Evaluating the Efficacy in Improving Facial Photodamage with a Mixture of Topical Antioxidants

This study evaluates the efficacy and tolerability of an investigational study cream composed of 3 ingredients (green and white teas, mangosteen, and pomegranate extract), Vitaphenolâ„¢ Skin Cream (La Jolla Spa MD, La Jolla CA), as compared to a placebo cream in rejuvenating facial skin. Twenty healthy females between the ages of 35 and 65 with demonstrable facial wrinkling, achieving a Rao-Goldman wrinkle scale score of 2 or above, applied either Vitaphenol Skin Cream or placebo cream to a randomized half of their face twice daily for 60 days and returned for follow-up after 2 weeks. Twice as many subjects indicated an enhancement of skin texture (eg, reduction in pore size, roughness, and touch) with the usage of Vitaphenol versus placebo. In all, 41% of the study subjects preferred the half of their face that had been receiving Vitaphenol, while only 0.06% of the subjects favored the placebo side. PRIMOS images from periorbital skin treated with Vitaphenol demonstrated an average improvement in skin smoothness of 1 mm3, whereas skin treated with placebo showed an average decrease in smoothness or an increase in skin roughness of 0.9 mm3. The addition of 3 antioxidants, green and white teas, mangosteen, and pomegranate, have an additive effect to enhance the improvement of age-related changes in the skin.