April 8th, 2009
In acne treatment, doctors at the University of Nevada School of Medicine stated:
“The choice of vehicle is an important consideration in acne therapy. Because the epidermal barrier may be impaired by both the underlying disorder and the use of some topical treatments for acne, vehicle formulations that minimize barrier impairment, help to restore barrier function, and limit signs and symptoms of skin irritation are valuable components of acne therapy, especially early in the course of treatment or with combination regimens. …[E]mollient dimethicone has been shown to improve skin tolerability and overall patient preference compared with the same active ingredients formulated without the special additives that provide moisturization.”
Doctors at the University of Louisville School of Medicine performed a study using dimethicone on subjects with “… chronic hand dermatitis for at least 12 months, felt to be either allergic, irritant, or combined in nature. Topical corticosteroid usage was reduced 54%. No adverse effects were noted. 70% had improved over the course of the study. Dimethicone “… greatly or moderately improved chronic hand dermatitis in a sizable number of individuals with previously uncontrolled dermatitis despite continuing in their regular occupation.”
Dexpanthenol (Vitamin B5)
Studies have shown that dexpanthenol has accelerated the proliferation and activity of the fibroblasts in the skin, which are responsible for collagen production and are critical for wound healing. It improves firmness in the healing process. It has also helped fibroblasts in the gums. It has an independent stimulation function for fibroblasts producing collagen. It has activated fibroblast cells to protect themselves and aids their orderly reproduction. It aided wound healing of blisters.
It increased the fibroblast cell count in healing and in its strength, and improved healing even after hydrochloric acid skin burns. It improved the healing of stomach lining (mucosal) ulcers. After burn injuries, dexpanthenol improved the re-epithelialization while it reduced the enormous water loss seen in burns.
Ginseng Extract (Panax)
Doctors have studied the effects of ginseng extract on skin wounds and found it significantly enhances healing. In fact, the more used on the skin the better the results in “… stimulation of epidermal cell proliferation, in a dose-dependent manner.” Ginseng does this by “… enhancing epidermal cell proliferation by upregulating the expressions of these proliferation-related factors. In addition, the immuno-reactivity of skin, a protective mechanism, was also increased with ginseng.
Hyaluronic acid production is stimulated (“up-regulated”) by the topical use of ginseng extract. “… Our study suggests that topical application of ginseng extract might prevent or improve deteriorations, such as wrinkles partly ascribed to the age-dependent decrease of the hyaluronic acid content in human skin.” Doctors stated that ginseng extract “… exerted a prominent effect on cell stimulation and growth rate without any morphological change and showed no cytotoxicity (Cellular injury).”
Grape Seed Extract
Grape seed extract aids wound healing at the cellular level. According to surgeons at the Heart and Lung Research Institute of The Ohio State University Medical Center:
“Angiogenesis plays a central role in wound healing. Among many known growth factors, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is believed to be the most prevalent, efficacious, and long-term signal that is known to stimulate angiogenesis in wounds. We observed the potentiating affect of grape seed proanthycyanadin extract on inducible VEGF expression is at the transcriptional level. Grape seed proanthycyanidin extract accelerated wound contraction and closure. Grape seed proanthycyanidin extract treatment was associated with a more well-defined hyperproliferative epithelial region, higher cell density, enhanced deposition of connective tissue, and improved histological architecture. In summary, our current study provides firm evidence to support that topical application of grape seed proanthycyanidin extract represents a feasible approach to support dermal wound healing and other related skin disorders. …[t]opical application of grape seed proanthocyanidin extract containing 5,000 parts per million resveratrol accelerated wound contraction and closure. Our current study provides firm evidence to support that topical application of grape seed proanthocyanidin extract with resveratrol represents a feasible and productive approach to support dermal wound healing.”63
Resveratrol
Doctors in the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine, Department of Microbiology/Immunology reported in 2004 that “… [a]cyclovir (Zovirax) was as effective as resveratrol.” They showed that “… [r]esveratrol significantly inhibited the development of HSV-165-induced skin lesions. The skin of resveratrol-treated animals showed no apparent dermal toxicity, such as erythema, scaling, crusting, lichenification, or excoriation.” They tested two different concentrations of resveratrol (12.5% and 25%): both were effective in preventing and treating herpes; neither caused skin problems.
A paper published in 2002 by the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at The Temple University School of Medicine showed that resveratrol stopped the growth of many bacterial germs, including staphylococcus aureus, enterococcus faecalis, pseudomonas aeruginosa, and many fungi.
Squalane
Squalane protects and heals irritant-caused skin injury, such as chronic injury caused by detergents:
“Various detergents are used as skin cleansing products. In some cases, skin cleanser removes not only dirt but also valuable skin lipids. Therefore, detergents may disrupt epidermal barrier function despite that using detergents are required for good skin hygiene. Topical lipid supplements including squalane can reverse detergent-induced dysfunction of the skin barrier. Elevated transepidermal water loss was reversed with topical squalane.”
Zinc Oxide
Many studies have shown that the best form of zinc is zinc oxide. This compound enhances skin healing the best; zinc sulfate has no beneficial effect. Furthermore, zinc oxide was slowly absorbed into the skin, which improved immune defense mechanisms of the skin against germs. Zinc sulfate did not improve skin healing and did not reduce skin inflammation as did zinc oxide.