Niacinamide Impressive for Skin: Hyperpigmentation, collagen, acne, aging/photodamage

I've been trying a Niacinamide topical for 'age spots' 6 1/2 weeks now, no change in 'Age Spots.'

There are several Niacinamide topicals to choose from, just search Amazon. However, I bought in bulk, 1 pint of a 4% Niacinamide formula seemingly used by many products I see on Amazon. In addition, I purchased Niacinamide powder. Both from:  Essential Wholesale (they have a web site but this forum won't let me post links yet)

After a few days, once sure I tolerated the 4% lotion, I added 1.5 teaspoons of the powder to 4 oz of the lotion. That, I estimated, would bring it up to around 11% by weight (I'm not a chemist, I could be wrong!) Applied liberally 2X per day, after shower in the morning and after washing up before bed.

I think it may have had some evening-out effect. It also either made actinic keratosis spots more visible (due to moisturizing) or fired them up. It could be slowly killing bad cells (like Carac, Fluorouracil Cream)--it could be promoting bad cells--I don't know.  I'll continue to 8 full weeks.

So, bottom line: Doesn't look good for Niacinamide topical for age spots (A benign, localized brownish patch on the skin, often occurring in old age and most often in people with pale, sun-damaged skin. Also called liver spot, senile lentigo.)

Thanks for the feedback Allen. Maybe try a liposomal version?

Paradox wrote:I just happened to see that niacinamide can whiten skin as I was reading about it on wikipedia. I have a patch of skin on my face that is hyperpigmented after healing from a scrape. According to this info (with impressive pictures) niacinamide can drastically *reversibly* reduce hyperpigmentation at a 4% concentration. It also dramatically increases collagen in aged/photodamaged skin, reduces fine lines/wrinkles, and gets rid of acne.

I wonder what the implications are for hair loss, if any? It is dirt cheap, water soluble, and stable at a neutral ph so it can be combined with gels/liquids that are neutral like aloe vera.  I'm going to make a solution to treat the dark spot of skin I have, and I will try applying it to my whole face and hairline. I have to order some, but anyone can try this.

A side note: Niacinamide works great for anxiety, and I just found out why: It acts in a similar way to benzodiazepines. It is a GABA(A) agonist.

Skin: http://www.pgdermatology.com/images/learning_library/anti_aging/PG-Niancinamide-FINAL-090105.pdf

https://squareup.com/market/idealabs-llc

solban provides a great topical, which also has hair benefits

my other post was wrong, a topical niacin does exist, see the link

I didn't know if the reaction was good or bad and I wrote this:

" It also either made actinic keratosis spots more visible (due to moisturizing) or fired them up. It could be slowly killing bad cells (like Carac, Fluorouracil Cream)--it could be promoting bad cells--I don't know."

From what I'm reading, my guess is that it's a good reaction and the AK is being attacked.

This forum won't let me post links but I just searched 'Niacinamide actinic keratosis" and found a really promising Phase II trial with oral Niacinamide and other studies showing it reduced the number of existing AK's after a few months in most. Exciting to me because:
“The risk of progression of AK to invasive SCC has been estimated to range from 0.025% to 16% per year.1”

So I set out to find a way to get rid of the age spots and found something much, much more important to me. Vanity has its purpose!

iuyyighghghgkh wrote:topical doesn't exist

make it yourself

biotin cannot penetrate skin

Many of the products I see seem to be repackaging from the same bulk supplier because many look like the same 5% formula to me. Mostly the same but with a wide range of pricing, packaging, and promotion.

This forum will not let me post links but I got a pint for cheap at a Portland Oregon based distributor named Essential Wholesale. You can buy a gallon if you wish! :-)
They also sell bulk Niacinamide powder. I had quick response and shipping. They seem like a reliable company to me.

NYJets wrote:Thanks for the feedback Allen. Maybe try a liposomal version?

I'm normally pretty good at online searching but can not find a liposomal version of a topical with niacinamide.

There is a company that specializes in liposomal stuff, absorbyourhealth, but they don't have a product with niacinamide that I can see.

Ah Ha! I found a company where I can buy just the liposomed (if that's a word!) Niacinamide. formulatorsampleshop
Then make my own or add to my existing since I have quite a bit of it.

AllenAllen wrote:

NYJets wrote:Thanks for the feedback Allen. Maybe try a liposomal version?

I'm normally pretty good at online searching but can not find a liposomal version of a topical with niacinamide.

There is a company that specializes in liposomal stuff, absorbyourhealth, but they don't have a product with niacinamide that I can see.

Ah Ha! I found a company where I can buy just the liposomed (if that's a word!) Niacinamide. formulatorsampleshop
Then make my own or add to my existing since I have quite a bit of it.

a topical niacin does exist, it just took a while to find

it uses alcohol as a carrier, which may be even better , plus an extra 2 ingredients that are hair specific

https://squareup.com/market/idealabs-llc

I've tried almost every topical and decided to stay with this one. plus it's water soluble

How's your skin and surrounding hair responding to Solban?

too early to say