FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Donna Stein
(847) 330-0101,ext.341
E-mail: [email protected]
ALPHA-HYDROXY ACIDS APPEAR EFFECTIVE IN IMPROVING
SKIN APPEARANCE
SAN FRANCISCO (March 21, 1997) - Low concentrations of the popular skin
care ingredients called alpha-hydroxy acids appear to be modestly
effective in reducing symptoms of skin aging brought on by sun exposure
and other environmental factors.
Lynn Annette Drake, M.D., University of Oklahoma Professor and Chairman
of the Department of Dermatology, spoke today at the American Academy of
Dermatology's 55th Annual Meeting, exploring the topic "New AHA
Formulations: Has Efficacy Been Established?"
Dr. Drake was the leader of the research team based at the Massachusetts
General Hospital where she was formerly the Deputy Director of the
Department of Dermatology. The team studied what is believed to be the
first peer-reviewed, controlled randomized, double-blind study to
examine whether low concentrations of alpha-hydroxy acids can produce
improvement in the appearance of aging skin. The results show that an
emollient cream containing either 8 percent glycolic acid or 8 percent
L-lactic acid is slightly, but significantly better than the same cream
without acids called the "vehicle" cream, in improving overall
appearance and reducing such symptoms as discolorations and roughness.
"It's been known for a long time that very strong concentrations of
alpha-hydroxy acids serve as quite effective chemical peels for
photoaging (signs of skin aging such as discoloration, wrinkling and
roughness)," Dr. Drake stated. "But there also have been a lot of
claims made about the lower-strength concentrations found in cosmetic
products, claims that had not been backed up by properly conducted
clinical studies. I was often asked questions about alpha-hydroxys that
I couldn't really answer because necessary research hadn't been
published in peer-reviewed journals."
Controlled, randomized, double-blind studies are generally accepted as
the most reliable way to test the effectiveness of products and
medications. To prevent even an unconscious bias from distorting
results, such studies include the following features: the experimental
group that receives the substance of interest is compared to a control
group that receives a similar material without active ingredients;
participants are assigned to experimental or control groups at random;
and neither participants nor the researchers judging results know
whether an individual is receiving active ingredients.
This study showed that a greater proportion of participants using
alpha-hydroxys had reduction in overall signs of photoaging, compared
with those using the vehicle cream. More than 70 percent of those using
alpha-hydroxys on the face showed a reduction in photodamage symptoms,
while only 41 percent of those using vehicle showed similar improvement.
The alpha-hydroxy creams also produced significantly superior overall
improvement on the forearms, compared with the vehicle cream. Dr. Drake
concluded, "Clearly our work needs to be verified by other
investigators, and we need to look at other formulations and
concentrations of these products to see what subtle differences might
emerge. But I think we have answered a fundamental question--do low
levels of alpha-hydroxy acids produce visible improvements statistically
superior to those of the vehicle cream alone? And the answer is yes."
The American Academy of Dermatology is the world's largest organization
of dermatologists.
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