Supplements to improve skin
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Fri May 02, 2014 7:15 am

My husband had been taking Healthy Origins brand pycnogenol 100mg two capsules per day and within about a week I saw a lift in his face. I was surprised, he has taken astaxanthin previously and while it helped his eyesight it didn't appear to do anything noticeable to his face after a month of taking 12mg per day.

free skin care · Fri May 02, 2014 7:37 am

I take Reserveage Collagen Booster, sometimes Biosil, and now MitoQ which I really like (thanks to this forum for the post about it.) I also take a few other supplements but they're more for general health.

free skin care · Mon May 05, 2014 8:55 am

AnnieR wrote:

Thanks so much, that did help! I will def reorder the pycnogenol.
I am glad to find someone that has taken it long enough to see true results.

I want to say that 2007 was the first year I started taking - but I've fought w/ melasma since about 2004, so it may have been before then. I wish I took before and after pictures, I really do because no topical ever helped the way Pycnogenol did with my melasma... It's completely gone on my right side and on my left, all that is left is a patch on the lower half of my face and honestly it used to cover my entire cheek down to my jawline...awful. It's like it sort of went away in patches...but then I had noticed a sort of skin improvement and I have a pic of me and my daughter at her prom or something - it's pretty close up - and I see all my "flaws" and now I look at pictures and I really think I see less lines and my skin just looks better. I take it every other day now as it is expensive, but I think it's a gem of a supplement. Smile

Maria

free skin care · Mon May 05, 2014 9:17 am

Mariav wrote:

I take it every other day now as it is expensive, but I think it's a gem of a supplement. :)Maria

Hi Maria,

May I ask how many mg a day do you take? I just ordered Pycnogenol after reading your message! I'm taking Heliocare and MSM and I think they help stop new pigmentation but I have two persistent patches that just won't go away even with Obagi.

And is Pycnogenol something that builds up in your system so you need to take a higher dose for a certain time then can taper down to a lower dose and get the same results? It is pricey...

Thanks in advance!

free skin care · Mon May 05, 2014 10:46 am

These are what I use

2500mg Vit C
Silica and Biosil
Placenta
Phytoceramides
Pycnogenol
Fish oil
Liquid Collagen and hyaluronic acid

free skin care · Mon May 05, 2014 11:15 am

denisiel wrote:

Mariav wrote:

I take it every other day now as it is expensive, but I think it's a gem of a supplement. :)Maria

Hi Maria,

May I ask how many mg a day do you take? I just ordered Pycnogenol after reading your message! I'm taking Heliocare and MSM and I think they help stop new pigmentation but I have two persistent patches that just won't go away even with Obagi.

And is Pycnogenol something that builds up in your system so you need to take a higher dose for a certain time then can taper down to a lower dose and get the same results? It is pricey...

Thanks in advance!

Hi Denisiel -

When I first started I was taking 100 mg - and that was the Source Naturals Pycnogenol/Grape Seed Extract - I took that for at least 2 years? Then I went to "straight" Pycnogenol 75 mgs a day. (same company). I think, to maybe speed up the process of helping melasma, you have to take more? But I just stuck to what I was doing and finally saw it starting to pay off. It was very subtle at first but to see my clear skin coming through the dark patches was great! Smile

The bottom patch on my left side is stubborn and has not BUDGED. I just started going to every other day last year... I had read about MSM and its potential to help melasma but couldn't adjust to it. It always made me anxious...like wired... and I just didn't feel "right" on it.... I have to avoid anything with MSM in it. I never tried Heliocare... I hope it works for you! But I do think Pycnogenol does have to build up in your system? Believe me, I look at the 10 year battle I've had with this discoloration... and the thousands of dollars I've spent trying to eradicate it... for me, I just decided to let my skin heal - I had been doing pretty aggressive peels (I did Cosmelan - back when it actually worked - and it did... but then my melasma came back when I stopped) and had tried different Rx's and some non with HQ and decided to just leave my skin alone and try from the inside.... Enter Pycnogenol, probiotics, vitamin D, coconut oil... I finally got my skin back into somewhat decent shape...

Fri May 30, 2014 4:13 am

I dont prefer to go for supplements. Try avoiding creams aswell, and wash your face regularly... Cool

free skin care · Fri May 30, 2014 8:16 am

Mariav wrote:

Hi Denisiel -

When I first started I was taking 100 mg - and that was the Source Naturals Pycnogenol/Grape Seed Extract - I took that for at least 2 years? Then I went to "straight" Pycnogenol 75 mgs a day. (same company). I think, to maybe speed up the process of helping melasma, you have to take more? But I just stuck to what I was doing and finally saw it starting to pay off. It was very subtle at first but to see my clear skin coming through the dark patches was great! Smile

The bottom patch on my left side is stubborn and has not BUDGED. I just started going to every other day last year... I had read about MSM and its potential to help melasma but couldn't adjust to it. It always made me anxious...like wired... and I just didn't feel "right" on it.... I have to avoid anything with MSM in it. I never tried Heliocare... I hope it works for you! But I do think Pycnogenol does have to build up in your system? Believe me, I look at the 10 year battle I've had with this discoloration... and the thousands of dollars I've spent trying to eradicate it... for me, I just decided to let my skin heal - I had been doing pretty aggressive peels (I did Cosmelan - back when it actually worked - and it did... but then my melasma came back when I stopped) and had tried different Rx's and some non with HQ and decided to just leave my skin alone and try from the inside.... Enter Pycnogenol, probiotics, vitamin D, coconut oil... I finally got my skin back into somewhat decent shape...

Hi Mariav, Sorry just saw your reply. Thanks so much for the info! Are you applying any topicals now for melasma? I just went off HQ as I like to take a break every four months. Immediately the patches are coming back. Started back on Skinoren and continue with the Vitamin C serum and tretinoin. I think the Heliocare and MSM help a bit and just ordered the Pycnogenol. Can you imagine how much money we have spent trying to eradicate these brown patches - it is actually mind boggling to me when I factor in all the special UV clothing, sunscreens, skin care, peels, prescriptions, lasers, supplements...the list goes on and on. I find it almost mesmerizing to watch people lie out in the sun and not get patchy! I would love to get the skin back that I had after my first round of Obagi Nu Derm - it was flawless but only lasted a few months.

free skin care · Fri May 30, 2014 11:46 am

I also take astaxanthin. I used to have some dryness on my cheeks and I don't anymore. Everyone I know who has started taking it got slightly better skin, it's amazing.

Sun Jun 01, 2014 11:27 pm

I have heard alot about Vitamin A,and I plan on purchasing some. I take D3 vitamins and it seems to work. I also cut carbs to a low consumption in my diet and my skin is improving.

free skin care · Mon Jun 02, 2014 9:21 am

Nimue wrote:

I also take astaxanthin. I used to have some dryness on my cheeks and I don't anymore. Everyone I know who has started taking it got slightly better skin, it's amazing.

How much astaxanthin do you take to get help with dryness?

free skin care · Mon Jun 02, 2014 12:53 pm

ShastaGirl wrote:

Nimue wrote:

I also take astaxanthin. I used to have some dryness on my cheeks and I don't anymore. Everyone I know who has started taking it got slightly better skin, it's amazing.

How much astaxanthin do you take to get help with dryness?

I take 12 mg dose capsules, but I don't take them every day. More like 4 times a week.

free skin care · Tue Jun 03, 2014 8:04 am

I recently read a blog of someone who mentioned drinking collagen shots and had a link to a company that sold them, and it got me really thinking. I always thought that there was no benefit to drinking collagen based on the idea that the molecules are too big etc to penetrate and do good stuff but then there seemed to be some science behind it. Has anyone tried collagen shots and seen changes from them?

Here's link:

http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/style/451314/Can-I-get-youthful-skin-by-knocking-back-a-collagen-shot

free skin care · Tue Jun 03, 2014 11:38 am

I've heard of people taking Knox gelatin to help build collagen in their joints for arthritis. I know you can order the jumbo size containers from Knox for that purpose but they don't advertise it as for that sort of use.

I had one vet recommend it for my dog's hip problems. I couldn't get the large size though so I cant' say if it helped. I tried acupuncture instead and that helped him very much.

Collagen via food is very huge in Asia. Pork is usually the preferred source used in soups. They also like to put tendons in stews and soups.

free skin care · Wed Jun 04, 2014 10:29 pm

I just had an A-HA moment! I always experiment with various exotic combinations of supplements and then my Dr gave me some VitaMedica Clinical Support vitamins to take. They have a combination of things including 25,000 IU vitamin A/carotenes. This seems to be the main difference in them compared to other formulas Ive taken: the high dose of vitamin A.

Anyway, my formerly finicky skin is now bulletproof! I can even wear silicone-laden products and NO BREAKOUTS! my skin seems more even-tempered and not as oily in spots after taken this for 3 weeks now.

Thats too much A to take on a sustained basis so I will cut back to 16,000 iu mixed carotenes when the bottles are empty and hope for the best.

http://www.vitamedica.com/products/recovery-products/clinical-support-program/

Thu Jun 05, 2014 2:53 pm

Hi Fawnie and everyone,

I really could be doing a lot more to take care of my skin, everyone's dedication here helps me keep the faith. I just want to add my 2cents.
When I take fermented cod liver oil, I notice a small but noticeable improvement in the quality of my skin, it looks healthier, stronger therefore better. When I stop my skin goes back to looking less healthy. From what I read, I wouldn't take vit A as a supplement because the vit A in the fermented cod liver oil is an integral part of the product. I take it with aged raw cheese as the oil needs vit K2 to work properly. The usual advice is to take the oil with 'butter oil' which costs a lot. Better to get the cheese and savour the taste I say. Thanks everyone for mentioning the pycnogenol. I didn't know about that.

free skin care · Thu Jun 05, 2014 4:31 pm

hussar01 wrote:

Hi Fawnie and everyone,

I really could be doing a lot more to take care of my skin, everyone's dedication here helps me keep the faith. I just want to add my 2cents.
When I take fermented cod liver oil, I notice a small but noticeable improvement in the quality of my skin, it looks healthier, stronger therefore better. When I stop my skin goes back to looking less healthy. From what I read, I wouldn't take vit A as a supplement because the vit A in the fermented cod liver oil is an integral part of the product. I take it with aged raw cheese as the oil needs vit K2 to work properly. The usual advice is to take the oil with 'butter oil' which costs a lot. Better to get the cheese and savour the taste I say. Thanks everyone for mentioning the pycnogenol. I didn't know about that.

That is interesting hussar! Ive never heard of or seen fermented cod liver oil - does it have a particular scent or taste or is it just like other fish oil?

I did not know that about the oil needing vit K2 to work either, and I dont think Ive ever had raw aged cheese - sounds tasty!

Fri Jun 06, 2014 1:58 pm

fawnie wrote:

hussar01 wrote:

Hi Fawnie and everyone,

I really could be doing a lot more to take care of my skin, everyone's dedication here helps me keep the faith. I just want to add my 2cents.
When I take fermented cod liver oil, I notice a small but noticeable improvement in the quality of my skin, it looks healthier, stronger therefore better. When I stop my skin goes back to looking less healthy. From what I read, I wouldn't take vit A as a supplement because the vit A in the fermented cod liver oil is an integral part of the product. I take it with aged raw cheese as the oil needs vit K2 to work properly. The usual advice is to take the oil with 'butter oil' which costs a lot. Better to get the cheese and savour the taste I say. Thanks everyone for mentioning the pycnogenol. I didn't know about that.

That is interesting hussar! Ive never heard of or seen fermented cod liver oil - does it have a particular scent or taste or is it just like other fish oil?

I did not know that about the oil needing vit K2 to work either, and I dont think Ive ever had raw aged cheese - sounds tasty!

The Weston Price Foundation has lots of info on fermented cod liver oil if you are interested: http://www.westonaprice.org

Fri Jun 06, 2014 6:37 pm

Hi Fawnie

It tastes quite awful; but I persevered and surprisingly, my palate adjusted so I no longer baulk at the prickly dry stinging sensation it leaves in the throat. Have to keep a glass of water on hand to ease the throat. Eating the cheese straight after helps.
The oil also contains vit D2, which we all know as the synthetic (bad) form of vit D. Green Pastures, the makers of the oil, say it's naturally present and not an additive. they get the cod livers from the Arctic and claim they're npolluted, and that the oil is fermented in the traditional Scandinavian way. It happens to work for me.
Thanks for adding the link Havana 8. That's where I also heard about the oil. The secret ingredient in the 'butter oil' sold separately is now thought to be vit K2, which is abundant in traditional cheeses eg Gouda, and aged cheeses.

Sat Jun 07, 2014 7:51 am

Hawkman564 wrote:

Liquid Collagen and hyaluronic acid

Hi Hawkman564,

could you please tell me which brand you are taking?

Thank you!

free skin care · Wed Jun 11, 2014 6:19 am

neolita wrote:

Hawkman564 wrote:

Liquid Collagen and hyaluronic acid

Hi Hawkman564,

could you please tell me which brand you are taking?

Thank you!

Taut collagen, it's got 13000mg of marine collagen hydrolyzed. It's says to take every other day, it has a bunch of other stuff, ceramides, c, b vitamins. It had hyaluronic acid, but I also have neocell hyaluronic acid

Fri Nov 14, 2014 3:26 am

Phyto ceramides

I wonder,Dr Oz say's better then Botox .I google and see a lot of brands. Anybody Know the differents.And most of al did it helping you Bad Grin

Fri Nov 14, 2014 10:28 am

I take phytoceramides - Lipowheat by Life Extension. Better than botox? No. However it did fill in any little lines I had around my mouth and my body skin rarely dries out. I'll continue to take them.

Favourite supplement? MSM hands down. If you persevere with it, it makes you a better you. Also, it enhances the effectiveness of other supplements you take. There is a detoxifying process, but it's so worth it!

Thu Nov 20, 2014 9:54 am

thank you ngeisler for your reply,..I have to tell MSM did not work for me.I have used about 4 months. I wonder are al those reviews a scam/spam/advertising thing Rolling Eyes

. Haha realy where hoopfull

free skin care · Sun Nov 30, 2014 2:43 am

To me, I think it would be more reliable to absorb the needed ingredients from food. With more vegetables and less meat will definitely result in improvement in skin texture and complexion. I'm afraid that taking supplements with doctor's supervision may ultimately result in some downside effect to the body in the long term.

Some of the food, such as beef and crab meat, may be a bit "toxic" for me. Whenever I eat a large quantity of beef or eat a little bit of crab meat, there is 80% chance that pimples will appear on my face the next day. Sad

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