DNA in skincare:Is Nivea DNAge=RemergentDNA? cheaper option?
EDS Skin Care Forums Forum Index » Skin Care and Makeup Forum

free skin care · Sat Feb 03, 2007 2:55 pm

Here's in a nutshell what I think Remergent DNA Repair is supposed to do.

Okay, we're hit by UV radiation. It damages part of a strand of DNA. A cell with messed up DNA isn't going to divide; it's just going to die.

How terrible. Say 1 skin cell was going to become 2. Now you get none. Nobody wants to lose living skin cells.

The good thing is your body has enzymes to repair DNA. They can cut the damaged part of DNA off, insert some undamaged nucleotides, and then link the new section in with the rest of the strand.

What Remergent is saying is that they can supply your skin with more of these DNA repair enzymes, in addition to what you already have. They get these enzymes from algae or something. I think Remergent's claim to fame isn't these enzymes however. It's the fact that they've found a way, they say, to deliver them into cells via liposomes, like little fat sacks filled with water with the enzymes in the water.

The Nivea site is really confusing with all these pop ups. I don't think they're giving you these DNA repair enzymes, so it's not a replacement for Remergent. They probably just put DNA in the name, because it sounds cool.

The question is whether these DNA repair enzymes actually work so that you would want to buy Remergent's DNA Repair Formula.

I've used a bottle of the stuff, and it didn't do anything for me.

See, what I don't get is how such a product would correct past DNA damage. If I suffered DNA damage in the past and my own repair enzymes didn't take care of it, I probably just lost the cell. It hasn't been dividing or else I would have all these cells with damaged DNA.

Now if past DNA damage just means the damage you took a few seconds ago when the sun hit you, then I guess they could say it corrects past damage. But that's pretty shady.

In my mind I think the DNA Repair formula is more like Vit C in that it's preventative. I don't think it's taking care of wrinkles, age spots, etc. So if you like it for its preventative capabilities buy it. If you're looking for something to correct previous damage, I think you could spend your money elsewhere.

free skin care · Sun Feb 04, 2007 7:43 pm

Okay, this topic made me curious so I went and read the scientific publications by the original scientists. I disregarded the articles that were published in what is generally thought of as "publication mill" type vehicles and took a good look at the articles in more respected publications.

The original research is being done for patients with a genetic disease called Xeroderma Pigmentosum (XP). Among many other problems, people with XP have damaged DNA that can't repair UV damage to their skin leading to bad skin cancer. The company is currently studying if liposomes can carry specific DNA repair enzymes into the skin of people with XP via a lotion. This won't repair any damage that's happened (i.e. cells that are damaged already or have turned into skin cancer) and will only try to prevent more damage. The company is not claiming that the technology will "cure" the DNA damage. The preliminary results with a limited number of subjects shows that it may be preventing some of the occurence of skin cancers. I don't have the raw data so I can't tell how they did their calculations. It makes a difference depending on the type of patient in the study, levels of UV exposure and whether the patient changed activities during the study. Anyway, I hope that this research is successful since it would really help the people with XP.

As for using the technology in commercial skincare, it's still questionable. The studies are using very specific DNA repair enzymes for some of the people with XP. There are 7 types of XP so each lotion would have to be customized with the specific DNA repair enzyme in the liposomes to target the specific type of XP. In general skincare, they'd have to include such a wide array of DNA repair enzymes to meet the needs of the different women using the product that it would be cost prohibitive. I'd say that the more likely scenario is that the lipsomes can help carry the actives into the cell better.

For people without a genetic disease causing an increased risk for DNA damage in their skin cells, wearing a good sunscreen will probably be a better and cheaper way to prevent sun damage.

free skin care · Mon Feb 05, 2007 12:41 am

Wow! Thank you RMB and Genie. I find this topic so fascinating and I appreciate your insights, and all other responses as well.

I understand much better now how Remergent is claiming this works, and yes, if the product did find a way to repair DNA damage be delivering enzymes through liposomes, then they would be making front-page news and it would mark a huge milestone in the research for people with genetic diseases. It's the word "repair" in "Remergent DNA Repair" that had me skeptical. I just didn't see how a topical lotion could in fact repair past DNA damage. Using it for preventative measures makes sense, but then this means that their marketing is misleading.

I wonder then, if the Nivea DNAge is also preventative. Must be. I also wonder if i could supply my skin with the enzymes necessary through other means (cheaper means!), for example, the algae in Remergent and Folic Acid and Creatine in Nivea DNAge. I could just rely on the algae in a DIY mask, keep taking my multi vitamin that has folic acid in it, and get creatine from another supplement. Done!

Now if i can only find out if the "liposome-carrier" truly works. But still, for preventative measures only, it's an expensive way to prevent skin cancer. I may just stick to a good sunscreen once my current Remergent bottle is finished, although I will be watching this technology for future developments, as it's a fascinating field!

Anyone else with thoughts on this, please chime in.

Thanks for all your help! Very Happy

free skin care · Mon Feb 05, 2007 2:50 am

Genie, I am not sure which product you are referring to but the info on the Remergent skin cancer product can be found at:
http://www.agiderm.com/dimericine.php

This may also help people understand the basics behind the Remergent skin care line.

Automatic Message

If this is your first visit to the EDS Forums please take the time to register. Registration is required for you to post on the forums. Registration will also give you the ability to track messages of interest, send private messages to other users, participate in Gift Certificates draws and enjoy automatic discounts for shopping at our online store. Registration is free and takes just a few seconds to complete.

Click Here to join our community.

If you are already a registered member on the forums, please login to gain full access to the site.