Pycnogenol supplements benefit aging skin

[seeker1953]

I wish more people would make posts to this subject area!
I have been researching which supplements can help with the skin's ability to produce more collagen and elastin, the key elements which support the skin's matrix. Topical serum's and creams have not done much for my lines and wrinkles, which is why I have been searching for real solutions. This is how I found the Shape Your Face website. I hope many more people find it, as well.

A research study performed by Leibniz Research Institute in Dusseldorf, Germany and published in Skin Pharmacology and Physiology showed some excellent benefits of Pycnogenol. The study was conducted on 20 women aged 55 to 68.
After 12 weeks of taking 75 mg of Pycnogenol a day:

- Production of hyaluronic acid increased 44%
- Skin showed a 25% increase in elasticity
- There was an 8% to 21% increase in hydration of the skin
- COL1A1 increased 29%
- COL1A2 increased 41%

Based on this, I decided to give Pycnogenol a try, along with the other supplements I take. I started taking it on 5/31/12. I'll post back in the next couple of months to let everyone know how (and if) it works for my skin.

A lot of research on white tea and green tea has indicated that these both help with preventing skin aging by promoting and protecting collagen and elastin when taken either orally or topically, so I'm doing both. Good health to all!

[Tom Hagerty]

Where do you get your Pycogenol supplements? What brand are you using?

I see them in the Swanson catalogue - 50 caps of 50 mg for $14.89. I also see them in the Puritan's Pride catalogue - 30 caps of 60 mg for$59.98 (buy one, get two free). In the Puritan's catalogue under the Pycnogenol is listed Pine Bark Extract. Pycnogenol is extracted from pine bark. According to Prescription for Nutritional Healing, "Pycnogenol is a trademarked name for pine bark extract, not a generic term for OPCs [oligomeric proanthocyanidins] from other sources."

What other supplements do you take? I wish we could get all our nutrients from real foods but I don't think I'll be chewing on pine bark any time soon.

Take a look at this Dr. T's Smart Skin Care Forum - Pycnogenol.

[seeker1953]

I bought my pycnogogenol (yes, it is extracted from maritime pine bark extract) from GNC. It was $29.59 for 60 50 mg capsules. They didn't have any 75 mg capsules. Thank you for the price information on pycnogenol from other vendors.
I should shop around online, but I was eager to get started right away.

I also take timed released Ester-C with citrus bioflavanoids (500 mg), DMAE (351 mg.), R-Alpha Lipoic Acid with Biotin (100 mg ALA/150mcg Biotin), Garden Greens Global Fruits Anti-Oxidant Formula (55,000 Super OORAC per 2 capsules derived from "super fruits", 500 mg each of Choline and Inositol, and a supplement pack from GNC called Ultra Mega Green Women's which contains a multivitamin, a green tea capsule, a cranberry capsule, a calcium with vitamin D tablet, and an Omega complex.

I wish we could get all our nutrients from food, too, and for the most part believe we can. I believe that whole foods contain many nutrients not yet discovered and have enzymes and other things which help our bodies assimilate the food properly. I do eat a healthy diet with lots of fruits, vegetables, eggs, lean meat, fat free yogurt, skim milk, soy protein, and fish.

I became interested in nutrition when I was in my early 20's and was having problems with occasional large acne cysts. I read Adelle Davis' booksLet's Eat Right to Keep Fit and Let's Get Well. The research she based these books on is still being cited today.

[seeker1953]

I took a look at Dr. Todorov's post about pycnogenol. It was from 2006, I believe.
My source was from January 25, 2012:

http://www.insidecosmeceuticals.com/new ... pycnogenol and

I have found that my skin does not really respond to topical peptides which are all the anti-aging rage right now, so I have been looking for alternatives. I've learned that a different and newer approach both topically and internally are substances that rebuild collagen and elastin by anti-collaganese, anti-elastinase and anti-hyaluronase activities. Also looking into telomere technology.

I'll do a new post when I know more. Right now I'm sticking with topical
Vitamin C, Glycolic Acid, Retinol, Beta-hydroxy acids in my skin care. Also, I like topical glucosamine with niacinamide for evening skin tone and increasing hydration.

[Tom Hagerty]

I do eat a healthy diet with lots of fruits, vegetables, eggs, lean meat, fat free yogurt, skim milk, soy protein, and fish.

Read some articles about conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). This important nutrient is found in the butterfat of milk. There are also CLA supplements but some research has indicated that these supplements might have a negative effect on the body's insulin resistance. The Lynnette Harris article, CLA: The Modern Food Chain's Weak Link is pretty good.

Reading those books by Adelle Davis really dates us. When I was a young bodybuilder I remember going into the Glendale Public Library and taking out her books. Her ideas on nutrition made a lot of sense to me. In fact her ideas made more sense to me than the taking of anabolic steroids. Many guys that I worked out with were taking the steroids and bulking up to massive porportions. I never liked that look though. I don't think 18-inch arms and a 19-inch neck look attractive. The guys I knew who were on the anabolic steroid kick all became messed-up physically years later - bald and fat.

A while after the Adelle Davis enthusiasm there was the Life Extension craze. I read the thick book (1982) by Durk Pearson and Sandy Shaw but was turned off by its enthusiasm for the heavy pill regimen. Two of my friends in Chicago were taking hundreds of expensive vitamin pills each week. I then had the belief that taking megadoses of individual synthetic nutrients was not a good idea. I still basically believe this.

You might find some value in a book that I recently read by Mark Sisson. The Primal Blueprint is a 325-page explanation and expansion of the paleolithic diet. There is a lot of repetition and a lot of stuff about Grok and Korg, two comic book characters, that turned me off, but Mark Sisson is essentially a good writer who makes some valid points. I wish I were his editor. I would have cut the book down to 150 pages and taken out all the promotional material for his pricey line of vitamins. His website is Mark's Daily Apple.

Of course Mark is not the only one pushing his proprietary vitimins. Joseph Mercola, Jon Barron, and Andrew Weil, and others do the same thing. (Andrew Weil not so much though) I guess once the money starts flowing in, all of one's previous idealism and integrity are weakened. Of course we still have all of our idealism and integrity.

[seeker1953]

UPDATE: I've now been taking the Pycnogenol supplement for 2 full months. I continue to see positive results. My skin is plumper and firmer and I no longer need any moisturizer except around my eyes and upper lip! One more month to reach the 12 week mark where the greatest improvements were found in the aforementioned study. I'm very pleased so far.

[Gezza]

Hi Seeker, I'm curious to know how things are going with the Pycnogenol supplement.

I currently take Hyaluronic Acid and this has improved my skin, but reading those studies on Pycnogenol are interesting, since it seems using this supplement increases Hyaluronic Acid production, as well as Collagen and Elastin.

Taking Pycnogenol seems like killing 2 (or more) birds with one stone! ***not that I'm in the habit of killing innocent birds... ***

[seeker1953]

Hi Gezza,

I used hyaluronic acid supplements for a month, but I think the pycnogenol works much better. I switched to Andrew Lessman's Pine Bark OPC Anti-oxidants with grape seed extract about a month ago. I see a big difference in my skin's moisture level and firmness. I highly recommend it.

[Gezza]

Hi Seeker, I decided to buy some Pycnogenol from my local health store - 50mg capsules. I can say the results so far have been excellent, and I agree this is far more effective than Hyaluronic Acid in isolation.

Admittedly I've been taking 2 capsules per day these first 2 days, with the packaging recommending 1-2 capsules. I'm not sure if it's necessary to take 2 50mg capsules, so I think it may be better to stick with 1 capsule for the moment.

But so far so good. Thanks.

[seeker1953]

The study I referenced showed results for taking 75 mg of pycnogenol per day for 3 months. For the last 3 1/2 months I've been taking 100 mg. Wow! You're seeing results after only 2 days? What kind of improvements are you seeing so soon?