Shiseido, in joint research with Dr. Kyoichi Matsuzaki, chief of external plastic surgery at the International University of Health and Welfare, and Jichi Medical University and the National Institute for Physiological Sciences, discovered a ring-shaped collagen structure in facial skin. This structure, called Ring Collagen, generates tension in the skin that serves to maintain a firm, youthful appearance.
In addition to this discovery, the company also developed “Digital-Skin Reality,” a 3D technology that visualizes forces generated within the skin. With this tech, researchers have revealed the mechanism by which tension is generated to maintain facial shape.
According to the company’s press release, individual rings of collagen contract and pull against each other, which in turn generates tension. Ring Collagen was found around vellus hairs and sebaceous glands, and the structure of Ring Collagen is disrupted as the amount of proteoglycans decreases with age.
The tension associated with Ring Collagen was tested with the AI-powered Digital-Skin Reality to visualize the forces generated.
“Shiseido’s ‘Digital-Skin Ready’ provides a paradigm shift in skin visualization from the tangible world (seeing structure and movement) to the intangible world (seeing physical forces generated within the skin),” the company’s press release reads. “It also moves the visualization environment from the monitor screen into real space.”
