How solvents affect the skin

Lund: Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have developed a method that makes it possible to see how individual molecules from solvents in skin creams, medicated ointments and cleaning products affect and interact with the skin’s own molecules. In the study, the researchers have examined how molecules added to the skin through various liquids and creams affect the skin, and how the same molecules are affected by being inside the skin.

Paper vs. electronic: How a dermatology prescription is written affects adherence

Chapel Hill: Adewole S. Adamson, MD, assistant professor of dermatology at the UNC School of Medicine, found that patients given electronic prescriptions were more likely to pick up and fill their dermatological prescriptions than those patients who were given a traditional, written prescription. A UNC School of Medicine dermatologist recently conducted a study to determine if the way a prescription was written – either traditionally or electronically – played a role in whether a patient filled and picked up the medication. In the study, published today in JAMA Dermatology, Adewole S. Adamson, MD, assistant professor of dermatology, found that the way a prescription was written could influence whether a patient filled the prescription.

Nailing down how to treat fungal diseases

PNAS: Scientists have scrutinised how different liquids affect our nails to find out which is best for carrying treatments - such as for fungal infections and psoriasis - deep into the nail. They found that, surprisingly, water was ten times faster at working its way down through the nail surface than the other two solvents examined in the study. Researchers report that solvents diffuse through the human nail in a size- and concentration-dependent manner. Treating nail diseases, such as fungal infections, is difficult because the tightly woven keratin network of the nail acts as a barrier to efficient drug delivery.

Pliability, Elasticity of Skin Increase Following Wrinkle Treatment with Botox

JAMA: Skin pliability and elasticity improved after treatment with onabotulinum toxin (Botox) for mild facial wrinkles and the effect lasted for up to four months, according to a report published online by JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery. Human skin has three biomechanical features: strength, pliability (the ability to stretch) and elasticity (the ability to recoil).  As people age, these properties change and the loss of skin elasticity appears to be the most prominent. Physicians use a variety of methods to reverse the signs of aging and onabotulinum toxin A injections are among them.

How electrical stimulation can accelerate wound healing

Manchester: Skin wounds that are slow to heal are a clinical challenge to physicians all over the world. Every year, the NHS alone spends £1 billion on treating chronic wounds such as lower limb venous and diabetic ulcers.  Wounds become chronic when they fail to heal and remain open for longer than six weeks. Researchers from The University of Manchester carried out the unique human volunteer study of skin wound healing in 40 individuals with the results published in the journal PLOS ONE. This study has provided new data supporting previous work by the team, enabling a new partnership with Oxford BioElectronics Ltd, which in collaboration with the University, will develop and evaluate devices and dressings for faster healing of wounds.

Synthetic skin that instructs body how to repair itself

Sidney: "Imagine a car accident victim who has major injuries or a patient who has just had a piece of skin containing a cancerous lesion removed. The surgeon places our tropoelastin mesh on the wound and it not only instructs the wound how to repair, it helps accelerate the healing. It could reduce the need for hospital stays and for skin grafts". Pr Tony Weiss, from the University of Sydney, is describing the amazing potential of a biomedical technology which mimics tropoelastin, the self-assembling elastic protein which allows the body to repair elastic tissues in the skin, artery, bladder and lung.

High-Dose Sodium Nitrite with Citric Acid Creams Better Than Placebo for Anogenital Warts

JAMA: A high-dose treatment of sodium nitrite, 6 percent, with citric acid, 9 percent, creams applied twice daily was more effective than placebo for treating the common sexually transmitted disease of anogenital warts, according to an article published online by JAMA Dermatology.

Treatments for rosacea

Cochrane: Which treatments are effective for rosacea? Rosacea is a common skin condition causing flushing, redness, red pimples and pustules on the face, and should not be confused with acne. Dilated blood vessels may appear near the surface of the skin (telangiectasia). It can also cause inflammation of the eyes or eyelids, or both (ocular rosacea). Some people can develop a thickening of the skin, especially of the nose (rhinophyma). Although the cause of rosacea remains unclear, a wide variety of treatments are available for this persistent (chronic) and recurring and often distressing disease. These include medications applied directly to the skin (topical), oral medications and light-based therapies.

Why do I have stretch marks and what can I do about them?

The Conversation: Most women get them. Some men get them. Few people welcome them. Stretch marks, or stria distensae as they are known medically, are scars that appear when the skin is stretched beyond its elastic limit. Physicists define the elastic limit as the maximum force that can be applied to solid material before the onset of permanent deformation. In dermatology, when stresses up to the elastic limit are removed, the skin resumes its original size and shape. When forces beyond the elastic limit are removed, the skin remains permanently stretch-marked. The younger you are, the firmer your skin. The firmer your skin, the lower your elastic limit and the more likely you are to develop stretch marks. Stretch marks occur most frequently during adolescent or pregnancy growth.

Enzyme in cosmetic products can act as allergen via the skin

Vienna: Papain is an important industrial protein-degrading enzyme that is used, for example, in the food and cosmetic industries. When humans or animals come in contact with papain, strong allergic reactions of the skin can be the result, as scientists from the Messerli Research Institute of the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, the Medical University of Vienna, and the University of Vienna have found out. Their study was published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology.

Body odour? Ask your skin microbiome!

York: Researchers discover bacterial genetic pathway in body odour production. For many, body odour is an unfortunate side effect of their daily lives. The smell is caused by bacteria on the skin breaking down naturally secreted molecules contained within sweat. Now, researchers from the University of York working with Unilever have studied the underarm microbiome and identified a unique set of enzymes in the bacterium Staphylococcus hominis that is effective at breaking down sweat molecules into compounds known as thioalcohols, an important component of the characteristic body odour smell.

Why “hypoallergenic” isn’t a thing

American Chemical Society: It’s a simple claim made on thousands of personal care products for adults and kids: hypoallergenic. But what does that actually mean? Turns out, it can mean whatever manufacturers want it to mean, and that can leave you feeling itchy. Speaking of Chemistry is back this week with Sophia Cai explaining why “hypoallergenic” isn’t really a thing.

An antihypertensive drug improves corticosteroid creams for skin treatments

INSERM: Basic research on blood pressure has led researchers from Inserm to obtain unexpected results: drugs used to treat hypertension (high blood pressure) reduce side effects from corticosteroid-based creams used to treat certain skin diseases. This work is published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology.

A new treatment fot wrinkles

Chung-An: Volumetric deficiencies are increasingly recognized as a major component of the ageing process, and the use of injectable fillers has steadily increased. Soft-tissue augmentation with Hyaluronic acid (HA) fillers has been the most frequently used treatment to correct facial wrinkles. However, the efficacy of HA fillers is short-lived.

A new type of filler was developed whose efficacy was recently studied by researchers at Chung-Ang University Hospital (CAUH). For the first time in Korea’s medical history, CAUH researchers confirmed the efficacy and safety of poly-DL-lactic acid (PDLA, Aesthefill®), which promotes volumization through the production of collagen.

Researchers led by Prof. Kim Beom-Joon of the Department of Dermatology, studied the efficacy of injection with PDLA fillers compared with HA fillers, and found out that both injections provide comparable efficacy and safety. In this comparative study, 58 Koreans with deep nasolabial folds were randomized for injections with PDLA or HA into both nasolabial folds and observed for 24 weeks. Efficacy was determined by calculating the changes in Wrinkle Severity Rating Scale (WSRS)  relative to baseline, and local safety was assessed by reported adverse events. At week 24, mean improvement in WSRS from baseline was 2.09±0.68 for the PDLA side and 1.54 ±0.65 for the HA side. Both injections were well tolerated, and the adverse reactions were mild and transient in most cases.

PDLA promotes volumization through the production of collagen and vascularization of existing collagen, whereas Hyaluronic Acid is injected to the wrinkle to replace lost volume. The major difference of PDLA filler from exiting fillers is that it facilitates the formation of collagen and thus the efficacy is amplified 3-6 months after the injection.

PDLA with a porous wall structure has been developed and used overseas, as a filler to stimulate collagen production, providing better volume results. It was only recently that a Korean company (REGEN Biotech) developed PDLA filler, Aesthefill®, using its independent technology.

 “Since Aesthefill® has equal-sized particles, it provides more natural results with less pain compared to exiting PLA fillers. Introduction of Aesthefill® is expected to facilitate the research and development of other types of filler materials in Korea”, Professor Kim said.

CAUH researchers’ study is recently published in Clinical and Experimental Dermatology (SCI Journal) and is scheduled to be published in the March 2015 issue of the Journal of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

High-salt diet may help to fight skin infections

Scimex: A high-salt diet may offer increased protection against skin infections, a German and US study has found. The study found mice that ate a diet high in salt had increased sodium accumulation on their skin which boosted their immune response to a skin-infecting microbes. The authors say salt may have been an ancient strategy to warn of infections before the invention of antibiotics.

Transparent UV Masks

IIT. India: Wouldn’t it be nice to have a transparent sunscreen lotion and yet protect your skin from harmful UV ? Engineered nanoparticles can now provide the right kind of mask.

Vitiligo

Orphanet: Vitiligo is an acquired and progressive skin disorder characterized by circumscribed hypomelanosis of the skin and hair. It affects 0.5-1% of the world's population, irrespective of gender and race. Thus it is not a rare disease.

Volunteers needed for skin stress study

University of Manchester. UK: The University of Manchester is asking for volunteers to have the quality of their skin analysed by a high specification camera – which will reveal exactly how many lines and wrinkles they may have! Skin ageing is influenced by our environment, such as sun exposure and smoking as well as the natural ageing process. Researchers also believe stress can influence skin ageing and this is the purpose of this study, which is being carried out in partnership with Laboratoire Clarins.

Sun damage and cancer: how UV radiation affects our skin

Queensland University. Australia: Around 30 Australians are diagnosed with melanoma every day and more than 1,200 die from the disease each year. While small amounts of ultraviolet (UV) radiation are required for the production of vitamin D to keep bones and muscles strong and healthy, skin can burn from just 15 minutes of exposure to the summer sun.

Protect children’s skin from unregulated term 'hypoallergenic'

Baylor College. US: People with sensitive skin expect to find protection in products labeled hypoallergenic, but increasingly they are scratching their heads about what that means – particularly in the area of lotions and creams for the skin.
In a recent study in the journal Dermatology Research and Practice, experts at Baylor College of Medicine found two chemicals (methylisothiazolinone) often associated with allergic reactions in many over-the-counter pediatric skin care products, including some labeled “hypoallergenic.”