A clinical evaluation of a glycolic acid hand treatment with retinyl palmitate and an SPF 15 on photoaged hand skin

BACKGROUND: The backs of the hands are typically unprotected from sunlight, and therefore prone to photodamage. Corrective invasive procedures such as chemical peeling and laser resurfacing are not recommended for the hand owing to the thinness of dorsal hand skin, and constant hand movement, and therefore, a therapeutic lotion has been developed as a treatmentalternative. AIM: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of a therapeutic hand lotion compared with a usual hand and body lotion over a 12-week period to improve the apperance of photoaged handskin. METHODS: A hand treatment containing glycolic acid and retinyl palmitate with a sunscreen (SPF 15) was developed, and compared with a usual hand and body lotion (control) in a double-blind, 12- week, paired-comparison study (right hand versus left hand). Evaluations included clinical grading for efficacy and irritation, instrumental measurements, and subject self-assessments of product benefit. Changes in appearance during the test period were documented by clinical scientific digital imaging. In all, 75% of the panel rated the overall product performance as 'excellent' or 'very good', indicating high self-perceived benefit and user acceptance. RESULTS: The hand treatment was significantly more effective ( p &#104 0.05) in improving skin clarity, crêpy texture, and overall photoaged appearance compared with control at all time points in the study. Additionally, the test product was superior to control in pinch recoil (skin resiliency) measurements by 8 weeks of usage. This effect was confirmed by significant improvement in Cutometer® measurements of resiliency by week 12. The test product was found to significantly increase skin moisture content over baseline. This effect was corroborated by significant reductions in self-perceived skin tightness (subjective irritation) and stratum corneum flaking parameters (DSquame® disk analysis). CONCLUSION: The therapeutic hand lotion developed was shown to be safe and possess superior effectiveness to a usual hand and body lotion for ameliorating many of the symptoms of photodamage. ( J Dermatol Treat (2000) 11: 165-172)