A Method for Maintaining the Clinical Results of 4% Hydroquinone and 0.025% Tretinoin With a Cosmeceutical Formulation

April 2015 | Volume 14 | Issue 4 | Original Article | 386 | Copyright © April 2015


Zoe Diana Draelos MD,a Susana Raab BS,b Margarita Yatskayer MS,b Nannan Chen PhD,b
Yevgeniy Krol BS,c and Christian Oresajo PhDb

aDermatology Consulting Services, High Point, NC; Consulting Professor, Department of Dermatology, Duke University, Durham, NC
bL’Oréal Research and Innovation, Clark, NJ
cSkinceuticals, New York, NY

have created opportunities for more customized pigmentation treatment. Our initial study confirmed that the use of this novel cosmeceutical formulation is as effective as this gold standard of prescription hyperpigmentation therapy.1 This research took our initial findings a step further by examining the efficacy of maintenance treatment for 20 weeks with a hydroxyphenoxy propionic acid, ellagic acid, yeast extract, and salicylic acid cosmetic formulation during the summer months, the most difficult time to treat hyperpigmentary disorders. This cosmeceutical product was specifically formulated to target different cutaneous layers in order to provide a comprehensive approach for melanin removal from the skin and prevention of new pigment formation without seasonal limitations. The cosmetic formulation improved skin feel and appearance while maintaining the pigment lightening results achieved with the hydroquinone/tretinoin combination. Surprisingly, the improvement in pigmentation actually continued after the discontinuation of prescription and lasted throughout the entire duration of the 20-week study.
This research examined a method for combining pharmaceuticals with cosmeceuticals. The combination achieved statistically significant improvement in pigmentation that persisted for 20 weeks. This methodology may be the future of dermatology care for appearance related issues, attesting to the possible synergy between the cycled use of prescription and cosmeceutical regimens.

DISCLOSUREs

Zoe Diana Draelos, MD, performed this work at her research facility as part of a research grant from SkinCeuticals, a division of L'Oreal. The remaining authors are employees of L'Oreal.

REFERENCES

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AUTHOR CORRESPONDENCE

Zoe Diana Draelos MDzdraelos@northstate.net