An updated review of clinical methods in the assessment of ageing skin - New perspectives and evaluation for claims support.

With the advancement of skin research, today's consumer has increased access to an informed understanding of ageing skin and its appendages, together with a plethora of targeted products to meet such needs. In recent years, increased legislative demands for quality evidential claims support have led not only to the development and validation of clinical methods to measure and quantify ageing skin, but also a clearer understanding of the skin ageing process-especially the impact of both its internal and external environments-as well as a tougher stance on clearly unjustifiable claims. Traditional testing methods used to research and evaluate anti-ageing products claim to employ sophisticated instruments. Today, however, since the term anti-ageing can be considered a misnomer, intelligent use of combined more advanced clinical methods has enabled the development of technologically improved consumer products providing enhanced efficacy and targeted performance. Non-invasive methods for the assessment and quantification of the causes of ageing skin provide tools to the clinical researcher as defined by key clinically observed ageing parameters. Where evidence requires additional support, a number of clinical procedures evaluating ageing skin and hair products are combined with invasive procedures, thus enabling an added value to product claims. As discussed herein, given the enhanced understanding of ageing, we provide an update to our previous reviews of clinical methods used in the assessment of skin ageing, to include the wider aspects of environmental exposure; skin pigmentation; microbiome disturbance; surface topography; colour, radiance, and pH; and structural integrity-all requiring a disciplined approach to their use in dermatological investigations and product claims evidence.

Noninvasive stratum corneum sampling and electron microscopical examination of skin barrier integrity: pilot study with a topical glycerin formulation for atopic dermatitis.

INTRODUCTION: Therapy of atopic dermatitis encloses use of medicated and nonmedicated preparations. Results of clinical and biophysical procedures indirectly describe the condition of the impaired skin barrier (SB). Direct evaluation of SB integrity is only possible by electron microscopical visualization, e.g. intercellular lipid lamellae (ICLL) organization of the stratum corneum. METHOD: SB integrity was measured by morphometric analysis of ICLL in healthy and atopic skin and after a 15-day treatment (plus 7-day follow-up) of atopic skin with a glycerin preparation. RESULTS: Significant treatment effect was shown by the restoration of the ICLL. CONCLUSIONS: The study reveals that morphometric analysis of ICLL organization is suitable to differentiate between healthy and diseased skin and to semiquantitatively determine the effect of a nonmedicated glycerin formulation. LIMITATION: Small treatment cohort.