154 replies to this topic

[vegacosmetics]

Apart from the MB it's all natural ingredients; the base is sunflower oil.

[Hebbeh]

Just today I received a tub of the vegacosmetics MB and have just tried it.  I will report back.  It seems interesting and if MB works, I have hopes I will see some improvement.  Although my skin is decent for a 61 year old male.

[capob]

There are quite a few studies on pubmed that reflect this study

 

- `Methylene blue (MB) acts as a photosensitizer and after excitation by visible light (VL) produces reactive oxygen species that result in oxidative damage to DNA` : Reduced host cell reactivation of oxidatively damaged DNA in ageing human fibroblasts. [23525587]

 

I would not recommend using MB topically in the presence of light.

 

[vegacosmetics]

There are quite a few studies on pubmed that reflect this study

 

- `Methylene blue (MB) acts as a photosensitizer and after excitation by visible light (VL) produces reactive oxygen species that result in oxidative damage to DNA` : Reduced host cell reactivation of oxidatively damaged DNA in ageing human fibroblasts. [23525587]

 

I would not recommend using MB topically in the presence of light.

 

 

 

 

This isn't relevant at the concentrations used to illicit skin rejuvenation effects

[vegacosmetics]

I have 8x100ml pots of my MB skin cream available to clear; I don't think I will be making another batch as it's a lot of hassle and I only just about break even. I will accept £50 by Paypal for the 8, delivered to wherever you are in the world.

[The Capybara]

"This isn't relevant at the concentrations used to illicit skin rejuvenation effects"

So, on your own, without any data or any published research cited, you've decided that your home made methylene blue cream is both effective for collagen production within the skin and isn't a photosensitizer?

If you search this thread, not too far back, you'll see that all research papers on the topical application of methylene blue were totally unable to get the compound to diffuse into intact skin. Yet you claim to have done this on your own, at home?

You also claim that all the published observations about methylene blue becoming a reactive molecule with exposure to light don't apply to your homemade cream?

You are either an amazing researcher, having achieved what no other research group has, and feeling that your claims need no explanation at all, or you're just a B.S. artist.

The definition of "illicit" (used above in your post) means "forbidden by laws, rules, or customs". Perhaps unintentionally accurate.

[soraya78]

Well MB increases skin thickness in the Nature paper, so that should help a little with everything. From photos I've seen needling can help with nasolabial fold marks.


I've got a three month experiment running at the moment with the aim of increasing my subcutaneous fat layer back to what it was 5-10 years ago. This should go a long way to restoring youthful looks, as well as improving insulin sensitivity. 3 weeks in and results so far are encouraging. Once I've got further with it (and longecity lets me post more regularly), I'll give some more details.

I would love to know more about this.

[RIURAO]

Wow !!!! Waiting excited for your results !! Didnt have enought time to start the experiment with the dermaroller, but i will in the next months

[pingaaa]

Didn't that russian study just use MB in saline? Not an expert but barrier diffusion should increase in an oil base? Any new research on this?

Edited by pingaaa, 20 May 2018 - 06:11 AM.

[Psy]

Any update?

[QuestforLife]

I would love to know more about this.

 

I used a regime of pioglitazone to try and increase subQ fat and make my face look fuller. It did seem to case some improvement, but I chickened out after 2 months because of worries about bladder cancer. 

 

It is interesting that over the time since we started discussing MB, a company (spun out of the university dept that did the MB skin study) now exists selling methylene blue. 

 

https://bluelene.com/

 

They have very good reviews. 

 

Anyone used it? 

[Lady4T]

Thank you for posting that info, QuestforLife.  I didn't know.

Did you buy it?

I think I will order a jar.

[QuestforLife]

Thank you for posting that info, QuestforLife.  I didn't know.

Did you buy it?

I think I will order a jar.

 

Not yet, it's on my list to try. 

[asier]

Hi!

 

I would like to ask 2 things

 

there are 2 posibilities in order to difuse the blue methylene better

one is using DMSO 10%

and the other is using concentrated liposome additive

 

mixing both together, will DMSO dissolve the liposome additive?

do we know if blue methylene is bigger than 500 dalton ?(500 dalton rule said that >500 bigger atoms can't go inside dermis)

 

In order to make the cream we also need to know what emulsifier can penetrate the epidermis.

 

thanks

 

[BieraK]

And we still don't know how many mg of MB put into 100 gram cream to make a DIY version of this lol

[JohnBoyTheGreat]

Here's a quick update on needling a USP grade methylene blue solution (60mg/ml) into the skin of my inner forearm using sterile 2mm needles. The unpigmented spot seen in the first image was the control, which was similarly needled with only saline solution. The healing time between these pictures was 11 days.

 

So the pictures seem to indicate that MB needled into the skin at 60mg/ml is detrimental to skin health, based upon your pictures.

 

Why such a high concentration of MB?
 

[JohnBoyTheGreat]

From the original study:

 

"During this two-week incubation period, we noticed the skin tissues treated with high concentrations of MB (5.0 μM and above) started to appear blue after 3 days, suggesting that MB dosage needs to be limited to avoid its colorant side effect on skin appearance. The tissues treated with lower concentrations of MB (from 0.1 μM to 2.5 μM) did not show any tissue coloring. Consistent with the ability of MB to stimulate cell proliferation, we noticed that, at the dosage of 0.5 μM, MB significantly increased cell viability in comparison to the PBS control. In addition, the tissues treated with higher concentrations of MB (5.0 μM and 10.0 μM) showed a reduction in cell viability (Fig. 4D). Based on these results, it can be concluded that low concentrations of MB (less than 2.5 μM) neither irritate nor color skin and are therefore safe for long-term use. As a result, we performed the follow-up studies with MB at concentrations below 2.5 μM."

 

http://www.nature.co...598-017-02419-3

 

If my calculation is correct a concentration of 2.5μM means 0.5g methylene blue in 625L of solvent (water, for example), no wonder at those concentration there is no staining...

 

It looks like quite cheap since I suppose 625L of cream should last for a while...

 

Considering bathing in it wouldn't be out of question, I guess.

 

Having come to this discussion late, I've had the opportunity to think about everything which has been discussed so far regarding Methylene Blue for skin anti-aging.

 

If I understand the study which inspired the skin cream idea, it used a "3D human skin model", which is not much like living skin on the body itself.

 

The "model" skin in the study was essentially continuously irrigated in the Methylene Blue solution.

 

In vivo, the skin wouldn't get the same benefit of the MB at the low concentrations found in the study. Continuous irrigation constantly supplies a constant level of MB, while I'm fairly certain a lotion or cream would supply a microscopic fraction of that level.

 

Then there's the active systems of the human body which would also tend to diminish the effect of MB, by reducing any that did pass into the skin.

 

That's another issue, whether MB can even pass into the skin. There was an argument in this forum about whether it is absorbed into the skin at all. One side noted that it did pass into the skin in the original experiment, while the other side argued that another study indicated that it couldn't pass through the epidermis at all.

 

There are a couple points to note:

 

(1) The other study was only a couple hours long, which might not be indicative that MB does not pass through the epidermis at all. Nor did the study indicate that the epidermis was not stained "at all". MB certainly stains the epidermis, which anyone can observe by dripping a bit of MB solution on the skin.

 

(2) There are hair follicles and sweat glands through which MB can diffuse into deeper levels of the skin.

 

While that's no guarantee that Methylene Blue would perform well as a skin cream in vivo, it does seem that it could have genuine potential.

 

The two problems, as I see it, are to find the correct level of Methylene Blue and to facilitate its passage into the skin.

The original study indicated that 2.5 μM was optimal. That's for continuous irrigation in a skin model. While I see no way to figure out exactly what the optimal level would be in a skin cream, it's certainly going to be far, far higher than 2.5 μM.

 

Determining the optimum in vivo level for MB will likely require trial and error. Perhaps it could be calculated, but I haven't the slightest idea where to start.

 

It seems to me that a good place to start would be about 10-100 times higher levels than in the original experiment:

 

(a) Skin cream won't supply as much MB as irrigation does, and is applied infrequently. (Continuous supply might work better, but it could be that some "downtime" between applications would give the skin a chance to recuperate from any possible negative effects.)

 

(b) The body's systems will tend to remove a significant amount of the MB from the skin.

 

© The epidermis resists diffusion of MB, so whatever passes into the deeper layers of skin would likely take more than 2 hours, if at all. Any amount which passes into skin follicles or sweat glands would be a fraction of the amount which would have passed in through continuous irrigation (as in the original experiment).

 

Given the many difficulties determining the optimal level for a Methylene Blue skin cream, I'm going to just take a shot in the dark and use about 25 mg in 1200 ml (5 cups) of skin cream and see what happens. I'm going to add DMSO in hope that it will help diffuse the MB into the skin.

 

I'll try this for a bit and let ya'll know what happens.

[JohnBoyTheGreat]

Update, 3/13/2020

 

Two days ago I mixed up a batch of skin cream using a cold cream recipe which I interpreted liberally.

 

My recipe included coconut oil, borax, vitamin E oil, some orange and lemongrass essential oils to mask the blah smell, and a few minor additions. While I wrote earlier that I was going to add 25 mg of Methylene Blue to about 5 cups of the skin cream, I chose to double that, so the final product contained 50 mg of MB in 5 cups of skin cream. Honestly, I felt it was too pale to do much.

 

One other ingredient I added was DMSO, about 10%.

 

So I mixed it up according to the original cold cream recipe...and it was just a soupy liquid. It never properly emulsified.

 

I decided I'd use it anyway, so I threw it in the freezer for a bit to thicken it. When I pulled it out, it had coagulated and looked pretty bad, something like a blue rag tossed in a greenish liquid. I chose to leave it on the counter and deal with it the next day.

 

The next morning I decided to whip it up again. It turned into a perfect skin cream, just the right thickness and texture...then I whipped it a little too much and it started to liquefy again, which is where I gave up and decided to just use it as it was.

 

TESTING...

 

Yesterday I smeared the skin cream...errr...liquid...liberally on my legs and arms, letting it soak in well. There was an almost invisible blue tint to my skin, which nobody else noticed. The only really noticeable blue was around my fingernails.

 

Later that evening I added a second coat. The only thing I noticed about it was that it really made my skin feel soft, even though it was really greasy.

 

UNEXPECTED EFFECT OF THE SKIN LOTION

 

Today I noticed something I hadn't expected. I have a small circular patch of skin on my arm which is continuously dry and flaky. My dermatologist never really explained what it was, but said it was essentially harmless, even if it was annoying. I expected it to turn a bit blue, and it didn't disappoint me.

 

However, what I did not expect was that I have a bunch of those patches which I had never noticed before. The Methylene Blue stained those patches preferentially. I looked like I had a few blue freckles on each arm.

 

The stain washed out in the shower, leaving nothing behind.

 

That's all I have so far. I'm going to try testing it for awhile and let the group know how it goes. I have skin on my arms which looks a bit wrinkly and thin to me, as well as a few patches of psoriasis on my hands. My hope is that this will help reduce the psoriasis and heal up my skin a bit.

 

It's worth a try!

 

 

[eigenber]

Can you do before and after treatment photos of your arms?

[Onur]

Update, 3/13/2020

 

Two days ago I mixed up a batch of skin cream using a cold cream recipe which I interpreted liberally.

 

My recipe included coconut oil, borax, vitamin E oil, some orange and lemongrass essential oils to mask the blah smell, and a few minor additions. While I wrote earlier that I was going to add 25 mg of Methylene Blue to about 5 cups of the skin cream, I chose to double that, so the final product contained 50 mg of MB in 5 cups of skin cream. Honestly, I felt it was too pale to do much.

 

One other ingredient I added was DMSO, about 10%.

 

So I mixed it up according to the original cold cream recipe...and it was just a soupy liquid. It never properly emulsified.

 

I decided I'd use it anyway, so I threw it in the freezer for a bit to thicken it. When I pulled it out, it had coagulated and looked pretty bad, something like a blue rag tossed in a greenish liquid. I chose to leave it on the counter and deal with it the next day.

 

The next morning I decided to whip it up again. It turned into a perfect skin cream, just the right thickness and texture...then I whipped it a little too much and it started to liquefy again, which is where I gave up and decided to just use it as it was.

 

TESTING...

 

Yesterday I smeared the skin cream...errr...liquid...liberally on my legs and arms, letting it soak in well. There was an almost invisible blue tint to my skin, which nobody else noticed. The only really noticeable blue was around my fingernails.

 

Later that evening I added a second coat. The only thing I noticed about it was that it really made my skin feel soft, even though it was really greasy.

 

UNEXPECTED EFFECT OF THE SKIN LOTION

 

Today I noticed something I hadn't expected. I have a small circular patch of skin on my arm which is continuously dry and flaky. My dermatologist never really explained what it was, but said it was essentially harmless, even if it was annoying. I expected it to turn a bit blue, and it didn't disappoint me.

 

However, what I did not expect was that I have a bunch of those patches which I had never noticed before. The Methylene Blue stained those patches preferentially. I looked like I had a few blue freckles on each arm.

 

The stain washed out in the shower, leaving nothing behind.

 

That's all I have so far. I'm going to try testing it for awhile and let the group know how it goes. I have skin on my arms which looks a bit wrinkly and thin to me, as well as a few patches of psoriasis on my hands. My hope is that this will help reduce the psoriasis and heal up my skin a bit.

 

It's worth a try!

Do you continue to use it? 

What are the final results? 

[Phoebus]

 

NEWS RELEASE 

28-MAY-2021 Research shows potential new sunscreen is coral-safe and provides more UVB/UVA protection

Scientists find that Methylene Blue could be an effective alternative to sunscreens that cause coral damage

MBLUE LABS

Research News

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(Bethesda, MD - May 25, 2021) A new study published in Nature Scientific Reports has found that Methylene Blue, a century old medicine, has the potential to be a highly effective, broad-spectrum UV irradiation protector that absorbs UVA and UVB, repairs ROS and UV irradiation induced DNA damages, and is safe for coral reefs. The study suggests that Methylene Blue could become an alternative sunscreen ingredient that supports the environment and protects human skin health.

80% of today's sunscreens use Oxybenzone as a chemical UV blocker, despite multiple studies that have shown it expedites the destruction of coral reefs. Several states and countries have now banned the use of Oxybenzone and its derivatives to stop the devastating effects on the world's marine ecosystem. In addition, consumers focus primarily on the Sun Protection Factor (SPF) to prevent sunburns and potentially dangerous long-term health issues. However, SPF only measures UVB exposure, leaving sunscreen users vulnerable to UVA-triggered oxidative stress and photo-aging.

"Our work suggests that Methylene Blue is an effective UVB blocker with a number of highly desired characteristics as a promising ingredient to be included in sunscreens. It shows a broad spectrum absorption of both UVA and UVB rays, promotes DNA damage repair, combats reactive oxygen species (ROS) induced by UVA, and most importantly, poses no harm to coral reefs." says the study's senior author Dr. Kan Cao, Founder of Mblue Labs, Bluelene Skincare and a Professor at the University of Maryland Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics.

 

[Qowpel]

I used a regime of pioglitazone to try and increase subQ fat and make my face look fuller. It did seem to case some improvement, but I chickened out after 2 months because of worries about bladder cancer. 

 

It is interesting that over the time since we started discussing MB, a company (spun out of the university dept that did the MB skin study) now exists selling methylene blue. 

 

https://bluelene.com/

 

They have very good reviews. 

 

Anyone used it? 

that is fascinating. WOuld you ever perhaps consider using methylene blue for subcutaneous fat increase, or does MB only work on skin itself?

[smithx]

There were some questions about how to calculate molarity. This is the easiest to use calculator I've come across:

https://www.sigmaald...calculator.html

 

Methylene Blue is 319.85 g·mol (copied from Wikipedia), so 1 Liter of 5um solution would require only 0.00159925g or 1.6mg of methylene blue.

 

If your scale isn't that accurate, multiply the amount by 10 or 100, then dilute by the same factor.

 

 

[BieraK]

Update, 3/13/2020

 

Two days ago I mixed up a batch of skin cream using a cold cream recipe which I interpreted liberally.

 

My recipe included coconut oil, borax, vitamin E oil, some orange and lemongrass essential oils to mask the blah smell, and a few minor additions. While I wrote earlier that I was going to add 25 mg of Methylene Blue to about 5 cups of the skin cream, I chose to double that, so the final product contained 50 mg of MB in 5 cups of skin cream. Honestly, I felt it was too pale to do much.

 

One other ingredient I added was DMSO, about 10%.

 

So I mixed it up according to the original cold cream recipe...and it was just a soupy liquid. It never properly emulsified.

 

I decided I'd use it anyway, so I threw it in the freezer for a bit to thicken it. When I pulled it out, it had coagulated and looked pretty bad, something like a blue rag tossed in a greenish liquid. I chose to leave it on the counter and deal with it the next day.

 

The next morning I decided to whip it up again. It turned into a perfect skin cream, just the right thickness and texture...then I whipped it a little too much and it started to liquefy again, which is where I gave up and decided to just use it as it was.

 

TESTING...

 

Yesterday I smeared the skin cream...errr...liquid...liberally on my legs and arms, letting it soak in well. There was an almost invisible blue tint to my skin, which nobody else noticed. The only really noticeable blue was around my fingernails.

 

Later that evening I added a second coat. The only thing I noticed about it was that it really made my skin feel soft, even though it was really greasy.

 

UNEXPECTED EFFECT OF THE SKIN LOTION

 

Today I noticed something I hadn't expected. I have a small circular patch of skin on my arm which is continuously dry and flaky. My dermatologist never really explained what it was, but said it was essentially harmless, even if it was annoying. I expected it to turn a bit blue, and it didn't disappoint me.

 

However, what I did not expect was that I have a bunch of those patches which I had never noticed before. The Methylene Blue stained those patches preferentially. I looked like I had a few blue freckles on each arm.

 

The stain washed out in the shower, leaving nothing behind.

 

That's all I have so far. I'm going to try testing it for awhile and let the group know how it goes. I have skin on my arms which looks a bit wrinkly and thin to me, as well as a few patches of psoriasis on my hands. My hope is that this will help reduce the psoriasis and heal up my skin a bit.

 

It's worth a try!

Methylene blue is used as an staining agent for cancerous cells.
So perhaps those cells are precancerous lesions, senescent cells or mutated/damaged cells that needs to be cleared from your body.

Don't want to worry you, but that was one of the uses of MB, selective staining of cancerous lesions. "Methylene blue is another recently proposed dye for in vivo staining used in endoscopic examination. Its application has been reported recently in detecting some gastrointestinal abnormalities such as Barrett's esophagus (22–24) gastric cancer (25) prostate cancers (11,12) and also bladder cancer (26)." 
So perhaps it works for skin lesions also.

[BieraK]

Well, my interest in the cosmetic use of methylene blue has returned.

I've been testing a DIY cream for the past year using the calculator suggested in this thread.

Using 2.5 uM, the cream was left with an almost imperceptible blue tone. The cream sold by the Bluelene brand is almost white.

 

Results ?: Not too much to report, apparently it works more to slow down daily aging, to improve the antioxidant protection of the skin but nothing regenerative or that makes a noticeable difference. In that sense, Tretinoin 0.5% outperforms methylene blue cream, at least in my experience. Centella Astiatica 2% in Cream also produced remarkable results in a short time.

 

I tend to think that the 2.5 uM concentration is low. A few years ago I made a methylene blue cream (I have enough USP Methylene Blue that I buy from Nyles7) that was Blue in its color. That cream showed effects in its first application. I remember that a couple loved that cream, every time she came to my house she looked for it to put it on their face and the way their skin looked was noticeable with just one application: Hydrated, refreshed, tense and smooth. For those who have used products like c60, an immediate effect of vigor and vitality is felt in the first application (I know c60 is a risky substance nowadays but some years ago it was not the same). Well, that same sensation was transmitted to me by her skin when shed used that Methylene Blue cream just by looking at her skin.

 

I stopped using that cream precisely because the concentration used was higher than that indicated in this thread based on the studies, so didin't use it enought. I think I have a picture hanging of that cream right here.

 

For now it is difficult for me to get Tretinoin in generic version, a few years ago I bought two boxes on eBay at a very cheap price.

Edited by BieraK, 12 January 2022 - 10:42 PM.

[QuestforLife]

Centella Astiatica 2% in Cream also produced remarkable results in a short time.

Please elaborate. Was it home made with CA powder?

[The Capybara]

Methylene Blue has been shown in several papers to be poorly absorbed into the skin.

I tattooed the compound into my forearm, which should be documented with pictures in this thread.

It could very well be that systemic ingestion is the best way to treat the skin.

I had been taking up to 60mg of pharmaceutical grade Methylene Blue orally with little issue other than staining the inside of my toilet very noticeably blue, and sometimes a little burning when peeing.

 

[TimeMachine]

Hi, I'm in agreement with others regarding concern about using MB in skin cream because of its photodynamic qualities...eg 600nm range peak absorption which is a potential problem in sunlight and definitely a no no with infrared therapy. I have used it orally for many years but avoid skin for that reason. Possible applications using the combo for fungal or bacterial infections but would not use as face cream.....unless I lived in Scotland!!! 

 

Methylene blue, with an absorption maximum at 668 nmin visible light region, as shown in Figure 6, is usually used in mixed indicators or as a redox indicator. Hence, the amount of MB was measured quantitatively with the absorption of light at 668 nm.  

 

 

 

 

[Lady4T]

 

I tend to think that the 2.5 uM concentration is low. A few years ago I made a methylene blue cream (I have enough USP Methylene Blue that I buy from Nyles7) that was Blue in its color. That cream showed effects in its first application. I remember that a couple loved that cream, every time she came to my house she looked for it to put it on their face and the way their skin looked was noticeable with just one application: Hydrated, refreshed, tense and smooth.

 

BieraK:

Sounds interesting. Could you share the ingredients in that MB cream you made?

[ekaitz]

Hi, I'm in agreement with others regarding concern about using MB in skin cream because of its photodynamic qualities...eg 600nm range peak absorption which is a potential problem in sunlight and definitely a no no with infrared therapy. I have used it orally for many years but avoid skin for that reason. Possible applications using the combo for fungal or bacterial infections but would not use as face cream.....unless I lived in Scotland!!! 

 

Methylene blue, with an absorption maximum at 668 nmin visible light region, as shown in Figure 6, is usually used in mixed indicators or as a redox indicator. Hence, the amount of MB was measured quantitatively with the absorption of light at 668 nm.  

 

Souldn't that intensify and potentiate the rejuvenating effects of 670nm red light in skin?