There are countless ways to fight the natural sagging of the skin including Botox, collagen fillers, fat transplants and chemical peels. This preponderance of cosmetic options makes the age defiant individual ask herself, “How can I get the most out of my face lifting budget?”
Now researchers from University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor have noticed a way to get more out of your cosmetic makeover dollars. Frank Wang, M.D., and his colleagues found that injections of hyaluronic acid used to plump the skin could also increase collagen production.
Hyaluronic acid dermal fillers
Hyaluronic acid (hyaluronan) is a naturally occurring polymer within the skin, that enchances the skin’s ability to hold water. It is also one of the most popular ingredients used in dermal fillers.
To examine hyaluronic acid’s effect on the skin, Wang and his colleagues injected non-animal stabilized hyaluronic acid (NASHA), into the forearms of 11 healthy, fair-skinned volunteers. The average age of the participants was 74.
Eight participants exhibited moderate signs of sun damage that included brown spots, drooping skin, wrinkles or uneven pigmentation and the other three subjects had mild to moderate sun damage.
The volunteers received three injections of 0.7 milliliters of stabilized hyaluronic acid spaced two to five centimeters apart in one forearm, and three injections of saline solution at the same volume and spacing in the other arm. At weeks four and 13, researchers took skin biopsies at the injection sites.
With these skin biopsies, Wang wanted, “To further investigate potential mechanisms for this filler’s long-lasting cosmetic benefits…”
The Food and Drug Administration explains that dermal fillers, such as the hyaluronic acid dermal filler Restylane, works by temporarily adding volume to facial tissue and restoring a smoother appearance to the face. But, the effects only last for about 6 months.
Wang explains that, “We found that NASHA injections induce type 1 collagen production in photo-damaged forearm skin.” Because there is currently no evidence that skin on different parts of the body behave differently, it is likely that hyaluronic acid has the same effect on facial skin.
According to Wang, the hyaluronic acid injections induce collagen production by, “mechanical stretching of fibroblasts [cells that secrete collagen proteins], stimulation of growth factors and inhibition of collagen breakdown.”
Wang’s findings appear in the February issue of Archives of Dermatology.
Mesotherapy injections
While, Wang presents an optimistic outlook for hyaluronic acid, another study presented in the December 2006 edition of the Dermatologic Surgery discounts the facial rejuvenating effects of hyaluronic acid.
In the study, researchers gave ten subjects four sessions of mesotherapy that included multiple injections of a multivitamin and hyaluronic acid solution. Patients received injections at four monthly intervals.
All subjects had pre- and post-treatment photographs and skin biopsies. Patient surveys were also used.
A clinical review of the patients’ photographs at 0, 3, and 6 months revealed no significant differences in the skin. Likewise, a light microscopic examination of pre- and post-treatment elastin [connective skin protein] specimens revealed no significant changes. Electron microscopic analysis of collagen fibers measurements showed the diameter of the fibers decreased after the treatment.
These findings led the researchers to conclude that a multivitamin and hyaluronic acid solution used in facial mesotherapy does not appear to provide any significant benefit to the skin. But there is a substantial difference in how dermal fillers and mesotherapy works which could explain the results of the study.
Whether or not hyaluronic acid injections do enhance collagen production in the face, the area where most people want to see improvements in their skin, remains to be proven.
