68th AAD Annual Meeting reveals science behind skin care

Research presented by P&G Beauty & Grooming scientists at the 68th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology (Miami Beach, FL, March 5-9) examines skin care science from multiple perspectives, offering insights into how ingredient formulations, care regimens and gene expressions impact skin condition. Eleven studies are on display, discussing a wide range of topics, including lipid metabolism pathways in the stratum corneum, skin elasticity and male shaving regimens.

"This year, P&G Beauty & Grooming is presenting a diverse research portfolio covering topics such as male and female skin condition, whole body anti-aging treatments and skin care genomics," said Emma Kohring, Global Director, P&G Beauty & Grooming Science. "The 2010 American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Annual Meeting is the ideal venue for P&G Beauty & Grooming scientists to share their research and discuss the findings with leaders in the world of dermatology."

The following research summaries are just a sample of the P&G Beauty & Grooming science that will be shared at the AAD Annual Meeting. Hexamidine, a Protease Inhibitor, Promotes Stratum Corneum Lipid Biomarkers In Vitro (P104, PD 01)

P&G Beauty & Grooming scientists evaluated how hexamidine impacts the gene expression of stratum corneum (SC) lipid metabolism pathways in vitro. Using gene chip technology, scientists examined RNA from skin biopsies of young and older study subjects. In intrinsically and extrinsically aged skin, the epidermal cholesterol, fatty acid and sphingolipid synthetic pathway genes were down-regulated. Skin equivalents treated with hexamidine showed the opposite effect, with up-regulation of these pathways. Researchers concluded that the down-regulation of these pathways is consistent with previously reported global decreases in SC lipids in aging skin, and likely contributes to the decreased ability of aged skin to maintain and repair the skin barrier. By increasing the expression of genes involved in lipid biosynthetic pathways, hexamidine has the potential to increase the levels of these key lipids available for skin maintenance and repair. Thus, using hexamidine, P&G Beauty & Grooming scientists significantly increased expression of pathways essential for the production of lipids such as cholesterol, sphingolipids and fatty acids that have the potential to restore the stratum corneum and moisture content of aging skin.