Skincare and History of Silver
A deep dive into how silver was used in ancient times to how it is viewed today
Healthy Skin – Only a Dream?
A flawless complexion is rosy. With good circulation. Pure and soft as a ripe peach. An illusion? Very often yes. Reality likes to thwart our dreams.
As the largest of our organs our skin must struggle daily with constantly changing conditions. Pollution, incorrect nutrition, stress. It reacts with irritation. The consequences: red hectic spots, dry parts, impure pores, sweating armpits. But also, allergies, neuro and atopic dermatitis, and psoriasis are becoming an ever growing problem for more an more people and detract severely from their quality of life.
Hence, alternative natural and skin-friendly solutions - that are effective and free of side effects – are in high demand.
HISTORY: Silver – once upon a time
Drinking vessels lined with silver have been known to man since the time of the ancient Greeks and the Persian Empire. The Chinese have been utilizing the healing powers for silver for more than 4,000 years. Even today Asiatic acupuncture specialists still use filigree needles – depending on the degree of the patient’s symptoms – of gold if the patient is to be stimulated – but of silver if the patient is to be calmed. The supporters of Ayurveda medicine have copied the Chinese. They integrated silver into their theories for the preservation of beauty and youth, and still recommend silver preparations for liver complaints and all sorts of inflammation.
HISTORY: Protection against infections
The fact that silver disinfects was already common knowledge to warlords such as Cyrus, 559-529 B.C. The founder of the Persian Empire carried with him on his campaigns special silver vessels full of water for hundreds of miles, thus preventing the water from spoiling. A good 2000 years later the Napoleonic troops followed his example and had water bottles lined with silver for the North African campaign. In the middle ages princes and kings ate from silver plates. This was not just a question of wealth and power, but had a very practical reason: protection against infection. Pioneers in the USA from time to time also used a silver coin in their milk cans to help the milk stay fresh longer.
HISTROY: Silver checkmates organisms
The researcher Carl von Nägeli (1817-1891) was the first to finally give silver scientific recognition. His discoveries contributed to the conviction that silver belonged to the obvious tools of medicine from the 19th century onwards. For instance, in the treatment of burns and for the disinfection purposes. Nägeli was able to provde what hitherto had only been an empirical fact: that one silver particle hardly visible to the eye per liter of water was sufficient to protect against Spirogya or to kill mold spores in water. Discoveries which even today are still being applied in hygiene areas.
Carl Sigmund Franz Credé, a Leipzig gynecologist, verified in 1881 that highly diluted silver nitrate checkmates staphylococci, streptococci and anthrax pathogens within five minutes. Based on this he recommended mothers to trickly a few drops of silver nitrate solution into the eyes of their newborns. At that time babies very frequently suffered from dangerous conjunctivitis, which they contracted during birth. The silver nitrate eye drops ensured that from then on hardly any infants went blind.
That silver kills germs was also proven by the American doctor Dr. Robert O. Becker who carried out comprehensive research on the effect and the application of silver. Silver was pushed therapeutically to the side – at least temporarily – when Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928. What one did not know at that time: antibiotics are not the universal remedy against every bacterial germ. Today we know: even the most expensive antibiotics are powerless against increasingly resistant-reacting microbes. Particularly when a patient has been treated with antibiotics in short intervals.
One thing is certain: silver acts against bacteria simultaneously on different cellular levels. A development of resistance comparable with that of antibiotics is hence excluded.
What makes microbes dangerous?
Microorganisms, also called microbes, were already in the world long before evolution even thought of the complex human being. The first of their type developed on Earth more than 3.8 Billion years ago, in comparison Earth has only been inhabited by people for 130,000 years. The majority of microorganisms are single cell in structure. Science can identify only about 0.001 percent microbes and researchers estimate that there could be as many as 1 trillion microbes, of which bacteria and fungi are the most important.
In a nutshell: life is only possible through microbes. Bacteria re-mineralize water in cesspools, make sauerkraut sour, turn milk into cheese. Hardly any metabolic process in nature takes place without the involvement of microbes.
However, not all microbes are good. As so-called pathogenic germs some microbes cause a lot of damage. They always nest exactly where one does not want them to and are virtually immune to even the most meticulous of cleaning efforts. They populate door handles in their millions, swim in water, fly through the air, squat on the palms of one’s hands. They haunt us everywhere. In public facilities such as busses, toilets, restrooms, or offices one picks them up by the second.
Highly Aggressive Germs:
There are also aggressive germs which are responsible for innumerable skin diseases, acne, eczema, athlete’s foot as well as herpes, whooping cough: the list is never ending. The number of people that are falling ill from pathogenic microbes is rising. And, it is becoming constantly more difficult to undertake anything against this tendency. Microbes are extremely robust. Within the shortest space of time they can adapt to completely changed environmental conditions and continue to grow. This capability of adaptation makes them extremely dangerous and their resistance to antibiotic therapies can is some cases be fatal. At the beginning of the 21st century the danger of being killed in a traffic accident is much less than the danger of coming into contact with fatally active germs: for instance even in the course of a simple appendix operation. Doctors talk here of “nosocomial infections” or Health care Associated Infections (HAI’s), which develop in operating theatres, in intensive care units, and hospital wards. There are more and more superbug (e.g. MRSA, MRSE) outbreaks in hospitals which are now routinely reported stories in the news. There are about 1.7 million HAI’s in the USA every year with an estimated 100,000 deaths.
Silver Today:
What was common knowledge to the trappers in the Wild West and to the ancient Greeks and Persians occupied scientists at Bio-Gate and renowned research institutes in Germany occupied for 15 years with extremely high expenditure of research and development.
The result was a truly quantum step for skincare. The researchers set out to develop a new silver additive with the idea of creating a technology that was more effective, safer and easier to use in different technical products and applications. In short this was achieved. A truly unique pure silver additive was created - consisting of highly refined medical grade silver particles that are both highly porous and micro-sized. The sponge-like porous particles provide an extremely high surface area which results in excellent efficacy at low doses. At the same time the particles are micro-sized (not nano) ensuring that they remain on top of the skin or wound bed with no possibility of migrating into skin or tissue. This allows the silver to be most effective against unwanted transient germs that sit on top of the skin while simultaneously being skin friendly and having negligible effects on the microbiome – your “good bacteria” which is generated from within deeper skin layers.
The story got really exciting when biologists, biochemists and doctors carrying out ongoing independent tests and studies discovered and could prove that this new material could effectively and reliably eliminate harmful germs. This meant that it could at last be scientifically proven what an important role this silver technology could play for people. A pioneering new technology was born. The patented technology is now registered under the tradename of MicroSilver BG™. Thanks to its sponge like porosity, large surface area, and large micro-sized particles it differs vastly from any other silver form. It is manufactured in a complex proprietary physical vacuum process without the addition of any chemicals. The highly pure silver substance passes all efficiency and compatibility tests at the highest level. Furthermore, it is also registered for use in natural cosmetics by ECOCERT, COSMOS, NPA (Natural Products Association) and is also Vegan certified.
Mode of Action:
Whether dry patches or bothersome acne – almost every skin irritation and more so every skin problem begins with the colonization by undesired germs. And this is exactly the point where MicroSilver BG™ begins its amazing success story. The background: highly porous MicroSilver continually produces positively charged particles (Ag+) in its surrounding area. These are called ions: and they act as health police. They paralyze harmful germs by completely cutting off their supply of enzymatic nutrients. They destabilize the structure of the germs, break down their cell membranes and rigorously prevent cell division so that the germs can no longer multiply. All in all a concentrated attach so that not even the most obstinate germ can survive. Particularly interesting: MicroSilver not only acts against bacteria but also against viruses and fungi which has been proven in clinical tests. MicroSilver cannot permeate the skin barrier, is free of side effects and has depot effect. This means that it can provide a long lasting action over hours to help prevent harmful germs from forming on the skin or colonizing. It acts so to speak as a protective coating and repels germs like a second skin.
Today this micro-silver technology is used in medical applications such as wound care, root canal fillings, catheters as well as in cosmetics applications including skincare, personal care and oral care applications. MicroSilver is also used in dermatological skincare to help improve skin problems including acne, dermatitis, rosacea, eczema. MicroSilver cares for damaged skin and calms inflamed skin. Cosmetics with MicroSilver have a revitalizing and conditioning effect on the skin, boost the natural resistance of the skin and help promote healthy and youthful skin.
Today with increasing concerns of hygiene and risk of contracting germs – a hand lotion, gel or sanitizer with long lasting MicroSilver will greatly help to minimize the risk of picking up undesired germs at work, stores, restaurants, public transport and other places. A MicroSilver spray can also help provide additional protection when applied to masks, clothing and other textiles and surfaces.
