HAMBURG, Germany—A topical formulation containing folic acid and creatine may help address age-related losses in skin firmness, working to enhance collagen metabolism, according to a new study (J Cosmetic Dermatol. 2011;10(1):15-23. DOI: 10.1111/j.1473-2165.2010.00543.x). Researchers from Beiersdorf AG, Hamburg, Germany, noted aging skin loses its firmness as fundamental changes occur in the dermal matrix, characterized by impaired collagen production. They conducted in vitro and in vivo studies to explore the effects of topical folic acid and creatine on qualitative and quantitative parameters of skin firmness.
Topical application of a commercially available formulation containing folic acid and creatine was performed to study the effects on skin firmness, using multiphoton laser scanning microscopy (MPLSM) to quantify collagen density. Complementary in vitro studies on cultured fibroblast-populated collagen gels were carried out to assess the effects on collagen gene expression, procollagen synthesis and collagen fibril organization.
The underlying structural changes in the collagen network of young and aged sun-exposed facial skin in vivo were visualized by MPLSM. Topical application of a folic acid- and creatine-containing formulation significantly improved firmness of mature skin in vivo. Treatment of fibroblast-populated dermal equivalents with folic acid and creatine increased collagen gene expression and procollagen levels and improved collagen fiber density, suggesting the in vivo effects were based on the overall improvement of the collagen metabolism.