If you are seeing this message, you may be experiencing temporary network problems. Please wait a few minutes and refresh the page. If the problem persists, you may wish to report it to your local Network Manager.
It is also possible that your web browser is not configured or not able to display style sheets. In this case, although the visual presentation will be degraded, the site should continue to be functional. We recommend using the latest version of Microsoft or Mozilla web browser to help minimise these problems.
Wiley InterScience | ||
![]() Skin Research and TechnologyVolume 12 Issue 2, Pages 105 - 113 Published Online: 3 Apr 2006 © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S
Abstract | References | Full Text: HTML, PDF (Size: 763K) | Related Articles | Citation Tracking Ultrasound enhanced skin-lightening effect of vitamin C and niacinamide Copyright Copyright © Blackwell Munksgaard 2006 KEYWORDS sonophoresis • ultrasound • skin lightening • niacinamide • vitamin C ABSTRACTBackground/purpose: Cutaneous hyperpigmentation occurs in multiple conditions. There is a strong need for the improvement of hyperpigmentation especially among Asian women. However, the effect of existing skin-lightening agents is not sufficient. One reason attributes to the limited capability of active agents to be delivered transepidermally. Ultrasound is one promising approach to enhance transepidermal transport. In this work, we investigate the effect of the use of high-frequency ultrasound together with coupling gel containing skin-lightening agents (ascorbyl glucoside and niacinamide) on facial hyperpigmentation in vivo in Japanese women. Methods: The effect of ultrasound on the absorption of skin-lightening agents into the stratum corneum was evaluated in a tape-stripping method on human forearms in vivo. The skin efficacy was assessed in a facial clinical trial involving 60 subjects with hyperpigmentation in a paired design. Subjects were assigned to two groups, each group using two treatments (one on each facial cheek): (1) skin-lightening gel with ultrasound vs. no treatment or (2) skin-lightening gel with ultrasound vs. skin-lightening gel treatment. Changes in facial hyperpigmentation were objectively quantified by computer analysis and visual grading of high-resolution digital images of the face in addition to the subjective assessment via questionnaire. Results: Ultrasound radiation enhanced the absorption of skin-lightening agents in the stratum corneum in a radiation-time-dependent manner. In the facial clinical trial, use of ultrasound radiation together with the skin-lightening gel significantly reduced facial hyperpigmented spots compared with both no treatment and skin-lightening gel alone after 4 weeks. Conclusions: The data suggest that use of high-frequency ultrasound radiation together with skin-lightening gel is effective to reduce hyperpigmentation via enhancing transepidermal transport of skin-lightening agents. Accepted for publication 30 November 2005 |