Pycnogenol supplementation may support hair density in menopausal women, says recent study

A recent study¹ found that supplementation with the French maritime pine bark extract, Pycnogenol (from Horphag Research; Hoboken, NJ), may help improve hair density in women with menopause, during which time women are more likely to be affected by female pattern hair loss. In the single center, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study, 76 menopausal women took either placebo or 50 mg of Pycnogenol three times per day for a total of six months. Subjects were assessed at baseline, after two months, and after six months.

Results showed that supplementation with Pycnogenol was associated with a significant increase in hair density at month two (30% increase) and month six (23% increase). Researchers observed that the improvement in hair density may be due to a decrease in resting flux of the scalp skin, indicating an improvement in microcirculation. Subjects taking Pycnogenol also saw a significant transient decrease in transepidermal water loss in the scalp skin.

Reference

1. Cai, C.; Zeng, B; Lin, L.; Zheng, M.; Burki, C.; Grether-Beck, S.; Krutmann, J. An Oral French Maritime Pine Bark Extract Improves Hair Density in Menopausal Woman: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind Intervention Study. Health Sci. Rep. 2023, 6 (1): e1045, DOI: 10.1002/hsr2.1045