Biotin is also known as vitamin B7 or vitamin H. It is a known vitamin that is used in a lot of bodily functions such as the synthesis of proteins, the transformation of fats and carbohydrates into energy, and the metabolism of oils, cholesterol, sugars, and other essential substances in the body. This vitamin is also used in the treatment of some medical problems and health disorders.
The vitamin is manufactured as a form of treatment for various health problems like diabetes, alopecia, sebhorreic dermatitis, dry skin, rashes, fungal infections, and brittle fingernails. It comes in various forms like creams, gels, shampoos, conditioners, tablets, capsules, pills, lozenges, pastes, drops, and many others. One of the popular products of biotin is the crème, which is used topically and spread directly on the area affected by the disorder. The most common disorders which are treated using biotin crème are sebhorreic dermatitis, dry skin, alopecia, rashes, and fungal infections.
The association between these diseases and biotin deficiency is very clear, but the effect of using biotin as treatment for these disorders is non-conclusive. This is because there have been no sufficient or reliable studies performed to completely exhibit the efficacy of the vitamin in curing these skin and hair problems. Nonetheless, many people still use it, and even doctors prescribe the vitamin as an alternative treatment for the said disorders.
It is a fact that the said disorders are symptoms of biotin deficiency, and manufacturers, marketers, and suppliers of biotin crèmes use that piece of information as leverage for their products. But are biotin crèmes really effective?
This is a controversial issue because there are a lot of these products in the market, and knowing that they are not effective would cause the decline of the sales of these products, but the truth is that biotin in the form of a topical product – whether it’s a crème, shampoo, conditioner, paste, or lotion – does not bring positive effects to the health. The reason for this is that biotin is not effectively absorbed by the skin and it does not penetrate the skin’s multiple layers, so using biotin in a topical form does not really provide any benefits to the health. Some people may attest to this, and others who have used the product may have seen good results from using it.
Although biotin is not effective as a topical treatment, there are some other ingredients in the crème which can add to its effectiveness. Some crèmes use substances that allow better penetration in the skin so that it may help the vitamin to take better effect. There are also some ingredients in these crèmes which aid in the treatment of the health disorders like vitamin B complex, proteins, and amino acids for hair growth. Since biotin crèmes are often used for hair growth, the other ingredients in these crèmes are also substances which help promote hair growth.
Other ingredients in these crèmes which aid in treating hair loss are DHT inhibitors. These are the original substances used in other older forms of hair growth formulas which work by inhibiting DHT, a substance that affects hair follicles and causes hair loss. This is a substance that is associated with the occurrence of androgenetic alopecia.
The best method to make these crèmes effective is by massaging it into the scalp after taking a bath and while the hair is still wet. This allows better penetration for the crème. If you assess it quite deeply, it might be really possible that biotin is an effective solution to hair loss and other medical disorders associated with the deficiency of the vitamin. But you can try it and see for yourself if the crème does have any positive effects.