parameters related to skin ageing were measured: the coefficient of visibility of wrinkles, roughness and the mean length of highlighted wrinkles. Assessments were conducted at intervals of 14 days, one month, three months and four months after the BTA injections.
To focus on the enhanced effects of the peptide in conjunction with BTA treatment, all parameters were calculated relative to the 14-day postinjection mark, as it typically takes two weeks for BTA to fully manifest its effects. All results were expressed as mean increase values, and statistical significance was evaluated using the Shapiro test for normality, followed by the paired Student’ s T-test or the Wilcoxon test for significance.
Effectiveness of BTA injections
To evaluate the duration of BTA’ s effectiveness, participants were asked to display their maximum surprise and concern expressions to track the BTA effect visually over time. Figure 1 illustrates an example from the placebo group, showing a participant making a surprise expression by raising their eyebrows( a) and a worried expression by frowning( b).
Within four months after the BTA treatment, the participant regained the ability to express emotions, displaying similar expression wrinkles as prior to the injection. Additionally, participants were surveyed monthly regarding their perception of BTA’ s efficacy. Up to 87 % of the volunteers reported a noticeable decrease in the effects after four months. Consequently, assessing the impact of the peptide over a four-month treatment period was deemed appropriate.
Improvement of wrinkle reduction
To evaluate the coefficient of wrinkle visibility, standardised frontal( 0 º) and lateral(-45 º/+ 45 º) macrophotographs were captured under controlled lighting conditions using a high-resolution camera( Nikon D7200). Changes in wrinkle visibility across the treated areas were analysed with FrameScan software( Orion Concept).
A less pronounced increase in the coefficient of visibility of wrinkles in the three areas of interest was observed after one, three and four months of using the active formulation in combination with BTA injections. The results( Figure 2) demonstrate that, while the efficacy of BTA decreased over time, the combination with the peptide resulted in a less significant reduction, thereby maintaining reduced wrinkle visibility for a longer duration.
Furthermore, trend calculations for the average of the three areas indicated that the peptide helped delay the diminishing effects of BTA by nearly eight weeks. Figure 3 provides two examples of the forehead and frown wrinkles in volunteers of the active group with surprise and concern expressions, showing a remarkable improvement and sustained effect throughout the four-month period.
Prolonged skin smoothness
Skin roughness( Ra) was analysed using Primos software( Canfield). 3D microphotographs of the forehead, frown, and crow’ s feet areas were obtained using the fringe projection-based imaging system. For the three areas analysed, the group of volunteers that applied the active formulation showed a continued improvement in skin roughness over time( Figure 4). Although the effects of BTA progressively diminished by the fourth month, the volunteers who used the active formulation maintained smoother skin compared to the placebo group. Additionally, the improvement in skin roughness in the forehead and frown areas with the peptide treatment surpassed the effects of BTA alone, indicating an enhancing effect of the active peptide on the toxin injections.
Reduced prominence of forehead wrinkles
To evaluate the mean length of prominent wrinkles, 3D facial images were captured using the 3D LifeViz Infinity system( Quantificare). The LifeVizAPP software was employed to highlight the most prominent wrinkles on the forehead and frown regions.
The mean length of these wrinkles was analysed using proprietary computer vision techniques. This process involved the k-means clustering method to segment wrinkle pixels from the skin. The wrinkle skeletons were then identified by refining the segmented objects to single lines. The average length of these wrinkle skeletons was measured and divided by the total number of detected wrinkles to determine the mean length of wrinkles.
The most prominent wrinkles showed a visible reduction in their length after BTA treatment. However, volunteers who also applied the active formulation maintained the improvement in mean wrinkle length compared to those using the placebo formulation after four months of BTA injections( Figure 5a).
Figure 5b shows an example of 3D images of a volunteer treated with the active peptide. After 14 days of treatment with the toxin, a clear reduction in wrinkle length is evident and at the end of the treatment with the active ingredient, these wrinkles continue to appear reduced on the forehead and frown, with a lesser appearance than before the BTA injections.
Conclusions
This study demonstrates the potential of Argireline Amplified peptide as a strategic adjunct to BTA treatments, offering a scientifically substantiated approach to prolonging and enhancing neuromodulatory efficacy in aesthetic applications by nearly eight weeks.
64 SPECIALITY CHEMICALS MAGAZINE ESTABLISHED 1981