CATANIA, Italy—Soy phytosterols exert positive results on skin repair, according to a recent study. In fact, the researchers noted, three days after tape stripping, the sites treated with a formulation containing phytosterols showed an appreciable recovery of barrier function compared to those treated with a vehicle control without soy phytosterols (Int J Cosmet Sci. 2009;31(3):241). Researchers wanted to study the effect of the topical application of soybean phytosterols on skin barrier recovery in human volunteers using the extent of methyl nicotinate (MN)-induced erythema in damaged skin as a parameter to evaluate the rate of stratum corneum recovery. MN was chosen as an erythematogenous substance for its capability to cause an erythema whose intensity and duration is proportional to the quantity of the substance that has entered the living epidermis over time. MN-induced erythema was monitored using reflectance spectrophotometry as a non-invasive instrumental technique.
SupplySide
