Collagen Induction Therapy Without Risk of Hyperpigmentation and Other Topics: Literature Findings

By: Charles Fox, Independent Consultant

Posted: May 29, 2009, from the June 2009 issue of Cosmetics & Toiletries.

This month’s survey of recent patent and research literature describes moneymaking ideas for personal care product development; including collagen induction without the risk of hyperpigmentation; algae and peptides to lift loose skin; UV-shielding makeup sticks; and volumizing mascara, among other concepts.

Skin and Skin Care
Collagen induction without the risk of hyperpigmentation: Aust et al. have published on whether minimally invasive skin rejuvenation, i.e., percutaneous collagen induction, can be performed without risk of hyperpigmentation.¹ Photoaging generally is treated by ablative procedures that injure the epidermis and basal membrane, leading to fibrosis of the papillary dermis. Damaging the epidermis, however, can potentially cause significant adverse effects such as depigmentation. Alternatively, recent clinical trials have shown that percutaneous collagen induction therapy is safe for the treatment of wrinkles and scars and smoothing of skin without the risk of depigmentation.

The purpose of this study was to learn whether percutaneous collagen induction therapy presents an effective means for skin rejuvenation without the risk of depigmentation, as clinical data from Aust et al. had suggested. Fifty-six rats were assigned to three groups: group A (n = 24) received percutaneous collagen induction therapy plus skin care; group B (n = 24) received only skin care; and group C (n = 8) served as the control. The authors evaluated the effect of percutaneous collagen induction therapy on the epidermis, melanocytes and the pigmentation markers interleukin-10 and MSH. Percutaneous collagen induction therapy left the epidermis intact without damage to the stratum corneum, layers of the epidermis, or basal membrane. No signs of dermabrasive reduction of epidermal thickness were evident 24 hr after the procedure, and the number of melanocytes neither increased nor decreased in any of the groups.

DNA microarray experiments demonstrated that interleukin-10 was increased in percutaneous collagen induction therapy-treated skin after two weeks. Concerning the MSH gene, gene expression microarray analysis indicated a slight down-regulation both 24 hr and two weeks after percutaneous collagen induction therapy. The authors concluded that percutaneous collagen induction therapy thus offers a modality with which to rejuvenate and improve skin’s appearance and quality without risking depigmentation.

Algae, peptides to lift loose skin: Labo Cosprophar AG discloses a cosmetic composition with a lifting effect to add support to loose facial tissue.² The composition contains the algae Ulva lactuca in association with at least one of the following peptides: a) a polypeptide having the sequence arginine-glycine-aspartic acid, and derivatives or salts of such; b) a tripeptide including the amino acids lysine-valine-lysine, and derivatives or salts of such; and c) a micelle of both a) and b). The composition also contains glyceryl stearate, cetyl alcohol, octyldecanol, cetyl stearyl isononanoate, triglyceride C8-10, dimethylpolysiloxane, polysorbate 80, malt extract, sweet almond biopolymer, vitamin C, vitamin E, antioxidants, preservatives and perfumes.