What is it?

Silicone is related to the element silicon, made from silica in quartz, granite and sand, although silicone includes natural silicon plus other chemicals. It’s formed by “silica and oxygen bonds, known as siloxane bonds, which are exceedingly strong,” explain Amy J. McMichael and Maria K. Hordinsky in their book, Hair and Scalp Diseases: Medical, Surgical and Cosmetic Treatments.

Skincare products have used silicone since the 1950s. Variations have evolved over time due to technological advances and the ways in which ingredients bond or combine, writes Michael S. Starch in Cosmetics & Toiletries. Silicone can also be listed on a product label as “dimethicone” or “cyclomethicone.”

Benefits for skin, hair and nails

Using silicone in topical (and perhaps oral) products can offer various benefits. Silicone:

• Brings impurities to the surface. Cleansers and soaps are made of surfactants and detergents that grab onto bacteria and excess oil on the skin, washing them away. Unfortunately, many cleansers — particularly soaps — can be harsh, irritating and drying to skin. The solution? In cleansers, silicone serves as a surfactant that brings impurities to the skin’s surface. And because it’s an emollient, silicone also prevents irritation and dryness, according to dermatologists on the Web site, Skin Therapy Letter.

• Hydrates and smoothes skin. Silicone provides a barrier over skin’s outer layer to seal in moisture and prevent water loss. When skin retains moisture, it becomes healthier, softer and more supple.

• Soothes skin when in cosmetics. Thanks to its moisturizing, barrier-strengthening properties, silicone is a helpful ingredient in makeup products like foundation, according to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD). For rosacea patients, silicone-based makeup might reduce skin redness, stinging or irritation.

• Enhances makeup. Different types of silicone, such as cyclomethicone, produce a film that allows for easy application and blending of makeup products. When the makeup dries, pigments and color still remain on your skin. These formulas are long-lasting and won’t rub off. For this reason, silicone is often included in long-wearing lipsticks.

• Adds moisture and shine to hair. Silicone isn’t water soluble, so it’s a great ingredient in hair conditioners — it doesn’t go down the drain when you rinse. Rather, silicone coats hair and creates a barrier-like film. This produces a smoothing effect on the cuticle, allowing light to bounce off and making hair appear shinier. It also prevents strands of hair from rubbing together, tangling or becoming frizzy.

When humidity soars, silicone hair care is your best friend if you have frizz. Silicone hair products smooth flyaways, hydrate hair and boost shine. But if your hair is straight, fine or thin, skip silicone products — they’re too heavy and will make your hair limp and greasy and weigh it down.

• Might minimize the look of raised keloid scars. Special silicone sheets applied surgically over bumpy keloid scars may improve a scar’s appearance. “The occlusive layer over the scar and the friction from the silicone sheeting actually reduces raised scars over time,” writes Lisa Kovalovich for Ladies’ Home Journal. The downside? You’ll need “weeks or months” to see the difference, and silicone sheeting can be itchy.

• Might strengthen skin, hair and nails. Silicon, which is related to silicone, is available in supplement form. G. Todorov, Ph.D., of Smart Skin Care, explains that silicon plays an important role in synthesizing and maintaining healthy skin, hair and nails. He describes a study from the University of Antwerp, Belgium in which women ingested “10 mg of silicon per day for 20 weeks” or a placebo. Researchers found that women who took the silicon supplement had moderate (about 15 to 20 percent) improvements in skin strength, firmness and roughness. Also, nails and hair were less brittle. If you’re considering a silicon supplement, consult your doctor.

Product picks

Here’s a list of our favorite silicone skincare and hair products.

• Cleanser. Formulated for dry or mature skin, Clarisonic Nourishing Care Cleanser washes away impurities and protects your complexion from dryness and environmental damage.

• Moisturizer. Build up skin’s moisture barrier and reap protective antioxidant benefits with MD Formulations Moisture Defense Antioxidant Crème, ideal for dry or sensitive skin types. If your skin is oily, try Kinerase Lotion to hydrate and protect without feeling or looking greasy. It’s even gentle enough for people with sensitive skin or rosacea.

• Treatment.BENEV Essential Lipids treats fine lines, wrinkles, dryness and irritated skin, moisturizing and protecting your face.

• Mattifier.Peter Thomas Roth Max Anti-Shine Mattifying Gel absorbs extra oil from skin, allowing your makeup to last longer. Apply it before your beauty products.

• Shampoo and conditioner. Fight frizz, damage and dryness with moisturizing Oscar Blandi Shampoo di Jasmine Smoothing Shampoo. Rinse and apply Oscar Blandi Balsamo di Jasmine Smoothing Conditioner to seal and protect the cuticle.

• Shine spray. Spritz Frederic Fekkai Advanced Brilliant Glossing Sheer Shine Mist to add shine, luster and moisture to your ‘do.

Though silicone in topical products has many benefits, injections and implants can be dangerous.

• Injections: Injectable silicone is a permanent filler for deep lines and wrinkles, so patients don’t need maintenance treatments. Many experts question silicone’s safety. In fact, in 1991, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued guidelines banning the marketing of silicone for cosmetic injections. The FDA did approve silicone injections for use in clinical studies, but these data aren’t available yet.

The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) maintains “ that the safety of the use of liquid injectable silicone for cosmetic purposes is controversial, and that it should not be used outside legitimately approved clinical trials,” according to a press release on the organization’s Web site. A 2006 article in The New England Journal of Medicine also warned that “silicone injections for cosmetic purposes should be considered a high-risk procedure.”

• Implants: In 1992, the FDA also banned the use of silicone breast implants, with the exception of reconstructive surgery for mastectomy patients, reports WebMD. Fourteen years later, the FDA lifted the ban, approving silicone implants for women age 22 and older. The FDA cleared Allergen Inc. (formerly Inamed) and Mentor Corp to produce the implants.

However, the FDA warned that women getting silicone implants would require at least another operation because these implants will either need to be removed or replaced. Also, there’s a serious risk for rupture. Doctors strongly recommend that women have regular MRIs to detect ruptures, because they can occur with no symptoms or warning signs.

Some experts disagree about the safety of silicone implants. FDA medical advisor Daniel Schultz, M.D., says the silicone implants are “one of the most extensively studied medical devices,” reports CBS News. However, Sidney Wolf, M.D., a longtime opponent of silicone implants, referred to them as “the most defective medical device FDA has ever approved.”

The concerns

Here’s a closer look at the risks of silicone injections and implants.

• Scams. Various scams have circulated throughout the country, with individuals posing as doctors, using unknown or unapproved substances for silicone injections. The consequences of these illicit injections range from disfigurement to death, according to the Physicians Coalition for Injectable Safety, an alliance of various physician organizations, including ASAPS. Serious health problems have also resulted, reports Rebecca Voelker, author of Skin Care and Repair.

• Allergic reactions. Some patients who’ve received silicone injections or implants experience allergic reactions, because their bodies reject the silicone. In these cases, the body perceives silicone as an invader and tries to fight it off, cautions the AAD.

• Bumps. Even when injected carefully, silicone can cause lumps and bumps under the skin. Bumps are more likely with silicone injections that have been performed for lost volume in or around the lips.

• Scarring and discoloration. These can happen in patients opting for post-injection surgery to correct lumps or bumps. Patchy red or brown areas may appear. Silicone implants can cause hard scar tissue to develop, warping the shape of the breast.

• Migration. Even though silicone injections are permanent, that doesn’t mean the silicone will stay put. “Gravity changes your face over time, and the filler does not end up in the place you started,” dermatologist Arnold W. Klein, M.D., tells The New York Times. Silicone migration can cause infections and damage muscles or organs, Voelker warns. It can move throughout the body, resulting in lumps, as well.

• Ruptures. As mentioned above, ruptures are a major concern surrounding silicone implants. The difficulty of detecting these ruptures makes matter worse. Also, after ruptures occur, women report years of pain, numbness, swelling and other side effects, according to CBS News. Although a 1999 study found no connection between silicone and disease, thousands of women have blamed leaked silicone on “autoimmune disorders and cancer,” reports WebMD.

• Long-term effects. Dermatologist Marvin J. Rapaport, M.D., tells The New York Times that reactions and side effects “can happen 1 to 25 years after treatment” and there’s no way to know what kinds of side effects might result.

See also:

Hyaluronic Acid

A Makeup Manual for Sensitive Skin

Dermalogica Review: Straightforward Skin Care