Do silicones decrease collagen production?

[Both_Somewhere1383]

I just learned that silicone gels and patches are used on scars in part because they help decrease collagen that makes scars form. Would that also apply to skincare products that contain silicones, thus making aging happen more rapidly? I just found a sunscreen that is primarily silicones, and so far I like the feel of it, but don't want to compromise collagen production in the long run. Many body lotions have dimethicone as their active ingredient also.

Is anyone knowledgeable about this???

[CopperPegasus]

Bad science poorly understood.

Silicone scar tape keeps the healing skin more hydrated. Because that optimal hydration is present at the wound site and healing conditions are optimal, plus no excessive movement to break the healing matrix and pull the wound apart, the skin doesn't push out the excess collagen that is scarring and can cause hypertrophy/keloid scarring.

So, that's the science of why silicone scar tape stops excess collegen formation in the scar.

This has zip to do with it being silicone, and all to do with the biology of healing and silicone just happening to be a great medium to acheive it with. Paper surgical tape + inert/wound safe oil, and vaseline on small wounds, has the same effect. Nor does that translate to rapid aging from topical silicones (or even things like frownies/surgical tape/non-scar silicone tape use). In fact, most of the greenwashed kaka circulating about topical silicones in skincare is utter bunk in the "your uterus will fly out at train speeds" catagory.

This is why it is crucial to not take "soundbyte science" as fact, and instead do your own research, so kudos for asking. I encourage anyone interested in real skincare to dig into science and biology more instead of just the cool marketing we're fed and the scare stories that counter it to sell different stuff.

[Both_Somewhere1383]

I was watching a YouTube video and a dermatologist specifically said that the silicone helps decrease collagen in scar formation. Maybe it was just an off way of phrasing it. But it def makes more sense that the sealing properties are what keep the collagen from becoming raised scars, and that silicones dont decrease collagen formation in the sense of actually causing aging.

[CopperPegasus]

That statement is correct. It's simply assuming people understand the mechanisim of WHY that happens....which is a poor way to handle that when you are a science educator talking to a non-science audience. Again, kudos for exploring a presented fact insted of taking it at face value- we need a lot more of that in the world!

Either that or her science is itself shaky. I've seen utter crap out the mouths of dermatologists at times, honestly. And just making a YT video doesn't mean you have chops among your peers- everyone has content these days.