Wrinkles, skin discoloration, dry skin and skin roughness are all unpleasantries that keep the anti-aging market booming and researchers hard at work looking for new ways to revitalize the skin. But it’s hard to know who trust; with so many “hot air” claims promising the world, it’s difficult to know which ingredients do what and if they really work. Well … thank goodness for scientists. In Thailand, researchers conducted a double blind, placebo-controlled trial, in which 60 women, aged 35 to 60 years, were randomized to receive an oral dietary supplement containing antioxidants, minerals and glycosaminoglycans (n=30) or a placebo (n=30), once daily for 12 weeks (Int J Cosmet Sci. 2009 Jun 30). At baseline, the depth of skin roughness and fine wrinkles in the treatment group and the placebo group were 100.5 and 100 mum, respectively.
At the end of the study, the depth of skin roughness and fine wrinkles in the treatment group showed a 21.2-percent improvement, whereas improvement in the control group was 1.7 percent. This difference was statistically significant (P < 0.001).There was no statistically significant decrease in the homogenization of skin color, but a statistically significant reduction in pore size, and depth of skin roughness and fine wrinkles were observed (P<0.05).