brasileiros de dermatologia vol. 91,3 (2016): 331-5
