ORAL SKIN SUPPLEMENT

Field of the Invention

The invention relates to skin supplements for improving overall skin health.

Background of the Invention It is a well known fact that the aging process has a deleterious effect on the health and appearance of skin. This is due to the aging process itself in addition to environmental damage. Hormone change additionally contributes to aging of skin.

As women approach peri-menopause, the relative balance of three hormones, namely, estrogen, progesterone and testosterone, create significant changes in the manner in which the hydrophilic layer and the lipophilic layer of the skin behave. A drop in estrogen decreases oil production and a drop in progesterone decreases retention of water in skin. A relative increase in testosterone can also cause acne and rosecea.

Other hormones that also play a role in skin health include growth hormone and insulin. Growth hormone is necessary for the development, healing and repair of all tissues in the body. Its production decreases after the age of 35. This results in thinner skin due to decrease collagen and elastin production. Muscle tone and mass also decrease exaggerating the appearance of saging skin.

Another hormone, insulin, is related to skin appearance. The secretion of insulin increases with age and would increase the craving and consumption of carbohydrates. In the skin, insulin breaks down muscle and causes general fluid retention. This makes skin appear weak and puffy. It also causes damage to small arteries that supply the skin with oxygen and nutrients.

Biological processes in the human body and exposure to the environment, which includes sun, air pollution, toxins, cigarette smoke and pollutants, create free radicals. Free radicals cause damage to cells via damage to DNA . This results in abnormal new tissue growth. In the skin, it causes freckles, wrinkles, moles, and in some cases, skin cancer.

Aging increases the body's inflammatory and immune responses, often exaggerating its normal response to its environment. This exaggerated response in turn causes premature damage to the body's tissues as a result of overproduction of inflammatory enzymes.

This damage is manifested in the commonly understood condition of allergies. Allergic responses of the skin includeeczema, flushing and redness.

Previously available skin treatments to prevent or mitigate effects of aging and environmental exposure have employed topical compositions to skin. These approaches have limited success because it is very difficult to absorb nutrients required for skin health into the body through the skin. This is due to the larger size of these molecules realtive to the skin pore size.

There is, therefore, a need for a skin care composition that can be effectively absorbed into the cells of the epidermal and dermal skin layers to provide improved benefits to skin health and to combat the effects of aging and environmental damage.

Summary of the Invention

The invention relates to a composition for improving the health and appearance of skin. The composition includes an antioxidant, an essential fatty acid, an amino acid, and white tea extract.

According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided an oral composition for improving the health of skin comprising an antioxidant, an essential fatty acid, an amino acid, and white tea extract.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of improving the health and appearance of skin comprising orally administering to a patient a composition for improving the health of skin comprising an antioxidant, an essential fatty acid, an amino acid, and white tea extract.

According to yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided the use of an oral composition for improving the health of skin comprising an antioxidant, an essential fatty acid, an amino acid, and white tea extract.

Detailed Description of the Invention

The present invention is a skin health composition that is surprisingly effective in improving the health of human skin when administered orally. The skin care composition of the present invention includes an antioxidant, an essential fatty acid, an amino acid and white tea extract. Preferably, the composition also includes a phytohormone, a skin mineral, Vitamin B and a bioflavanoid.

Antioxidants

Antioxidants of the present invention are also known as radical scavengers. They protect cells from damage caused by free radicals. Antioxidants interact with and stabilize free radicals and may prevent some of the damage free radicals otherwise might cause. They have also demostrated anti-inflammatory properties. Vitamin C is required for the synthesis of collagen, an important structural component of blood vessels, tendons, ligaments, and bone.

Antioxidants within the meaning of this disclosure include beta-carotene, lycopene, vitamins C, E, and A, lipoic acid and other antioxidants known in the art.

The composition includes from about 10% to about 40% by weight of the composition of an antioxidant, preferably 15% to 35% and most preferably from 20% to 30%.

The most preferred antioxidants are Vitamin C, Vitamin E and lipoic acid. Preferably, the composition includes a mixture of Vitamin C, Vitamin E and lipoic acid. Preferably, the composition includes from about 15% to about 30% by weight of

Vitamin C, about 1% to 10% by weight of Vitamin E and about 1% to 10% by weight of lipoic acid.

Amino acids

Amino acids are the molecular units that make up proteins. All proteins are various compositions of twenty specific naturally occurring amino acids. Proteins are the building blocks of hormones and tissues.

The composition of the present invention preferably has an amino acid content of from about 20% to about 60% by weight, more preferably from about 25% to about

55% and most preferably from about 35% to about 45%. The preferred amino acids for the purposes of the present invention are lysine and arginine. Preferably, the composition includes about equal amounts of arginine and lysine. Preferably, this amount is about 21% by weight of the composition of each of lysine and arginine.

Essential Fatty Acids

Essential fatty acids are those fatty acids that humans cannot synthesize, and must be obtained through diet. They are long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids derived from linolenic, linoleic, and oleic acids. Essential fatty acids are necessary for the formation of healthy cell membranes, the proper development and functioning of the brain and nervous system, and for the production of hormone-like substances called eicosanoids (thromboxanes, leukotrienes, prostaglandins). These chemicals regulate numerous body functions including blood pressure, blood viscosity, vasoconstriction, immune and inflammatory responses. Humans have the ability to convert the linoleic and alpha-linolenic acid to longer chain fatty acids, which serve as precursors for eicosanoids. Omega-3 fatty acids and omega-6 fatty acids are essential fatty acids. Key omega-3 fatty acids include eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexanoic acid (DHA), both found primarily in oily cold-water fish such as tuna, salmon, and mackerel.

The present composition includes about 1% to about 10% by weight of an essential fatty acid. More preferably from about 2% to about 6%. Most preferably the composition includes about 4% by weight of an essential fatty acid.

The present composition preferably includes a source of DHA. Most preferably the DHA is derived from a powder known commercially as neuromins. 600mg of the neuromins powder provides about 78mg of DHA.

The composition of the present invention can also include various combinations of essential fatty acids.

White Tea Extract

The composition includes white tea extract. White tea is a rare tea from the same plant

(Camellia sinensis) as green and black teas. White tea is the least processed of all teas,

as it is picked then rapidly steamed and dried rather than fermented or roasted. White tea's primary benefit is as an antioxidant, squelching free radicals. White tea extract delivers anti-skin cancer properties and boosts cell immunity against skin aging.

Preferably, white tea extract is included in the composition in an amount of from about 5% to about 15% of the composition. Most preferably the white tea extract content is about 10% by weight of the composition.

Phvtohormones

The composition preferably includes a phytohormone. Phvtohormones function to coordinate plant growth and development. Compounds that are considered to be phytohormones for the purposes of the present invention include, indole-3 -acetic acid (auxin), cytokinin, gibberellin, ethylene, abscisic acid, brassinosteroids, jasmonic acid, salicylic acid, fiavonoids, carbohydrates, fatty acids, peptides and phenolic acids and alcohols.

The present composition includes about 1% to about 10% by weight of the composition of a phytohormone. More preferably from about 2% to about 6%. Most preferably, the composition includes about 3% by weight of the composition of a phytohormone.

Preferably, the phytohormone is a soy isoflavone. The composition may also include various combinations of phytohormones.

Bioflavanoids

The composition preferably includes a bioflavanoid that acts as a vasoconstrictor to help decrease redness and/or flushing. The bioflavanoid is preferably present in an amount from about 2% to about 6% by weight of the composition. Most preferably, the composition includes about 4% by weight of the bioflavanoid. The preferred bioflavanoids for the purposes of the present invention are hesperidin and grape seed extract. For grape seed extract, the preferred content is about 1% to about 3% by weight of the composition. Most preferably, the composition includes about 1.5% by weight of the grape seed extract.

Other Ingredients

The composition may include other ingredients such as Vitamin B. The preferred form of Vitamin B is Vitamin B3, also known as niacinamide. Niacinamide is preferably present in an amount of about 3% to 10% by weight of the composition. Most preferably, it is present in an amount of about 5% by weight of the composition.

The composition also preferably includes minerals such as calcium and zinc in an amount of about 1% by weight of the composition.

Delivery Vehicles The composition is administered orally. Tablets containing various excipients such as sodium citrate, calcium carbonate and dicalcium phosphate may be employed along with various disintegrants such as starch and preferably potato or tapioca, starch, alginic acid and certain complex silicates, together with binding agents such as polyvinylpyrrolidone, gelatin and acacia. Additionally, lubricating agents such as magnesium stearate, sodium lauryl sulfate and talc are often very useful for tabletting purposes. Preferably the composition is delivered orally via a gelatine capsule.

Similar excipients may also be used as fillers in soft and hard-filled gelatin capsules.

The excipients may also include the high molecular weight polyethylene glycols.

Other preferred excipients include: anhydrous lactose, low moisture microcrystalline cellulose, and anhydrous calcium phosphate dibasic and other suitable low moisture or anhydrous diluents.

Compositions

The following compositions set out in Tables I and II are preferred compositions of the present invention.

Table I: Composition A

Examples

Example 1

Patient A, a teenager with active acne had been treated over a three month period with topical treatments including skin care products and topical prescription medications. Topical treatments were inadequate in resolving active breakouts of pimples and the formation of cystic acne. The addition of oral supplementation that included antioxidants, essential amino acids and fatty acids dramatically improved the overall recovery and health of acne prone skin.

Example 2

Patient B, a menopausal patient recently off hormone replacement therapy complained of dryness of the skin and acne breakouts after receiving topical skin care treatment. With the addition of oral supplments that included antioxidants, essential amino acids and essential fatty acids and phytohormones, the patient noted dramatically improved moisture and a decrease of flushing and breakouts of the skin.

Example 3

Patient C, an atopic patient with allergy history was unable to keep eczema under control with topical creams including skin moisturizers and steroid medication. With the addition of oral supplements that included antioxidants, essential amino acids and essential fatty acids, the patient noted a decrease and improvement in eczema.

Those skilled in the art will recognize, or be able to ascertain using no more than routine experimentation, many equivalents to the embodiments of the invention

described specifically above. Such equivalents are intended to be encompassed in the scope of the following claims.

Various embodiments of the present invention having been thus described in detail by way of example, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variations and modifications may be made without departing from the invention. The invention includes all such variations and modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims.