If you’ve been looking for innovative ways to get rid of wrinkles, then your research may have made you curious about a product called BioSil.
This dietary supplement is manufactured by a company called BioMinerals B.V. and is claimed to significantly improve the health of bodily tissues, including the skin, by stimulating the growth of collagen.
Collagen – Aging, and Skin Health
The word collagen comes from the Greek word for glue. It is an appropriate root as collagen along with along with hyaluronic acid (a sticky mucopolysaccharide) from the ground substance or “intracellular cement” that literally holds us together. As the most abundant protein in the human body, collagen is also the main component of connective tissue such as tendons, ligaments, cartilage, bone, and blood vessels.
Molecular biologists have pinpointed the key structural protein integrally involved in creating smooth skin, thick strong hair, and strong nails. It’s your body’s beauty protein, collagen.
Collagen is an essential building block of your body, making up 70% of your skin and 30% of your bones. During youth, you have a rich abundance of collagen, which arranges itself into a resilient and flexible “tight mesh” matrix . This “ideal” collagen condition prevents wrinkles from forming, gives skin elasticity and helps create thick and strong hair. But over the years, collagen diminishes and undergoes other changes.
A lot happens in the collagen-rich support structure of the skin (i.e., the dermis) as we age. First and foremost, as we age the activity of the fibroblasts, the cells responsible for making collagen, elastin, and hyaluronic acid, slows down. As we age the dermis is also less able to protect itself from damage and is more prone to dehydration. All of these factors ultimately lead to a thinner dermis and structural changes that lead to skin looking old and weathered.
Collagen – Joint, and Bone Health
For years, scientists searched for a method that would give the human body the ability to regenerate its own collagen. But it took the discovery of BioSil’s™ patented choline-stabilized orthosilicic acid (ch-OSA®), the active ingredient in BioSil™, to make genuine collagen regeneration a reality.
BioSil™ “turns on” the body’s actual collagen-generating cells, known as fibroblasts. Because BioSil™ works through your body’s natural pathways, the collagen it generates has your own DNA fingerprint. BioSil™ has been tested in rigorous double-blind placebo controlled trials which have consistently shown its safety and effectiveness for collagen regeneration and improved appearance of skin, hair and nails.
In one study, 50 women with sun damaged skin took BioSil™ or a placebo tablet for 20 weeks. At the end of the trial, women taking BioSil™ showed significant improvements in skin smoothness and strength, and in nail and hair strength.3 In yet another study, BioSil™ supplementation for nine months increased hair thickness, elasticity and strength in women with fine hair.
As we grow older, natural collagen production also slows in our joints and may lead to osteoarthritis and the ligaments and tendons may also weaken. Bone is also rich in collagen. In fact, about 30 to 40% of bone is composed of collagen. It provides the structural matrix upon which mineralization of bone occurs. Collagen is to bone what 2X4s are to the frame of a house. Decreased collagen content of the bone is a key underlying factor in osteoporosis and low bone density. The amount of collagen determines the number of “bone mineral binding sites.” If the collagen content is low, the bone becomes more brittle and fracture risk increases dramatically,
Can You Boost Your Collagen?
One of the most interesting and well-documented approaches to increasing the manufacture of collagen is the use of BioSil® – a highly bioavailable from of silica (choline stabilized orthosilicic acid or ChOSA). Initially research focused on the ability of BioSil® to increase the levels of hydroxyproline, the key amino acid required for the production of collagen and elastin.
Clinical studies with BioSil® showed impressive results in women (ages 40 to 65 years) with signs of sun-damage and premature aging of the skin. Those receiving 10 mg of ChOSA daily experienced 30% improvements in shallow, fine lines and 55% increased skin elasticity, and a significant reduction in brittle nail and hair.
Changes in skin collagen with age correspond with changes in collagen in bone. In other words, if you have a lot of wrinkles you probably have low collagen content in your bones.
Decreased skin collagen (e.g., lots of wrinkles) is a clear factor for osteoporosis.
BioSil® has also shown benefits in promoting bone health through increasing the manufacture of collagen. In a very detailed double-blind study in postmenopausal women with low bone density, BioSil® was able to increase the collagen content of the bone by 22% and increase bone density by 2% within the first year of use. The recommended dosage is 6-10 mg per day.
How BioSil Works
The manufacturer of BioSil claims that this supplement is scientifically formulated to grow collagen in your body. This is a big selling point, because the loss of collagen is one of the biggest reasons for the development of wrinkles and sagging skin.
Collagen is a protein that is vital to skin health, because it forms the binding foundation of skin tissues. In fact, some doctors refer to it as the support structure of the skin, which keeps the skin tight when we are young. As this vital protein is depleted with age, the lack of support causes the skin to sag, thereby creating wrinkles.
Ingredients in BioSil
The main ingredient in BioSil is orthosilicic acid, which is a combination of silicon and choline. The manufacturer claims that this combination is precisely what makes this supplement so effective; because the choline helps carry the silicon to the cells responsible for production of collagen.
However, it is important to note that when taking BioSil, the consumer is not actually ingesting collagen. There are many supplements on the market that claim to have collagen that can be taken in oral form, which will then improve skin health. However, this may not be truly effective, as the body’s digestive system will break down this collagen into amino acids.
BioSil, on the other hand, claims that the active ingredients work in tandem with the body; by stimulating the collagen-producing cells into making more of this skin tightening protein.
Though these claims from the manufacturer about how BioSil works are fascinating, they have not been fully proven by third parties. Further, if you read BioSil reviews from other consumers, make sure to have an objective attitude toward the product. Such an attitude is vital because the results people claim to experience are often subjective, and any improvement or decline in their skin health may not be real, and simply due to perceptive dissonance.
Can BioSil Actually Stimulate Collagen?
Before you buy this supplement, it is important to read BioSil reviews and research this product carefully. This is because, although BioSil may sound like a miracle solution for those with aging skin, the supplement’s ability to boost collagen production has not been confirmed by a large number of independent studies. Therefore, only by speaking to your doctor and reading independent BioSil reviews from other consumers, you can get an accurate picture of what this product may be able to do for you.
What do Biosil Clinical Trials Show?
Clinical Trial Protocol
Researchers used the gold standard of clinical trial protocols, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel group. This is the same protocol that the US government requires the pharmaceutical companies to use. It ensures accuracy and repeatable results.
Who Participated
For skin and nails, participants were 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. That meant skin wrinkles, sagging skin, and loss of skin elasticity caused by decreased collagen, a degraded collagen “mesh” and degraded elastin. These women were chosen because over time the changes caused by the sun would occur naturally. For hair, the participants were all women between the ages of 18 and 65 who all showed signs of weak, thinning, dull hair. The large cross section of ages eliminated the possibility of strictly age-related thinning.
Results All results in the BioSil clinical trials are considered statistically significant (p<.05). “Statistical significance” means that the results obtained have come from the compound tested (in this case BioSil’s patented ch-OSA®). This reduces any possibility of “chance” to a great extent.
BioSil is clinically proven to:
Reduce fine line and wrinkles by 30.0%*
Increase skin elasticity by 89.0%*
Strengthen hair by 13.1%§
Thicken hair by 12.8%§
Dramatically strengthen nails (see VAS Scores in “Clinical Trials”)*
* After 20 weeks versus the placebo group. § After 36 weeks versus the placebo group.
Often times, you see products making the claim “clinically tested” or “clinically studied.” This says nothing about the results, which could have shown no improvement at all. Biosil results, while not miraculous, are clinically proven.
The immediate side effects of BioSil are unclear; however, some consumers have reported a negative change in their skin’s elasticity. Because this product is ingestible, it’s important to work closely with your dermatologist or physician to make sure it’s suitable based on your medical history. A collagen cream, or another topical treatment, will only affect a small area of your skin, so any side effects are likely to be minor. You can read consumer reviews here.
Bottom Line
Collagen: Generate It – Don’t Eat It … It’s important to note that BioSil™ is not made out of collagen. Instead it triggers the body to generate its own collagen.
There’s a big difference.
When you ingest collagen, the human body breaks it down and uses it as food.
By contrast, BioSil’s™ patented ch-OSA complex is absorbed by the body, where it acts to promote the production of collagen, boosting your body’s collagen levels, and slowing the loss of this essential building block that occurs with age.
As a result, BioSil™ provides many users with support for stronger, healthier and thicker hair; stronger nails, fewer lines and wrinkles, and denser, more flexible bones.
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