I used 3mg for my 3.5oz Aquaphor cream. I’ll try higher concentration for my next batch.
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16mg in 400mg Aquafor? Did you mean 400 grams of Aquafor, or some other amount? Thanks!
Sorry that’s a typo, it’s 400 grams of Aquafor for sure
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I read the link suggesting rapamycin may not be that good for the skin last week and skimmed through it again today. Correct me if I am wrong, but it appears to have been for only 5 days with ex-vivo skin samples, and the funding was by a company with vested interests in having their product appear to be the best option. Their conclusions may be valid, but I am skeptical.
The study was funded by OneSkin, Inc., and supported by the Brazilian agencies FAPESP (2017/22057-5 e 2017/01184-9), CAPES, FAPDF, FUNDECT and CNPq.
Yes, I am skeptical.
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Skepticism is always appropriate when it comes to corporate-funded research.
However, given that rapamycin is the most well-known anti-aging molecule, but there is no commercial skin cream with rapamycin that they would be competing against (and only the really extreme geeks would know that topical rapamycin has even even been tried)… it doesn’t seem to me that lying or cheating on this type of analysis is going to be of much value. Its not like most people are comparing a non-prescription peptide cream to a rapamycin cream - so there is not much incentive to scam us on this…
The specific results:
“Rapamycin induced a significant increase in P16 expression, a trend towards increased expression of inflammatory markers (IL6 and IL8), and a significant decrease in Keratin 1 gene expression levels (Fig. 3B).
Are ultimately pretty easy to validate for anyone who has a lab, it seems.
I did try rapamycin cream I made for 6 months - saw a small improvement, but not sure if its worth it , even if it was not harming the skin via inflammation, and decreasing keratin 1 gene expression…
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I read through my comments and see your points. No implication of lying or cheating was meant. I have no doubt their results could easily be verified by other researchers. My skepticism is strongly related to how good a 5 day trial with ex-vivo skin samples can be. I would prefer a 6 months to 12 months trial using the skin cream on a large group of living humans, preferably not sponsored by any special interests. Is that likely? Well, probably not.
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Yes - sadly, not much gov’t funded cosmetic dermatology research… so we have to take what we have…
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I’d trust the study performed with an actual rapamycin cream formulation, done over a period of 8 months, in humans, placebo controlled and blinded, showing positive anti-aging effects way more than the negative study, which was in vitro using cells from cadavers and looking at 100 nM concentration of rapamycin over a 5 day period. There’s just no comparison, IMO.
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I’ve been using the higher concentration of 16mg rapamycin in 3.5oz Aquaphor for almost three months, and I’ve continued to notice a slight creeping forward of my previously-receding hairline (< 1/2"), a little higher hair density, perhaps slight darkening, and a little kinkiness to the hair when there was none before. No dramatic effects, but it seems to be adding up over time.
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I get that LC Labs’ rapa isnt USP, but has anyone had experience with their product or know of that distributors reputation / reliability?
Thanks
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They seem legit - I’ve used them to purchase the rapamycin powder and it came quickly and seemed to be the real thing (I did not have it analyzed / validated at a lab) - and worked well in the skin cream I made with it, at least as well as you might expect.
They are a lab supply company - so you can only buy from them if you work in a lab , or organization that typically can buy reagents and lab supplies…
The instructions are above - blend in transcutol and then in your face creme of choice (e.g. cetaphil).
Also - last night one of our members here - @Jay sent me this document that may be a better approach. As Jay mentioned:
The article notes the standard method is to mix Rapamycin with Transcutol, then mix with Excipial cream with an expected life before degradation of around 3 months. But, it also tells how to make a possibly better and more effective cream that lasts a year with little degradation. It takes careful reading which can be frustrating.
Full Paper: Long-term stability of 0.1% rapamycin hydrophilic gel in the treatment of facial angiofibromas (PDF)
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I’ve had good luck with mixing the powdered pills with 3.5oz Aquaphor. When I got the transcutol, I added enough to make it 2% of the total volume. The consistency and uniformity is good, except for some annoying unmixed bits from the surface of the tablets. I’m using it at a pace to finish it in 3 months.
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New way to improve skin?
Interesting new research:
Full Paper:
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In regards to using topical Rapa, why daily use as opposed to weekly like oral Rapa?
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Weekly is only being done for oral to minimize side effects (immune system down regulation after chronic mTORC1 inhibition), and these are not a concern with topical applications.
Also - another rapamycin for skin aging clinical study is in process:
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I have been using for 6 months really no noticeable difference. Disappointing perhaps it’s so slight it’s not noticeable. I’ll give it a year.
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This thread is about topical rapamycin cream, not oral rapamycin. Topical rapamycin does not get into the blood stream (using Transcutol as the base).
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On that note: I have been using a Transcutol (30%) based rapamycin spray on all parts of my body that are exposed to the sun. After using the spray, intermittently for a few months, because sometimes I just forget or can’t be bothered, I have noticed a significant decrease in “age spots” on the back of my hands and much better skin elasticity.
I am not sure what benefit the spray/lotion would be for young people except perhaps to prevent their skin from aging as quickly.
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What are the other compounds/chemicals in your formulation that make up the other 70% of the solution?
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