Skin Conditions
Skin Conditions secondary to excesive exposure to ultraviolet rays (UVR) benefit from oral administration of proanthocyanidins. Twenty-one volunteer subjects were given 1.10 mg/kg OPCs daily for four weeks followed by 1.66mg/kg OPCs daily for a second four-week period.UVsensitivity , expressed as minimal erythema does (MED),was measured twice prior to OPC supplementation to establish a baseline,and again at the end of each four-week period. The UVR does required to induce minimal erythema increased significantly (in a does-dependent manner) in subjects supplement with OPCs. OPC supplementation at the higher does resulted in neartly twice the mean baseline MED.Activation of nuclear factor-kappaB is believed to play a key role in UVR-induced erythema.
Melasma is a skin condition characterized by hyperpigmentation of the face and neck and is attributed to UV radiation , geneti,pregnancy,and various phototoxic drugs.OPCs from pine bark have shown to be beneficial in treating melisma in women