Researchers develop skin-conforming polymer that reduces wrinkles
Newsweek (5/9, Cuthbertson) reports that researchers have developed “a ‘revolutionary’ skin-conforming polymer called XPL” that “has the ability to replicate the mechanical properties of youthful skin while reducing the appearance of wrinkles and under-eye bagging.” This “material is described in a paper published...in Nature Materials, following more than five years of research aimed at replicating healthy skin.” In “a series of small proof-of-concept human studies,” investigators found “that treatment with the material not only reduced wrinkles and mechanical functions but also improved the skin function of patients with severely dry skin.”
The Washington Post (5/9, Feltman) “Speaking of Science” blog reports that “the researchers...say it could actually find its best use in patients with severe skin problems like eczema or psoriasis, which can both cause extremely dry and itchy skin.” The blog points out, “Initially developed by skin and haircare company Living Proof, the so-called Strateris platform (now under development with a spin-off company called Olivo Labs) was briefly introduced to a small number of dermatology practices in 2014.” At that “time, it was marketed solely as a under-eye solution – and it’s no longer available for sale.”
The New York Times (5/10, A11, Kolata, Subscription Publication) reports, “The researchers say that they are not sure yet when they will have enough data to submit to the Food and Drug Administration for marketing approval – they will know more later this year.” The investigators “emphasize that their tests of the product as a cosmetic treatment, where most subjects responded, are separate from their tests of it as a medical product, where they do not yet know the response rate.”
