Hi, I've been "lurking" for a while & reading posts, but just started to post. I have a question about alpha lipoic acid. I've read so many great things about it for skin. Does anybody here take it as a supplement? If so, how much is the recommended dose? Do you notice an improvement or difference in your skin after taking it?
Thanks!

Alpha lipoic acid regenerates other antioxidants. It slows tissue aging when taken internally.

From Wikipedia

Lipoic acid was first postulated to be an effective antioxidant when it was found it prevented the symptoms of vitamin C and vitamin E deficiency. It is able to scavenge reactive species. The relatively good scavenging activity of lipoic acid is due to the strained conformation of the 5-membered ring in the intramolecular disulfide.[21] In cells, lipoic acid can be reduced to dihydrolipoic acid (ΔE= -0.288). Dihydrolipoic acid is able to regenerate (reduce) antioxidants, such as glutathione, vitamin C and vitamin E, maintaining a healthy cellular redox state.[22][23] Lipoic acid has been shown in cell culture experiments to increase cellular uptake of glucose by recruiting the glucose transporter GLUT4 to the cell membrane, suggesting its use in diabetes.[24][25] Studies of rat aging have suggested that the use of L-carnitine and lipoic acid results in improved memory performance and delayed structural mitochondrial decay.[26] As a result, it may be helpful for people with Alzheimer's disease or Parkinson's disease.[27] Since the early 1990s lipoic acid has been used as a dietary supplement, typically at doses in the range of 100–200 mg/day. In a chronic/carcinogenicity study in rats, it is reported that racemic lipoic acid was found to be non-carcinogenic and did not show any evidence of target organ toxicity. The NOAEL is considered to be 60 mg/kg bw/day.[28]

quote:

Originally posted by claudia:
Hi, I've been "lurking" for a while & reading posts, but just started to post. I have a question about alpha lipoic acid. I've read so many great things about it for skin. Does anybody here take it as a supplement? If so, how much is the recommended dose? Do you notice an improvement or difference in your skin after taking it?
Thanks!

Hi there, Claudia! I take ALA in my multi vitamin from vitacost. It's 100 mg.

Thanks for the info Dr. Pickart, I read the same thing on Wikipedia. I was hoping to get some feedback from people who already take it. Summerwave: Do you notice any difference in your skin, or is it more preventative? Dr. Perricone writes about ALA as if it is a wrinkle miracle cure. I actually bought into the Perricone skincare for a while, but it was so expensive & I didn't see any improvement in my skin. Actually, I think it made my skin look quite dull. Which is why I am thinking of taking the ALA internally.
Thanks!

There is no credible evidence that alpha lipoic acid reduces wrinkles when used in skin creams.

There are thousands of miracle anti-wrinkle creams but very, very few rigorous studies. Many studies claiming to reduce wrinkles are phony. Mild swelling of the skin (edema) reduces wrinkles. Skin that has been exposed to sun and wind will look better after being treated with any covering such as butter, olive oil, bacon grease, etc.

The key is the underlying biochemistry - does it do what skin renewal requires?

quote:

Originally posted by claudia:
Thanks for the info Dr. Pickart, I read the same thing on Wikipedia. I was hoping to get some feedback from people who already take it. Summerwave: Do you notice any difference in your skin, or is it more preventative? Dr. Perricone writes about ALA as if it is a wrinkle miracle cure. I actually bought into the Perricone skincare for a while, but it was so expensive & I didn't see any improvement in my skin. Actually, I think it made my skin look quite dull. Which is why I am thinking of taking the ALA internally.
Thanks!

I don't know if there is any difference because I take a lot of different supplements and topical treatments. I'm just taking it for its antioxidant benefits.