Novel botanical lotion may improve aging skin on arms, thighs of women

Key takeaways:

• The novel firming and toning body lotion contained bioactive botanicals that modulate biological pathways in body skin restoration.
• Satisfaction was higher in those using the firming lotion vs. vehicle.

A novel firming and toning body lotion containing bioactive botanicals may improve upper arm firmness and thigh cellulite in women, according to a study.

“A large proportion of research and clinical attention in aesthetic medicine is devoted to the restoration and repair of age-related changes in the skin,” Elizabeth T. Makino, BS, CCRA, MBA, of SkinMedica, Allergan Aesthetics, an AbbVie Company, and colleagues wrote. “In recent years, these efforts have increasingly expanded into the care of body skin, broadening the field’s historical near-exclusive focus on the face and décolletage.”

According to Makino and her colleagues, age-related changes in body skin can be traced to the loss of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, increased stratum corneum thickness and reduction and redistribution of subcutaneous fat deposits.

Certain bioactive botanicals have been found to modulate specific biological pathways in body skin restoration, including ECM integrity and other factors, the researchers said. In this study, Makino and colleagues evaluated the effects of a novel firming and toning body lotion (FTB) containing these ingredients on aging body skin.

A total of 54 women, aged 30 to 65 years, were assigned FTB (n = 37) or vehicle (n = 17) to be applied on the upper arms and thighs twice daily for 12 weeks. These women had mild to moderate sagging in the upper arm and mild to moderate cellulite.

Skin assessments were performed at 2, 4, 8 and 12 weeks. Grading scales included a modified Griffiths 10-point severity scale, as well as the 5-point Cellulite Global Grading Scale for thigh cellulite.

Results showed significant improvement from baseline in crepiness, body skin texture, smoothness and firmness in those that used FTB compared with vehicle after 12 weeks.

Improvements in body skin tone evenness began at week 4 with FTB treatment. Also, women using FTB experienced improvements in sagging and crepiness of the underarm as well as thigh cellulite, crepiness, body skin texture and skin tone evenness began at weeks 8 and 12.

Based on instrument assessments, hydration in the upper arms and skin firmness, elasticity and density in both the thighs and arms were seen by week 12 in those that used FTB but not in those that used vehicle.

Further, the researchers reported new collagen and elastic fiber formation in ex vivo skin was supported by FTB use, as well as an increase in skin rejuvenation-associated gene expression.

A greater proportion of women treated with FTB expressed a higher overall satisfaction with the appearance of their skin at week 12 compared with vehicle-treated women in both upper arms (76.7% vs. 51.7%; P .011) and thighs (80% vs. 42.8%; P .011).

Seven mild or moderate adverse events were reported in the FTB group and three were reported in the vehicle group. Four of the events in the FTB arm — hypersensitivity of the entire body, rash and contact dermatitis — were considered possibly related to treatment. Five women discontinued the study due to adverse events, whereas six other women discontinued due to withdrawn consent (n = 4), loss to follow-up (n = 1) and subject noncompliance (n = 1).

“Gene expression analyses confirmed that, in contrast to comparator products, FTB treatment induced multiple genes involved in the repair of aging skin,” the authors concluded.