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| |  Alpha-Hydroxy Acids Appear Effective in Improving Skin Appearance SAN FRANCISCO, March 21, 1997 -- Scientific proof is finally out about the efficacy the latest skin care trend. A leader U.S. dermatology expert reported today that low concentrations of the popular skin care ingredients called alpha-hydroxy acids (AHA) 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% glycolic acid or 8% 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 alphahydroxys had reduction in overall signs of photoaging, compared with those using the vehicle cream. More than 70% of those using AHA on the face showed a reduction in photodamage symptoms, while only 41% 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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