I know this girl 22,..... was strong meth addict for year,then came clean 10 months ago..... she is eating healthy and do bodyweight exercises but she says her skin isnt like before.... I noticed her eyelids are kinda wrinkly.I was wondering if something like 1-2iu of human grade GH would help her heal so she is beautiful and fit like before.......... tell me every effect such hgh dose will have,any negatives?
SKIN RENEWAL AGENTS
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is an important nutrient obtained exclusively from the environment. After ingestion of dietary foods containing food containing all-trans-retinol, its esters or certain carotenoids, the gastrointestinal tract is able to deliver this vitamin to the liver, where it is stored. The liver is then able to monitor plasma levels and adjust the amount of retinol delivered to the skin. However, numerous studies have found that plasma levels often do not correlate well with those found in the skin. Therefore, it may be important for certain patients to supplement their store with topical application of vitamin A. Retinoic acid (tretinoin), its 13-cis isomer isotretinoin, as well as various synthetic retinoids are used for therapeutic purposes, whereas retinaldehyde (retinal), retinol, and retinyl esters, because of their controlled conversion to RA or their direct receptor-independent biologic action, can be used as cosmeceuticals. Numerous studies have indicated that all-trans-retinol and its aldehyde retinal have the greatest biological potency in vivo. Hydrogenation of retinol destroys its biological activity. In fact, the 3-dehydroretinol form retains only 40% activity.[115]
All-trans-retinoic acid, more commonly known as tretinoin, represents the active form of retinol. Many products designed to treat skin aging contain RA in varying concentrations. The irritant effects of RA can be circumvented by substituting retinol in its place. In addition, only 1-2% of topically delivered RA is absorbed by skin under normal conditions compared to 31% in dermatitic skin (inflammation of the skin).[112] One reason for this may be the lack of RA-specific transport machinery available in the plasma and skin, which instead possess binding proteins specific for all-transretinol.[112] Furthermore, excess retinol can be stored in the skin in its ester form. This is achieved through two unique enzymes, acyl CoA:retinol acyl transferase and lecithin:retinol acyltransferase, This storage mechanism is unique to retinol and helps reduce side effects clinically. On the other hand, RA cannot be stored in ester form, and excess levels in the skin lead to the quite commonly encountered side effects of irritation,erythema, peeling, acne exacerbation, and photosensitivity. Finally, although no studies have shown the teratogenecity of topical RA as it does not correlate to serum levels, use of RA is discouraged by many providers for any potentially child-bearing woman.
Thus, some researchers have turned to topical retinol for treatment of certain dermatological conditions including acne, solar keratosis, photoaging, hyperpigmentation, and dysplastic nevi. Investigators confirmed that RAL is just as effective as RA but lacks many of its side effects.[153] One animal study that compared topical RAL with RA found both to possess equivalent comedolytic potential.[154] These benefits are achieved through epidermal thickening of atrophic skin, dermal regeneration, and diminishing pigmentation and desquamation of hypertrophic skin. These studies support RAL as a key molecule in the metabolism of vitamin A by keratinocytes.[154]
A study on acne treatment instructed 1,709 patients to use RAL 0·1% and GA 6% in combination with their normal treatments, excluding retinoids. After 90 days, the study reported "very good" or "good" tolerance of the treatment and global efficacy in 97% and 61% of all participants, respectively.[155] In a similar 3-month study, 50% of patients reported "important/very important" global improvement versus 26·3% for vehicle at 2 months, and 86·1% versus 58·8% at 3 months, respectively. The treatment was well-tolerated in all of the patients.[156] Histologic studies have confirmed these clinical studies, with topical RAL and GA decreasing melanin content visualized by Fontana- Masson staining.[/SUP][157][/SUP] Debate over RA versus RAL continues to this day. Many dermatologists believe that skin irritation is a sign of efficacy and lack of erythema is a strong indicator of expected clinical benefit. The author has observed a large volume of patients using over-the-counter cosmetic preparations containing RAL. In this cohort, the anti-aging effects of RAL have been modest at best, and can likely be attributed to the consistent use of a well formulated emollient. On the other hand, those patients utilizing prescription strength formulations containing RA uniformly present with noticeable improvement of fine lines, pigmentation, oiliness, and acneiform lesions albeit with a predictable level of erythema and scaling. Thus, in the best estimate of the author, there has been no clear demonstration that the efficacy of retinoids can be uncoupled from its side effects for these clinical endpoints.
Not surprisingly, vitamin A seems to have the greatest potential for applications in wound healing of all the vitamins. One in vitro porcine study found that vitamin A activates the transforming growth factor (TGF)-ß1 pathway. Injured and non-injured full-thickness ileum explants were harvested from piglets and cultured in serum-free medium supplemented with all-trans retinol for 24 or 48 hours. All concentrations of the retinol accelerated recovery of the wounded ileal wall, and active TGF-ß1 was found only in the explants supplemented with retinol. The study concluded that the increased activation of latent TGF-ß1, a form that appears to increase healing rates, may indeed be due to the presence of vitamin A.[158] A number of experiments confirm RA’s beneficial effects. Guinea pigs pretreated with topical RA healed more quickly than the control group.[159] Another study suggested a role of RA in epidermal regeneration by induction of a heparin-binding epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like growth factor in keratinocytes.[160]
Here is a recap on Retin-A:
http://archderm.ama-assn.org/cgi/con...ract/143/5/606
[Topical application 3x/week in elderly people, left arm vs right arm comparison, 0.4% retinol lotion for 24 weeks]...Topical retinol improves fine wrinkles associated with natural aging. Significant induction of glycosaminoglycan, which is known to retain substantial water, and increased collagen production are most likely responsible for wrinkle effacement. With greater skin matrix synthesis, retinol-treated aged skin is more likely to withstand skin injury and ulcer formation along with improved appearance.
That's regarding the wrinkle benefits, but the scar healing and anti-acne benefits are also documented.
A recipe for vitamin C serum, basically using glycerine, steam distilled water, and ascorbic acid powder. I read about various other formulas incorporating vitamin E, alpha lipoic acid, and even DMAE.
Huh? DMAE?
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15675889
In a randomized clinical study, 3% DMAE facial gel applied daily for 16 weeks has been shown to be safe and efficacious (p < 0.05) in the mitigation of forehead lines and periorbital fine wrinkles, and in improving lip shape and fullness and the overall appearance of aging skin. These effects did not regress during a 2-week cessation of application. Beneficial trends (p > 0.05 but </= 0.1) were noted in the appearance of coarse wrinkles, under-eye dark circles, nasolabial folds, sagging neck skin, and neck firmness. Application was found to be well tolerated, with no differences in the incidence of erythema, peeling, dryness, itching, burning, or stinging between the DMAE and placebo groups. An open-label extension of the trial showed that the long-term application of DMAE gel for up to 1 year was associated with a good safety profile. The acute skin-firming effects of DMAE have been confirmed by quantitative measures of cutaneous tensile strength.
