Our knowledge of the cellular signaling pathways is growing by leaps and bounds due to advances in gene microarray analysis and other genomics and proteinomic discoveries. These are being rapidly translated into practical applications for skin care. The ability to understand the molecular biology associated with the development and maintenance of the skin’s structure and function is vital to the future of scientifically sound skin care.
As we learn more about how the skin interacts with the environment around it and how it responds to injuries, we will see significant advances in therapies. There are vast numbers of botanical products available to evaluate which produce many unique molecules. Some of these are part of the plant’s defenses against their environment and have applications for our skin as well. The ability to synthetically manufacture some of these complex compounds has expanded greatly in recent years, and the future is bright for our ability to not only copy but also to create new analogs and derivatives of such compounds.
The impact of free radicals/ROS on the skin and how to neutralize or control this at an early stage as ROS are initially generated will lead to more “preventive/defensive”
products and, with proper public education, hopefully a more proactive approach to skin care. This is the true “anti-aging”—much of current therapies are still focused on “age reversal” or repair rather than preventive therapies. The cascade of cellular events and damage triggered by free radicals and the negative impact of chronic upregulation/activa – tion of degrading enzymes and chronic inflammation in the skin contribute greatly to “premature” aging. The years ahead will see more emphasis on “beauty maintenance” or “skin fitness for life” as products and actives and delivery systems become more scientifically sound.
The large pharmaceutical companies may begin to play a more significant role in cosmeceutical development as the ability to use cosmeceuticals for drug-like effects allows them to utilize their resources to develop effective new skin care products without some of the regulatory burdens and costs associated with drugs. The time delay from new discoveries to actual products available for consumer use can potentially be dramatically reduced by this pathway.
Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) testing via a mouth swab may well play a role in determining long-term skin care plans/needs for people in the near future as this testing becomes more available. Correlations of testing results with actual clinical needs based on solid science and clinical studies will be a challenge since this database will need to be developed. However, the ability to look at one’s “variation” from the “normal” population in SNP could provide very useful insights into skin care.
Major breakthroughs in photoaging and repair of DNA damage and telomere repair appear to be imminent. Genetic engineering is still a struggling infant but can become a giant in skin care in the future. Hormonal regulation and immune function issues with the skin will be more important in the future. Much of what we were taught was “intrinsic aging” and thus not alterable by medicine and science will soon be able to be manipulated at some level—only time and some core genetic issues will be immutable. Treatments that were unthinkable a few decades ago will become a reality, and cosmeceuticals or their derivatives may well play a role in this area of medicine. The use of low intensity light to photomodulate skin cells and/or to activate or interact with topical cosmeceutical agents may also enter the market place.
Marketing claims will likely continue to push the edge of the envelope. It is unclear if or when (and at what point) the FDA may intervene in this arena, but this too bears watching closely. The science needed to support the claims is sadly absent in many cases, but there are also some stellar examples of great science and clinical studies for cosmeceuticals and this trend is growing. Hopefully we will see some new standards set in this industry for science and data that will allow us to discern what benefits are real and which products deliver them. However, in the short term it is likely that the current confusion in the marketplace will continue or perhaps worsen so education will be the key. Dermatology residency programs need to increase their training related to cosmeceuticals so that dermatologists are not left behind and maintain their tradition of being the true “skin care experts” and the best resource for consumers who need guidance in planning their skin care regimen. Dermatology needs to take a strong leadership position in cosmeceutical research and development as well.
Hopefully the near future will see more science and less “science fiction” in research and marketing claims for cosmeceuticals. The issue of hype versus hope versus reality is a very real one for contemporary advertising. The ability to harness the power of natural products and their derivatives for treating skin diseases and for anti-aging purposes is about to undergo giant leaps forward as genomic research gives us new understanding of the structure and function of the skin—and also provides much more accurate ways to
screen for active compounds and produce optimal formulations. Cosmeceuticals are the wave of the future in science-based skin care.