Who it's for
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Everyone to protect the skin against lowered immunity.
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Patients with epidermal pigmentation who need a long-term daily pigmentation maintenance product. Niacinamide Serum contains three ingredients to help reduce pigmentation: niacinamide, undecylnoyl phenylalanine (UCPA) and ascorbyl glucoside. Niacinamide can be used without side-effects for long periods of time.
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Patients with sensitive skin. Niacinamide improves barrier function and reduces trans-epidermal water loss.
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Patients with excessive oily shine. Niacinamide regulates sebum, reducing oily shine and helping acne-prone patients.
Main Points
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Niacinamide helps protect the skin's immune function. Your skin contains cells called Langerhans cells, which are responsible for triggering the body's responses to immune abnormalities in the skin. Langerhans cells can detect abnormalities including microbial activity and precancerous lesions. But when the skin is exposed to UV light, Langerhans cell activity is suppressed, making it harder for the cells to protect the skin's immunity. Topical niacinamide has been shown to help those cells maintain their function throughout the day, resulting in healthier, more viable skin.
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Another important use of niacinamide is in pigmentation maintenance. Niacinamide gently suppresses transfer of melanosome packets from the melanocyte to the keratinocyte. The importance of niacinamide for pigmentation lies in its ability to be used long-term. First-line prescription treatments such as hydroquinone are not conventionally prescribed for long periods of time, due to concerns about their long-term safety and efficacy. Niacinamide is ideal as a long-term pigmentation maintenance product for use with, or after, other therapies such as hydroquinone or light-based treatments.
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Niacinamide is also wonderful for patients with oily shine! Niacinamide helps regulate excessive sebum output without leaving patients feeling dry or stripped. It is also an effective adjunct to adult acne therapy, to help prevent excessive sebaceous activity which can promote acne lesions.
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Finally, niacinamide helps alleviate skin sensitivity in patients. It is particularly useful in patients with conditions such as rosacea in reducing reactivity of the skin to irritants.
PATIENT BENEFITS
o Helps protect skin immune functions
o Improves signs of sun damage, including wrinkles and dryness/roughness
o Ideal as maintenance treatment for hyperpigmentation
o Helps regulate sebum production
o Reduces sensitivity / anti-irritant
NEED TO KNOW
o Niacinamide strengthens skin immune defence by preventing suppression of the skin's immune responses to UVR.
o Reduces melanotic hyperpigmentation in 2 ways:
1. Melanotropin (_ -MSH) Inhibition (Undecylenoyl phenylalanine)
2. Melanosome Transfer Inhibition (Niacinamide)
o Non-cytotoxic - may be used over large areas for extended periods without risk of melanocytotoxicity.
o Ascorbyl Glucoside - stable vitamin C analogue. Skin lightening and anti-oxidant properties.
o Palmitoyl pentapeptide-3 - stimulates production of collagen.
PRODUCT USAGE
o Niacinamide Serum may be used morning and night.
o May be used over entire facial area, neck, chest and backs of hands.
o Should be used in combination with anti-oxidant vitamins A, C, and E (Rationale Rejuvenating Serum) and zinc oxide sunscreen (Rationale Daily Dose SPF 25+)
INGREDIENTS
Water (S), Niacinamide (L), Glycerin (and) Glyceryl Polyacrylate (M), Glycerin (M), Ascorbyl Glucoside (AO), Glycerin (and) Butylene Glycol (and) Aqua (and) Carbomer (and) Polysorbate 20 (and) Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-3 (L/M), Undecylenoyl Phenylalanine (L), Sodium Hyaluronate (M), Diazolidinyl Urea (P), Methylparaben (P), Propylparaben (P), Rosemary Essential Oil, White Tea Essential Oil (AO).
Codebreaker: L=skin lightener, M=moisturiser, P=preservative, S=solvent AO=anti-oxidant.
EXPLANATIONS
Niacinamide 10%
(Vitamin B3) Helps prevent photo-immunosuppression caused by UVR.
Inhibits melanosome transfer to the keratinocytes. Also assists down-regulation of sebum production.
Ascorbyl Glucoside 2%
(Ascorbic Acid 2-Glucoside)
Promotes synthesis of collagen by fibroblasts.
Reduces fine lines and wrinkles.
Helps suppress melanin synthesis.
Undecylenoyl phenylalanine 0.5%
(UCPA)
Melanotropin inhibitor (_ MSH antagonist). Competes with melanotropin at the MC1R receptor on the melanocyte, thus inhibiting melanogenesis.
Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-3 Stimulates fibroblasts to produce collagen and elastin, resulting in reduction of the appearance of wrinkles
Sodium Hyaluronate Increases hydration in upper epidermis.
KNOWN CONTRAINDICATIONS/PRECAUTIONS
Pregnancy There is insufficient data about the safety of this product during pregnancy. Patients should be made aware of this at time of consultation.
Phenylketonurics This product contains phenylalanine which cannot be metabolised by PKUs and should be avoided by these patients.
STUDIES
NIACINAMIDE
In vivo studies indicate that topical niacinamide prevents photo-immunosuppression related to UVR exposure. A reduction in subsequent tumor incidence has also been reported.
In vitro and in vivo studies suggest that niacinamide may successfully inhibit melanosome transfer from the melanocyte to the keratinocyte, resulting in reduction of melanotic hyperpigmented lesions. In certain in vitro models, niacinamide achieved a 35-68% inhibition of melanosome transfer. In clinical studies of 120 women over 4 weeks, niacinamide was shown to significantly reduce epidermal hypermelanosis.
ASCORBYL GLUCOSIDE
Ascorbyl glucoside shows analogous clinical effects to vitamin C when applied topically. This is due to the degradation of the glucoside component of the molecule in the skin by ±-glucosidase, leaving vitamin C. Ascorbyl glucoside demonstrates stimulation of collagen synthesis, as well as free radical scavenging properties. In vitro studies with cultured cells also show the ability of ascorbyl glucoside to suppress melanin production.
UNDECYLENOYL PHENYLALANINE
Research in vitro indicates that UCPA inhibits melanogenesis by acting as an _ -MSH antagonist, suppressing the melanotropin cascade, resulting in decreased tyrosinase synthesis.
PALMITOYL PENTAPEPTIDE-3
The amino acid sequence lysine-theronine-theronine-lysine-serine has been found to positively affect feedback regulation of collagen synthesis when applied topically.
