Cosmetic Injection Turns Back Time

By Vivian Richardson, Ivanhoe Health Correspondent

ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Young skin is springy, stretchy and smooth. Those are the attributes hundreds of thousands of people hope to recapture when they visit the dermatologist for cosmetic procedures. New research reveals at least one product on the market can actually bring back a vital component of young skin.

Hyaluronic acid, used in the dermal filler Restylane, appears to stimulate production of collagen. Collagen is a protein found abundantly in young, healthy skin. As we age, collagen begins to break down, allowing lines and wrinkles to form.

Frank Wang, M.D., from the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor, told Ivanhoe the new study challenges previous thinking on how hyaluronic acid worked in the skin. "It was really generally thought that volume effects were the primary mechanisms of these dermal fillers," said Dr. Wang. However, the smoothing effect of the filler seems to last longer than the chemical stays in the skin, suggesting something else is at work.

After using the dermal filler on the arms of 11 healthy volunteers with an average age of 74, Dr. Wang and his colleagues studied tiny samples of the treated skin under an electron microscope. He found the hyaluronic acid stimulated the skin of the volunteers to make collagen.

Dr. Wang has several possible reasons for the new collagen production. He said stretching the skin with the filler might reactivate fibroblasts, the collagen factories that break down with age and sun exposure.

"This idea of stretch seems to be the main mechanism by which older fibroblasts are stimulated to produce collagen. Perhaps other types of devices or procedures that also stretch the fibroblasts could also be used to successfully induce collagen productions," Dr. Wang said.

Cosmetic dermatologists use injected skin fillers to fill in lines and wrinkles on faces and give patients a smoother look. Several other fillers are available, including Sculptra, Radiesse and Artefill. Dr. Wang has not compared these fillers to hyaluronic acid.

Dr. Wang said treatments using hyaluronic acid may be useful for patients with acne scars, scars and possibly even patients experiencing lipoatrophy associated with HIV medications.

This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, which offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, click on: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.

SOURCE: Ivanhoe interview with Frank Wang, M.D.; Archives of Dermatology, 2007;143:155-163