Anti‐Wrinkle Therapy: Significant New Findings in the Non‐Invasive Cosmetic Treatment of Skin Wrinkles with Beta‐Glucan

Oat beta‐glucan is a water soluble, linear polymer of glucose consisting of 1,4 (70%) and 1,3 (30%) linkages with an average molecular weight of 1 × 10 6 Da. Scientific reports indicate beta‐glucan is a film‐forming moisturizer, a biological response modifier, and a promoter of wound healing. Our objective was to study the penetration of oat (1,4:1,3) beta‐glucan in human skin models and to evaluate clinically its efficacy for reducing fine‐lines and wrinkles. Penetration studies performed on human abdominal skin used a single application of 0.5% beta‐glucan solution at a dose of 5 mg per cm 2 . The results showed that beta‐glucan, despite its large molecular size, deeply penetrated the skin into the epidermis and dermis. A clinical study of 27 subjects was performed to evaluate the effects of beta‐glucan on facial fine‐lines and wrinkles. After 8 weeks of treatment, digital image analysis of silicone replicas indicated a significant reduction of wrinkle depth and height, and overall roughness. This work is the first ex vivo and in vivo demonstration of the physiological effects of beta‐glucan in the penetration and restructuring of human tissue. The study supports the use of oat beta‐glucan in the care and maintenance of healthy skin and the cosmetic treatment of the signs of aging.