From the Popular Press: What Your Patients are Reading:

The desire to defy the effects of aging on the skin has become a billion-dollar industry, and has radically changed the field of dermatology. While many consumers have tried enough anti-aging products to conclude that there truly is no fountain of youth that can be purchased in tube, scientific evidence suggests that certain treatments are effective at smoothing wrinkled skin. A growing understanding of dermal collagen, the skin’s connective tissue, has enabled researchers to better understand how and why certain treatments do or not help reverse the aging process of skin. Three anti-aging treatments have been shown to be clinically effective: topical application of retinal, carbon dioxide laser resurfacing, and injection of hyaluronic acid. All three of these treatments depend on the interaction of skin cells known as fibroblasts with the collagen produced by these cells. Retinol, a form of vitamin A, causes new collagen to form in skin damaged by ultraviolet light and in aging skin. Retinol creams should have a concentration of 0.2-0.6% to be effective; however, this high a concentration can cause a rash in some patients, in which case treatment should be discontinued. Retinol also causes increased sensitivity to UV light, so sun protection is essential. Carbon dioxide laser resurfacing removes thin layers of skin, leading to production of new collagen. The initial healing time after the procedure generally lasts 2 to 3 weeks, during which time the wound needs to be kept clean and treated with ointments. Laser resurfacing is usually performed only once on a patient, and the effects of the procedure last many years. Injecting a form of hyaluronic acid into the dermis under wrinkles can also cause fibroblasts to produce new collagen and less matrix metalloproteinase, the enzyme that destroys fragmented collagen. The benefits of increased collagen production are visible within a month after the injections, and last for about 6 months.

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