Positive Health Online

Abstract

CABERLOTTO and COLLEAGUES, 1. L'Oréal Research and Innovation, Chevilly Larue, France; 2. L'Oréal Research and Innovation, Aulnay sous Bois, France; 3. L'Oréal Research and Innovation, Redmond, WA, United States of America studied the effect(s) of mild skin massage in an ex vivo model and in vivo.

Background

Mechanical and geometrical cues influence cell behaviour. At the tissue level, almost all organs exhibit immediate mechanical responsiveness, in particular by increasing their stiffness in direct proportion to an applied mechanical stress.

Methodology

It was recently shown in cultured-cell models, in particular with fibroblasts, that the frequency of the applied stress is a fundamental stimulating parameter. However, the influence of the stimulus frequency at the tissue level has remained elusive. Using a device to deliver an oscillating torque that generates cyclic strain at different frequencies, we studied the effect(s) of mild skin massage in an ex vivo model and in vivo. Skin explants were maintained ex vivo for 10 days and massaged twice daily for one minute at various frequencies within the range of 65-85 Hz. Biopsies were analysed at D0, D5 and D10 and processed for immuno-histological staining specific to various dermal proteins.

Results

As compared to untreated skin explants, the massaging procedure clearly led to higher rates of expression, in particular for decorin, fibrillin, tropoelastin, and procollagen-1. The mechanical stimulus thus evoked an anti-ageing response. Strikingly, the expression was found to depend on the stimulus frequency with maximum expression at 75Hz. We then tested whether this mechanical stimulus had an anti-ageing effect in vivo. Twenty Caucasian women (aged 65-75y) applied a commercial anti-aging cream to the face and neck, followed by daily treatments using the anti-ageing massage device for 8 weeks. A control group of twenty-two women, with similar ages to the first group, applied the cream alone. At W0, W4 and W8, a blinded evaluator assessed the global facial wrinkles, skin texture, lip area, cheek wrinkles, neck sagging and neck texture using a clinical grading scale.

Conclusion

We found that combining the massaging device with a skin anti-aging formulation amplified the beneficial effects of the cream.

References

Caberlotto E1, Ruiz L2, Miller Z3, Poletti M3, Tadlock L3. Effects of a skin-massaging device on the ex-vivo expression of human dermis proteins and in-vivo facial wrinkles. PLoS One.;12(3):e0172624. Mar 1 2017. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0172624. eCollection 2017.