Conversely,
the retinol-sunscreen combination
appeared to exacerbate skin
irritation and lessened the skin benefi
ts. Retinyl propionate appears to
offer dermatologists a milder, more
tolerable form of retinoid that can
improve the look of photoaged skin,
while guarding against additional sun
damage and irritation.
Niacinamide
Topical niacinamide, a water-soluble
derivative of vitamin B3, provides
a host of dermatological therapeutic
benefits. Clinical research provides
grow ing evidence for its positive
eff ects on skin health, from helping
maintain barrier integrity to diminishing the signs
of aging, including:
(1) reducing fine
lines and wrinkles;
(2) reducing
texture problems by diminishing
the appearance of pores and
(3)
improving skin tone by reducing the
appearance of hyperpigmentation,
skin yellowing and red blotchiness.
Niacinamide is also well-tolerated
and compatible with other anti-aging
technologies, making it an ideal
choice for skin care. In fact, it has
recently been shown that the use of
niacinamide-containing moisturizer
during topical tretinoin therapy mitigates
the severity of side eff ects and
augments the treatment response.
The effects of niacinamide on skin
cells in culture have been explored
extensively. Niacinamide has been
shown to be a key player in the normalization
of age-associated depletions
of nicotinamide coenzymes.
This is of particular importance for
aged skin since systemic and intracellular
concentrations of the nicotinamide
coenzymes NADH and
NADPH decline with age in human
and animal models. These
cofactors are critical drivers of both
catabolic and anabolic processes
within cells including the production
and maintenance of the dermis. In particular, niacinamide supplementation
has been shown to stimulate
collagen synthesis in human dermal
fibroblasts, an effect that would be
of particular signifi cance in aged and
photodamaged skin.
Multiple clinical studies have demonstrated
the positive eff ects of niacinamide-
containing moisturizers on the
appearance of wrinkles and fi ne lines
in aging skin. In one, a 12-week
randomized, split-face trial, 50 female
subjects applied blind-coded product
followed by image analysis. Signifi cant
improvements were seen in several
facial parameters including appearance
of fi ne lines and wrinkles (p=0.06 at
week 8 and 0.0005 at week 12).
In another study, 40 female subjects applied blind-coded products in a split-face design for 12 weeks. Significant
improvements in skin texture including fi ne line appearance were observed in niacinamide-treated skin
at both four and 12 weeks of treatment (p<0.1, <0.05, respectively).
Human Skin Texture study CONTINUES HERE.