Perceived age and perceived health among a Chinese cohort: Does it mean the same thing?

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Previous investigations have aimed at investigating parameters affecting age perception on several ethnicities. Perceived health has been a newer focus on Caucasian skin, yet little is known on the skin features used to estimate the health status of Chinese women and we aimed to investigate whether these cues are the same as those used for age perception. METHODS: Age and health appearance of 276 Chinese female volunteers were estimated from their photographs by 1025 female naïve Chinese graders 20-69 years old. Models were built to predict perceived age and health from topographic, colour and biophysical measured variables, in two subsets of the studied volunteers: below and above 50 years. Machine learning-based predictive models for age and health perception were built on the collected data, and the interpretability of the models was established by measuring feature importance. RESULTS: Age perception was mostly driven by topographic features, particularly eye bags and eyelid sagging in the group below 50 years old. Wrinkles, notably from the lower part of the face and oval of the lower face, were found to be more relevant in the group above 50 years. Health appearance was primarily signalled by skin imperfections and global pigmentation in the subset below 50 years, whereas colour-related parameters and skin hydration acted as health cues for the subset above 50 years. CONCLUSION: Distinct skin features were acting as cues for age perception and/or health perception and varied per age subset. Their contribution should be borne in mind when designing products for 'younger looking skin' and 'healthier looking skin'.

OBJECTIF: Des études se sont penchées sur les paramètres cutanés influant sur la perception de l'âge, et ce sur plusieurs groups ethniques. La santé perçue quant à elle est un focus plus récent, avec des données publiées sur les peaux caucasiennes, au contraire des peaux chinoises. Nous avons donc décidé d'étudier quels sont ces paramètres cutanés influant sur la santé perçue et s'ils diffèrent de ceux utilisés dans la perception de l'âge, au sein d'un panel de femmes chinoises. MÉTHODES: L'âge et la santé cutanée de 276 femmes chinoises ont été estimés à partir de leurs photographies par un panel de 1025 évaluatrices naïves âgées de 20 à 69 ans. Des modèles ont été construits pour prédire l'âge et la santé perçus à partir de paramètres cutanés topographiques, de couleur et biophysiques, dans deux groupes d'âges différents : en dessous et au-dessus de 50 ans. Des modèles prédictifs basés sur l'apprentissage automatique (Machine learning) pour la perception de l'âge et de la santé ont été construits à partir des données collectées et l'interprétabilité des modèles a été établie en mesurant l'importance des paramètres cutanés. RÉSULTATS: Nos résultats montrent que la perception de l'âge repose principalement sur des paramètres topographiques, en particulier les poches sous les yeux et l'affaissement de la paupière, pour le groupe âgé de moins de 50 ans. Les rides, notamment celles de la partie basse du visage et le contour de la partie basse du visage se sont montrés pertinents pour estimer l'âge dans le groupe âgé de plus de 50 ans. La perception de la santé est principalement affectée par les imperfections cutanées et la pigmentation dans le groupe âgé de moins de 50 ans, tandis que des paramètres liés à la couleur et l'hydratation prennent le relais pour le groupe âgé de plus de 50 ans. CONCLUSION: Des paramètres cutanés de nature diverse sont pris en compte selon que l'on essaye d'estimer l'âge ou la santé, et ce en fonction du groupe d'âge étudié. Leur contribution doit être prise en compte lors de la conception de produits pour une «peau d'apparence plus jeune¼ et une «peau d'apparence plus saine¼.

Ageing profiles of Caucasian and Chinese cohorts - focus on hands skin.

OBJECTIVE: In spite of hand care being a dynamic segment of skin care, hands skin physiology has been receiving little attention in comparison to facial skin. In the present study, we aimed at gathering a comprehensive set of skin data from the dorsal part of the hand to study age related-changes in two ethnic groups (Caucasian and Chinese). METHODS: Skin topographic, skin colour/colour heterogeneities, skin chromophores and skin biophysical measurements of 116 Caucasian and Chinese female volunteers aged 30-65 years old were collected in Ireland and in China as part of a cross-sectional study. RESULTS: Topographic alterations happened at both micro and macro scales with a noticeable delay in the onset of 10 years for the Chinese cohort. Similar evolution of skin colour with ageing was observed between the two cohorts and strong dissimilarities were seen when it came to colour heterogeneities and melanin hyper concentration, with a 20-year delay in severity for the Chinese cohort. A similar sharp drop of skin hydration occurred when reaching the 60's regardless of the group and substantial differences were recorded for skin biomechanical properties of the skin. CONCLUSION: These results provide additional insights about hand skin physiology in relation to ageing and ethnic differences, especially when put into perspective with what is currently known about facial ageing. This research yield additional material for hand cream product rationale and strategies for mitigating the appearance of ageing hands.

OBJECTIF: Même si le soin pour les mains demeure un segment dynamique en termes de ventes de produits cosmétiques, peu d'études se sont penchées sur la physiologie de la peau des mains en comparaison du visage. Le but de cette étude est d'élucider les changements de la partie dorsale de la main induits par le vieillissement, au sein de deux groupes ethniques (Caucasienne et Chinoise). METHODES: Des mesures de la topographie, de couleur et de distribution de la couleur, de chromophores et des propriétés biophysiques de la peau de la main ont été collectées sur 116 sujets féminins d'origine caucasienne ou chinoise, âgées entre 30 et 65 ans, en Irlande et en Chine dans le cadre d'une étude cross-sectionnelle. RESULTATS: Des altérations de la topographie de la peau ont été observés à plusieurs échelles, micro et macroscopique, avec néanmoins un délai de 10 ans dans la détérioration de la peau en faveur du panel Chinois. Au niveau de la couleur, des évolutions similaires ont été mesurées dans les deux panels, avec cependant de fortes dissimilarités pour ce qui est de la distribution de la couleur de la peau et de l'hyperconcentration de mélanine, avec des changements retardés de 20 ans en faveur du panel d'origine chinoise. Un déclin d'hydratation significatif s'est produit à partir de la soixantaine dans les deux panels étudiés tandis que des différences flagrantes ont été relevées en ce qui concerne les propriétés biomécaniques de la peau. CONCLUSION: Ces résultats offre des données supplémentaires sur la physiologie de la peau des mains lors du vieillissement cutané et sur les différences à prendre en compte entre deux groupes ethniques très distincts, surtout si l'on considère les différences avec le vieillissement du visage. Cette étude fournit un support additionnel pour la conception de crèmes pour les mains et les stratégies à mettre en place pour atténuer l'apparence de mains âgées.

Antera 3D capabilities for pore measurements.

BACKGROUND: The cause of enlarged pores remains obscure but still remains of concern for women. To complement subjective methods, bioengineered methods are needed for quantification of pores visibility following treatments. The study objective was to demonstrate the suitability of pore measurements from the Antera 3D. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Pore measurements were collected on 22 female volunteers aged 18-65 years with the Antera 3D, the DermaTOP and image analysis on photographs. Additionally, 4 raters graded pore size on photographs on a scale 0-5. Repeatability of Antera 3D parameters was ascertained and the benefit of a pore minimizer product on the cheek was assessed on a sub panel of seven female volunteers. RESULTS: Pore parameters using the Antera were shown to depict pore severity similar to raters on photographs, except for Max Depth. Mean pore volume, mean pore area and count were moderately correlated with DermaTOP parameters (up to r = .50). No relationship was seen between the Antera 3D and pore visibility analysis on photographs. The most repeatable parameters were found to be mean pore volume, mean pore area and max depth, especially for the small and medium filters. The benefits of a pore minimizer product were the most striking for mean pore volume and mean pore area when using the small filter for analysis, rather than the medium/large ones. CONCLUSION: Pore measurements with the Antera 3D represent a reliable tool for efficacy and field studies, with an emphasis of the small filter for analysis for the mean pore volume/mean pore area parameters.

Wrinkle and roughness measurement by the Antera 3D and its application for evaluation of cosmetic products.

BACKGROUND: Skin topographic measurements are of paramount importance in the field of dermo-cosmetic evaluation. The aim of this study was to investigate how the Antera 3D, a multi-purpose handheld camera, correlates with other topographic techniques and changes in skin topography following the use of a cosmetic product. METHODS: Skin topographic measurements were collected on 26 female volunteers aged 45-70 years with the Antera 3D, the DermaTOP and image analysis on parallel-polarized pictures. Different filters for analysis from the Antera 3D were investigated for repeatability, correlations with other imaging techniques and ability to detect improvements of skin topography following application of a serum. RESULTS: Most of Antera 3D parameters were found to be strongly correlated with the DermaTOP parameters. No association was found between the Antera 3D parameters and measurements on parallel-polarized photographs. The measurements repeatability was comparable among the different filters for analysis, with the exception of wrinkle max depth and roughness Rt. Following a single application of a tightening serum, both Antera 3D wrinkles and texture parameters were able to record significant improvements, with the best improvements observed with the large filter. CONCLUSION: The Antera 3D demonstrated its relevance for cosmetic product evaluation. We also provide recommendations for the analysis based on our findings.

Evaluation of skin firmness by the DynaSKIN, a novel non-contact compression device, and its use in revealing the efficacy of a skincare regimen featuring a novel anti-ageing ingredient, acetyl aspartic acid.

BACKGROUND: One of the key strategies for anti-ageing in the cosmetics industry today is to target the structural changes responsible for ptosis of the skin, given its impact on age perception. Several objective and non-invasive methods are available to characterise the biomechanical properties of the skin, which are operator-dependent, involving skin contact and providing single-dimensional numerical descriptions of skin behaviour. The research introduces the DynaSKIN, a device using non-contact mechanical pressure in combination with fringe projection to quantify and visualise the skin response in 3-dimensions. We examine the age correlation of the measurements, how they compare with the Cutometer® , and measure skin dynamics following application of a skincare regimen containing established anti-ageing ingredients. METHODS: DynaSKIN and Cutometer® measurements were made on the cheek of 80 Caucasian women (18-64 years). DynaSKIN volume, mean depth and maximum depth parameters were correlated with age and 15 Cutometer® parameters. Subsequently, the firming efficacy of a skincare regimen featuring acetyl aspartic acid (AAA) and a peptide complex was examined in a cohort of 41 volunteers. RESULTS: DynaSKIN volume, mean depth and maximum depth parameters correlate with age and the Cutometer® parameters that are associated with the skin relaxation phase (R1, R2, R4, R5, R7 and F3). Furthermore, the DynaSKIN captured significant improvements in skin firmness delivered by the skincare regimen. CONCLUSION: The DynaSKIN is a novel device capable of capturing skin biomechanics at a high level of specificity and successfully detected the firming properties of a skincare regimen. Its independent measuring principle, consumer relevance and skin firmness 3D visualisation capabilities bring objectivity and novelty to product efficacy substantiation evaluation.