The Jade Lotus : Ovelle

I've been taking Ovelle for the past two weeks now. I've also recommended it to the ladies at the Pharmaclinix talk as well as to all my patients.

THE Tree

After doing some research and an excellent lecture from Dr Bradley Wagemaker (Lamelle Founder) I'm convinced that this is an excellent supplement! I'm about to put it to the test with a sunny holiday to Thailand (you"ll see what I mean later) What so great about it? It contains the super anti-oxidant Pycnogenol from the bark of the French Maritime tree.

Here's the low-down :

Some studies on Pycnogenol:

1.Treatment of melasma with Pycnogenol®

Z. Ni1, Y. Mu1, O. Gulati2,*Article first published online: 17 SEP 2002

Abstract

Melasma (or chloasma) is a common disorder of cutaneous hyperpigmentation predominantly affecting sun-exposed areas in women. The pathogenesis of melasma is not fully understood and treatments are frequently disappointing and often associated with side effects.

Pycnogenol® is a standardized extract of the bark of the French maritime pine (Pinus pinaster), a well-known, potent antioxidant. Studies in vitro show that Pycnogenol® is several times more powerful than vitamin E and vitamin C. In addition, it recycles vitamin C, regenerates vitamin E and increases the endogenous antioxidant enzyme system. Pycnogenol® protects against ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Therefore its efficacy in the treatment of melasma was investigated.

Thirty women with melasma completed a 30-day clinical trial in which they took one 25 mg tablet of Pycnogenol® with meals three times daily, i.e. 75 mg Pycnogenol® per day. These patients were evaluated clinically by parameters such as the melasma area index, pigmentary intensity index and by routine blood and urine tests.

After a 30-day treatment, the average melasma area of the patients decreased by 25.86 ± 20.39 mm2 (p < 0.001) and the average pigmentary intensity decreased by 0.47 ± 0.51 unit (p < 0.001). The general effective rate was 80%. No side effect was observed. The results of the blood and urine test parameters at baseline and at day 30 were within the normal range. Moreover, several other associated symptoms such as fatigue, constipation, pains in the body and anxiety were also improved.

Another study:

The cosmeceutical Pycnogenol®

Auteur(s) / Author(s)

SCHÖNLAU Frank ;

Résumé / Abstract

Pycnogenol® (PYC) the extract of French maritime pine bark (Pinus pinaster), possesses various unique biochemical properties, which in combination designate it as fascinating cosmeceutical. PYC is one of the most potent natural antioxidants with demonstrated ability to neutralise all species of oxygen radicals. Its ability to reduce the vitamin C radical and to protect vitamin E from oxidation helps to prolong the bioactivity of these vitamins. Women suffering from hyper-pigmentation (melasma) experienced significant reduction of pigmentation intensity and affected skin area size after 1 month supplementation with PYC. PYC strongly binds to collagen and elastin and this inhibits their enzymatic degradation. its improvement of microcirculation supposedly supports better oxygen and nutrient supply as well as better detoxification of the skin. These unique properties render PYC a fascinating cosmeceutical to support a healthy and juvenile looking skin. Research has shown that PYC displays a pronounced anti-inflammatory activity. In human volunteers oral supplementation with PYC was able to increase the minimal erythema dose in response to UV exposure. In vitro experiments have established that PYC constituents inhibit NF-kB-controlled expression of inflammatory mediators such as adhesion molecules and cytokines. These findings suggest an application of PYC for protection against photoageing of the skin.

Revue / Journal Title

Journal of applied cosmetology ISSN 0392-8543

Pycnogenol® binds and protects collagen

and elastin (from http://www.pycnogenol.com/pdf/Pycnogenol%20for%20oral%20skin%20care.pdf)

Pycnogenol® has a high affinity to proteins rich in the amino acid hydroxyl-proline. These are predominantly the matrix proteins in the skin, collagen and elastin.When Pycnogenol® is added to collagen or elastin, a high amount remains tightly bound. In consequence,Pycnogenol® also tightly binds to the skin. To other proteins such as albumins Pycnogenol® has little affinity [Grimm et al., 2004].Further experiments showed that Pycnogenol® aswell as its metabolites, developing after oral consumption in humans, protects collagen and elastin from enzymatic degradation. These enzymes, matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), influence the equilibrium between collagen degradation and renewal. The inhibitory concentrations (IC50) of Pycnogenol® metabolites were lower than that of a known MMP-inhibitor Captopril.

Pycnogenol® increases skin elasticity

humans

In a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study with 62 women a complex formulation with Pycnogenol® as lead active ingredient was shown to significantly increase skin elasticity after 6 weeks oral treatment by 9% as compared to placebo [Segger et al., 2004].

Pycnogenol® enhances blood micro-circulation

to the skin

Pycnogenol® enhances generation of endothelial nitric oxide (NO) which is the key mediator facilitating arterial relaxation and consequently allows for optimal blood flow [Fitzpatrick et al., 1998]. Oral Pycnogenol® supplementation was found to increase blood perfusion of the skin and oxygen partial pressure increased and, conversely, carbon dioxide concentration decreased [Belcaro et al., 2005]. This study demonstrated an improved healing of wounds (ulcers) in individuals with micro-circulatory disorders. Improved blood perfusion of the skin warrants optimal supply with all important nutrients as well as better hydration to support skin vitality.

Pycnogenol® helps prevent UV damage and photo-ageing

Exposure of the skin to UV-light generates oxygen radicals which in turn damage skin cells and connective tissues. In an advanced stage the destructive processes can initiate an immune response which is grossly visible as sunburn. Activated immune cells cause significant damage to the skin, as they discharged even more reactive oxygen species as well as MMPs which further degrade collagen and elastin. Altogether, the immune response adds significant more harm to the skin than caused by UV-rays alone. Pycnogenol® displays anti-inflammatory potency, as it inhibits the trigger (NF-kB), which governs the pro-inflammatory machinery in immune cells. Oral application of Pycnogenol® to human volunteers was shown to significantly inhibit the trigger NF-kB by 15% [Grimm et al., 2006].

Oral supplementation of healthy volunteers with Pycnogenol® was shown to inhibit the inflammation caused by UV-exposure and consequently protected from sunburn [Saliou et al, 2001].The individual UV-dose causing the first reddening of the skin (minimal erythema dose; MED) was measured at baseline and again after 4 weeks supplementation with 1 mg Pycnogenol® per kg body weight.This increased the UV-dosage necessary for causing sunburn by in average 60%. Increasing the oral Pycnogenol® dosage to 1.7 mg per kg body weight for another 4 weeks consequently further increased the MED to 85% compared to baseline values.

In pre-clinical trials orally applied Pycnogenol® was demonstrated to be protective also against chronic UV-exposure induced skin malignancies. These findings point to a significant photo-protective and antiphoto-ageing effect of Pycnogenol®

Pycnogenol® inhibits melanogenesis and lowers pigmentation intensity

In vitro experiments have suggested that Pycnogenol® inhibits tyrosine kinase in melanocytes and thus lowers generation of skin pigments [Yasumuro et al., 2006].

A clinical study has demonstrated that Pycnogenol® is effective to lighten-up over-pigmented areas of the skin in humans. These brownish spots or patches often develop particularly in the face of women, much less frequently on other parts of the body. This type of hyper-pigmentation of certain areas of the skin is known in dermatology as chloasma, or melasma. Dermatologists have noticed that this phenomenon often occurs to young mothers or women taking contraceptive hormones. Moreover, it has been noted that oxidative stress is involved in over-production of skin pigmentsand exposure to sunlight greatly contributes to further oxidative stress. Often aggressive chemical peeling agents are applied to the skin, even though some are known to cause irreversible skin damage. Oral supplementation of 30 women with Pycnogenol® for one month reduced the size of skin affected by hyper-pigmentation significantly by 37% [Ni et al.,2002] and, more importantly, the average pigmentation intensity of women taking part in the trial was lowered by about 22%. In this study Pycnogenol® was found to be effective to achieve a fair skin without any side-effects.

So far I have gotten quite a few compliments on my skin, I must say! So watch this space because in a month or so we're off to Thailand for a sun-filled holiday and I'm armed with my Ovelle and an anti-oxidant rich sunblock. An important thing to remember is also that any topical agent or oral supplement that affects the Melanocyte at present won't have a significant effect on the pigment already there because all that pigment is held in the Keratonocytes once the melanocyte has released it. Also while using these anti-hyperpigmentation treatments you may find that the problem gets worse before it gets better. This is because as the pigmented keratonocytes move closer to the surface of the skin (natural skin cycle) they become more visible. In healthy skin the skin cycle is normally 28 days so you’ll start seeing a difference after one or two cycles.

Pycnogenol® is a very potent antioxidant

Pycnogenol® has been shown in laboratory testing as well as in humans to provide significant antioxidant potency to the body [Chida et al., 1999].Pycnogenol® is effective for neutralizing a broadrange of oxygen radical species. Moreover, it protects vitamin E from oxidation and recycles oxidized (spent) vitamin C back to the bioactive form [Rohdewald,2002]. Pycnogenol® thus contributes to the antioxidant network in the body. Following oral consumption of Pycnogenol® over a period of three weeks the blood oxygen radical capacity (ORAC) of 25 volunteers increased significantly by 40% [Deveraj et al.,2002].

What l hope Ovelle can do for me?

UPDATE: I've been using Ovelle for two months now and what a difference! the hubby even said my skin "looks fuller". The real test was the trip to Thailand in June. No burning! A slight tan after snorkelling and foofling at Khai Nok island for over four hours! Really impressed with Ovelle!