Human platelet extract improves wrinkles, increases collagen, elastin

Key takeaways:

• Study participants using a daily regimen including HPE experienced improved pigmentation, redness and color evenness.
• Collagen bundle thickness was also increased, whereas wrinkle depth decreased.

Individuals who used topical human platelet extract experienced collagen and elastin enhancement, as well as improved facial skin health, according to a study.

“The holy grail of aesthetic dermatology is a noninvasive therapy that can reverse the aging process, turning back the hands of time,” Saranya P. Wyles, MD, PhD, of the department of dermatology at the Mayo Clinic, and colleagues wrote. “One of the latest developments in aesthetic regenerative medicine is using exomes as an ingredient in commercial skin treatment products.”

The researchers conducted a prospective, single-arm, open-label, evaluator-blinded study of topical human platelet-derived extract (HPE) Intense Serum (Rion Aesthetics), a leukocyte-depleted allogeneic product derived from pooled, apheresed platelets.

The study included 56 participants (mean age, 54 years; 48 women) aged 40 to 80 years with mild to moderate facial wrinkles and lines who were instructed to follow a standardized skin care plan for 12 weeks, which included application of Intense Serum to the face and decolletage twice daily, as well as skin-neutral cleanser and lotion.

Evaluations were conducted using the Canfield VISIA (VISIA-CR) system to assess wrinkle counts, depth and volume, along with erythema, luminosity, color evenness and pigmentation at baseline, week 6 and week 12. Participant perception of cosmetic improvement and satisfaction was also evaluated.

The researchers conducted a histological analysis of collagen and elastin by comparing 5 mm punch biopsies taken from the left upper inner arm skin at baseline with those taken from the right upper inner arm skin at week 12.

At week 12, 36% of participants had improved pigmentation and minimized brown spots, with at least a mean 10% improvement from baseline. Further, 50% and 28% had a mean improvement in redness of 50% or 75%, respectively, and 22% and 38% had a 10% or 5% mean improvement in color evenness.

Wrinkle fractional areas were reduced by at least 10% in 20% of participants, with 38% of participants having at least a 5% mean improvement.

In questionnaires, 69% of participants reported cosmetic improvement at week 6 and 87.3% at week 12.

An improvement in skin texture was reported by 90.9% of participants at week 12, and an improvement in wrinkles was reported by 85.5% at the same time point. Redness improvement was reported by 67.3% of participants also at week 12.

Collagen bundle thickness increased from 69.98 nm ± 9.56 nm at baseline to 100.69 nm ± 3.41 nm at week 12, with a statistically significant uniform collagen thickness improvement of 30.7 nm ± 11.26 nm.

Nine participants (16.3%) experienced dry skin, but no serious adverse events were reported.

“Topical skin-directed therapies utilizing antioxidants, retinoids and peptides have shown promise in enhancing collagen and elastin synthesis, in tandem with improving skin texture and tone,” the authors wrote. “Emerging research on platelet-derived extracellular vesicles presents a new and intriguing avenue for skin rejuvenation.”