A Comparative Study of Two Topical Treatments for Photoaging of the Hands

Background: Multiple effective treatments exist for correction of skin photoaging. Topical L-ascorbic acid (vitamin C), a well-known antioxidant and topical human platelet extract (HPE), is a novel off-the-shelf cosmetic ingredient that has shown positive results in recent clinical studies. HPE is a leukocyte-depleted allogeneic product derived from United States–sourced, pooled, apheresed platelets produced with consistent batch quality, purity, and effect. The authors sought to characterize the effect of topical HPE (plated) intense serum (Rion Aesthetics) compared with vitamin C (C E Ferulic with 15% L-ascorbic acid; SkinCeuticals) in skin rejuvenation of dorsal hands after 12 to 26 weeks of twice-daily use. Methods: This prospective, longitudinal study sought to compare the effectiveness of 2 known treatments for skin rejuvenation. Evaluations at baseline and 6, 12, and 26 weeks included photographic documentation to assess common skin concerns related to aging. Results: For age-related skin appearance on the dorsal hands, topical HPE was noninferior to topical vitamin C for improvement in brown spot fractional area, wrinkle fractional area, and improvement in luminosity at 12 weeks after twice-daily topical use. Conclusions: HPE performed as well as vitamin C to rejuvenate the skin on the dorsal hands after 12 to 26 weeks of twice-daily topical use. Both topical serums may yield similar or superior results versus invasive procedures, such as intense pulsed light, in reducing brown spots on the dorsal hands. These topical products work equally well in both sexes. Skin improvements lasted through 6 months. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, II.