Keeping Skin Healthy and Young with OPCs

As our skin ages, it loses its flexibility.  The primary cause of this is due to the cumulative effects of sun exposure, which alter your skin structure and reduce the amount of protein produced by your skin.  

Here's a little experiment you can do.  Pinch the skin on the back of your hand, younger healthy skin will spring back very quickly, skin that has aged will return to position very slowly.  

You can also compare the apparent age of skin on different parts of your own body.  Compare the smoothness of the skin on a sun-exposed area of your body to a sun-protected area of your body.  The difference = the sun.  

The sun causes free radicals to fuse molecules of the skin protein collagen together.  

The proteins in non-damaged skin freely slide over each other and spring back when stretched.  As time goes on and our exposure to the sun accumulates, the ultraviolet energy in the sunlight interacts with the fats in our skin to produce free radicals.  These free radicals damage the proteins in the skin by linking them together, so they don't easily slide over one another.  

This is where the strong protective effects of OPCs play their role of destroying free radicals, which in turn lessens sun damage to your skin.  

Here are four ways OPCs have been shown to support skin health: 

1. OPCs help rebuild skin tissues, making your skin more flexible and smoother which in turn will help it appear younger and healthier.  

2. OPCs also improve the permeability of blood capillaries by improving the production of a gel-like substance between the cells which promotes and protects two major skins proteins called collagen and elastin. 

3. OPCs also bind to collagen and elastin and help protect them from enzymes that break them down.  By doing this it helps reduce the thinning of skin that develops with aging.  OPCs help the skin rebuild thickness and elasticity which are essential for skin smoothness. 

4. OPCs have also been shown to protect against sunburn.  People who are well protected by antioxidants have found that their skin does not burn as quickly in the sun.  Sunburn is inflammation that is a result from the free radicals produced from the sun interacting with the fat cells of your skin.  This being said, OPCs should not be your only protection from the sun - it is also recommended to use sunblock, wear a hat and manage how long you are exposed to direct sunlight.  

In summary OPCs, have been well research for their effect on supporting healthy skin.   That's one of MANY reasons we packed our OPCXtra with 6 powerful plant based sources of OPCs: pine bark extract, red wine extract, grape seed extract, bilberry extract, green tea extract and citrus bioflavonoids.  

Here is what our OptiHealth Family has to say about OPCs for Skin Health:

"Can’t say enough about it. It has improved my eyesight, cleared up my carpal tunnel and I continually get compliments on how young I look and how great my skin tone. Started using OPC in my mid-thirties,; I’m about to hit 71! I am convinced OPC is the best! " - Joann D. 

"I'm on my third bottle! I feel good, less pains and aches for sure. My skin looks better and my sleep pattern improved significantly!" - Patricia J.

"I’ve been using OPC daily for nearly 20 years, now. I don’t burn when I work for hours outside under our hot, fierce sun. A couple of times I ran out during the winter months, and noticed that my skin grew more pale during the time I was waiting to get a replacement. A few days after restarting, my skin always began taking on its normal, deeper shade of olive. So, I know for sure that the product is working! I think it’s also greatly slowed down and lessened the appearance of the normal wrinkles of aging. OPC is wonderful. I want to never be without it." - Jennifer M. 

"I am on month 4 of taking OptiHealth products. I like it so much better than taking a multitude of vitamins and supplements. And I know this is superior quality compared to the drug store supplements. I also take XtraVite and CalX also. At first I didn’t see or feel different. But as it became my morning routine everyday, I began to feel it. Great energy and glowing skin (my friends noticed). I’ll be turning 56 next month and I’m feeling 30 again. I don’t always eat properly, but I feel taking OptiHealth helps safeguard against most illnesses. I would highly recommend this product!" - Susie E. 

Source: 

"Live Better Longer. The Science Behind the Amazing Health Benefits of OPC" by Richard A. Passwater, Ph.D.