The role of vitamin C in pushing back the boundaries of skin aging: an ultrasonographic approach
Diana Crisan,1 Iulia Roman,2 Maria Crisan,2 Karin Scharffetter-Kochanek,1 Radu Badea31Clinic of Dermatology and Allergology, University Clinic Ulm, Ulm, Germany; 2Clinic of Dermatology and Venereology, 3Department of Clinical Imaging Ultrasound, Iuliu Haţieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, C...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Dove Medical Press
2015-09-01
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| Series: | Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology |
| Online Access: | http://www.dovepress.com/the-role-of-vitamin-c-in-pushing-back-the-boundaries-of-skin-aging-an--peer-reviewed-article-CCID |
| _version_ | 1818241586682658816 |
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| author | Crisan D Roman I Crisan M Scharffetter-Kochanek K Badea R |
| author_facet | Crisan D Roman I Crisan M Scharffetter-Kochanek K Badea R |
| author_sort | Crisan D |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Diana Crisan,1 Iulia Roman,2 Maria Crisan,2 Karin Scharffetter-Kochanek,1 Radu Badea31Clinic of Dermatology and Allergology, University Clinic Ulm, Ulm, Germany; 2Clinic of Dermatology and Venereology, 3Department of Clinical Imaging Ultrasound, Iuliu Haţieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, RomaniaBackground: Imagistic methods stand as modern, non-invasive, and objective means of assessing the impact of topical cutaneous therapies.Objective: This study focuses on the evaluation, by high-frequency ultrasound, of the cutaneous changes induced by topical use of a vitamin C complex at facial level.Methods: A vitamin C-based solution/Placebo moisturizer cream was applied at facial level of 60 healthy female subjects according to a predetermined protocol. Ultrasonographic images (Dermascan C, 20 MHz) were taken from zygomatic level initially, at 40 and 60 days after therapy. The following parameters were assessed for every subject: thickness of the epidermis and dermis (mm), the number of low (LEP), medium (MEP), high echogenic pixels (HEP), and the number of LEP in the upper dermis/lower dermis (LEPs/LEPi).Results: LEP decreased significantly in all age categories during and after therapy, but especially in the first 2 age intervals, up to the age of 50 (P=0.0001). MEP and HEP, pixel categories that quantify protein synthesis also had an age-dependent evolution in the study, increasing significantly in all age categories but most of all in the first age interval (P=0.002). Our ultrasonographic data suggest that collagen synthesis increased significantly after topical vitamin C therapy, and is responsible for the increase in MEP and HEP and consequent decrease of the LEP.Conclusion: Our study shows that topically applied vitamin C is highly efficient as a rejuvenation therapy, inducing significant collagen synthesis in all age groups with minimal side effects.Keywords: ascorbic acid, rejuvenation, ultrasound, collagen synthesis |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T13:31:42Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-33c0fc6f9b26488ebe60456235adba9c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1178-7015 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T13:31:42Z |
| publishDate | 2015-09-01 |
| publisher | Dove Medical Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology |
| spelling | doaj.art-33c0fc6f9b26488ebe60456235adba9c2022-12-22T00:23:02ZengDove Medical PressClinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology1178-70152015-09-012015default46347023498The role of vitamin C in pushing back the boundaries of skin aging: an ultrasonographic approachCrisan DRoman ICrisan MScharffetter-Kochanek KBadea RDiana Crisan,1 Iulia Roman,2 Maria Crisan,2 Karin Scharffetter-Kochanek,1 Radu Badea31Clinic of Dermatology and Allergology, University Clinic Ulm, Ulm, Germany; 2Clinic of Dermatology and Venereology, 3Department of Clinical Imaging Ultrasound, Iuliu Haţieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, RomaniaBackground: Imagistic methods stand as modern, non-invasive, and objective means of assessing the impact of topical cutaneous therapies.Objective: This study focuses on the evaluation, by high-frequency ultrasound, of the cutaneous changes induced by topical use of a vitamin C complex at facial level.Methods: A vitamin C-based solution/Placebo moisturizer cream was applied at facial level of 60 healthy female subjects according to a predetermined protocol. Ultrasonographic images (Dermascan C, 20 MHz) were taken from zygomatic level initially, at 40 and 60 days after therapy. The following parameters were assessed for every subject: thickness of the epidermis and dermis (mm), the number of low (LEP), medium (MEP), high echogenic pixels (HEP), and the number of LEP in the upper dermis/lower dermis (LEPs/LEPi).Results: LEP decreased significantly in all age categories during and after therapy, but especially in the first 2 age intervals, up to the age of 50 (P=0.0001). MEP and HEP, pixel categories that quantify protein synthesis also had an age-dependent evolution in the study, increasing significantly in all age categories but most of all in the first age interval (P=0.002). Our ultrasonographic data suggest that collagen synthesis increased significantly after topical vitamin C therapy, and is responsible for the increase in MEP and HEP and consequent decrease of the LEP.Conclusion: Our study shows that topically applied vitamin C is highly efficient as a rejuvenation therapy, inducing significant collagen synthesis in all age groups with minimal side effects.Keywords: ascorbic acid, rejuvenation, ultrasound, collagen synthesishttp://www.dovepress.com/the-role-of-vitamin-c-in-pushing-back-the-boundaries-of-skin-aging-an--peer-reviewed-article-CCID |
| spellingShingle | Crisan D Roman I Crisan M Scharffetter-Kochanek K Badea R The role of vitamin C in pushing back the boundaries of skin aging: an ultrasonographic approach Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology |
| title | The role of vitamin C in pushing back the boundaries of skin aging: an ultrasonographic approach |
| title_full | The role of vitamin C in pushing back the boundaries of skin aging: an ultrasonographic approach |
| title_fullStr | The role of vitamin C in pushing back the boundaries of skin aging: an ultrasonographic approach |
| title_full_unstemmed | The role of vitamin C in pushing back the boundaries of skin aging: an ultrasonographic approach |
| title_short | The role of vitamin C in pushing back the boundaries of skin aging: an ultrasonographic approach |
| title_sort | role of vitamin c in pushing back the boundaries of skin aging an ultrasonographic approach |
| url | http://www.dovepress.com/the-role-of-vitamin-c-in-pushing-back-the-boundaries-of-skin-aging-an--peer-reviewed-article-CCID |
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