An oral French maritime pine bark extract improves hair density in menopausal women: A randomized, placebo‐controlled, double blind intervention study

Abstract

Background and Aims Female pattern hair loss affects females of all ages with a trend to increase after menopause. This disorder may have significant psychological impact and lead to anxiety and depression. Objective In a single center, double blind, randomized, placebo‐controlled study, the effects of oral Pycnogenol® intake (3 × 50 mg/day for a total of 6 months) on hair density, scalp microcirculation, and a variety of skin physiological parameters was studied in Han Chinese menopausal women (N = 76) in Shanghai, China. Methods Measurements were taken at the beginning and after 2 and 6 months, respectively. Hair density was determined by digital photographs and further evaluated by Trichoscan software. Transepidermal water loss was measured by a humidity sensor in a closed chamber on the skin surface. Changes in microcirculation were detected as resting flux on the scalp by reflection photoplethysmography. Results Pycnogenol® intake significantly increased hair density by 30% and 23% after 2 and 6 months of treatment, respectively, as detected by Trichoscan® evaluation of digital photographs. Interestingly, photoplethysmography revealed that this beneficial effect was associated with a decrease in resting flux of the scalp skin, which might indicate an improvement of microcirculation. None of these effects were observed in the placebo taking group. In addition, a significant transient decrease of transepidermal water loss was observed in scalp skin under Pycnogenol,® but not placebo treatment. Conclusion Oral intake of Pycnogenol® might have the potential to reduce hair loss in postmenopausal women.

Pycnogenol® French maritime pine bark extract in randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled human clinical studies

“…Pycnogenol R 's favorable impact on blood circulation was demonstrated in multiple ways, like the improvement of endothelial function or microcirculation in clinical RDP trials on cardiovascular health, chronic venous insufficiency, on skin and hair health, eye health and menopause (9, 11, 12, 20-22, 28-33, 43-47). Improved skin elasticity, skin moisture, joint flexibility and hair health illustrate the beneficial effects of Pycnogenol R on the extracellular matrix, observed in RDP studies (40)(41)(42)(43)(44). The complementarity of these mechanisms justifies Pycnogenol R 's positive effects on its largely diversified areas of application.…”

“…A study on skin health and one recently published study on hair quality have shown Pycnogenol ® ’s effects on beauty and skin health in RDP setups ( 43 , 44 ).…”

“…A recently published RDP study identified Pycnogenol ® as a natural, safe and effective supplement for women who face hair thinning ( 44 ). 76 healthy menopausal women between 45 and 60 years were randomly assigned to either take 150 mg Pycnogenol ® per day or placebo for six months.…”

“…Pycnogenol R has been shown to have four main effects being its antioxidative effects (9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14), its anti-inflammatory action (15-18), its positive impact on blood circulation (9,(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24) and its reinforcing effects on the extracellular matrix (25,26) (Figure 1). Mainly through these mechanisms (27), Pycnogenol R supplementation has been shown in RDP human clinical trials to beneficially affect cardiovascular health (9,11,12,(20)(21)(22)(28)(29)(30)(31), chronic venous insufficiency (32,33), cognition (13,14,(34)(35)(36)(37)(38)(39), joint health (40)(41)(42), skin health (43,44), eye health (45,46), women's health (12,47,48), respiratory health and allergies (49)(...…”

Efficacy of a wheat polar lipid complex in reducing hair loss and improving hair growth in healthy women: A randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled clinical study

“…While the supplementation during 6 months with the blend showed a significant reduction in the number of hairs removed in the pull test, the study did not report any beneficial effect on hair growth. Additionally, a French pine bark extract, rich in proanthocyanidins, was recently reported to clinically improve total hair density in Chinese menopausal women following a 6-month supplementation, but without mentioning if the supplementation specifically improved anagen hair density and therefore hair growth [36].…”