NICE,France—Treatment with L-ascorbic acid and phytic acid, found in bran and seeds, was significantly more efficacious than a vehicle in many respects in treating solar lentigines (SL), benign signs of sun damage, according to French researchers (J Cosm Dermatol. 2011;10(4):266-72).
A double blind, vehicle-controlled trial in 30 healthy subjects with greater than or equal to 2 SL. Subjects were randomly assigned to apply of L-ascorbic acid 10 percent + phytic acid 2 percent to one side of the body and a vehicle to the other twice daily for three months with follow-up of two months.
The pigmentation index for product-treated SL was reduced (maximum reduction 1.3 at three months [M3]), while vehicle-treated lesions remained stable. These differences were statistically significant for M1 to M4 (P≤0.003). Dermoscopy detected significant intergroup differences in pigmentation at M5 (P=0.011). Colorimetry results indicated a statistically significant improvement in brightness between study drug and vehicle at M5. Fifteen subjects experienced 23 adverse events; six (mostly halo depigmentation) were judged possibly related to the study drug. There were six instances of mild-to-moderate intolerance in the study drug group and five in the vehicle-treated group. The researchers noted future, larger studies are needed to confirm these results and to compare the product with gold-standard treatments.
