Different Pathways of Skin Aging: Objective Instrumental Evaluation

Area of Science:

• Dermatology
• Medical Imaging
• Gerontology

Background:

• Skin aging presents as distinct hypertrophic (wrinkles, leathery texture) and atrophic (thinning, vascularity) phenotypes.
• Understanding these subtypes is crucial for targeted dermatological interventions.
• Non-invasive imaging offers a promising approach to characterize aging skin.

Purpose of the Study:

• To differentiate between hypertrophic and atrophic facial aging subtypes.
• To evaluate the efficacy of VISIA® and dynamic optical coherence tomography (D-OCT) in characterizing skin aging.
• To identify potential intermediate aging phenotypes.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 40 patients (aged 60-75) undergoing non-invasive facial imaging.
• Utilized VISIA® for UV spot and red area assessment, and D-OCT for vascularity and dermal density.
• Categorized subjects into PIGM, RED, CONTROL, and PIGM + RED subgroups based on VISIA® findings.

Main Results:

• Strong correlation found between VISIA® red area scores and D-OCT vascular density.
• Higher wrinkle counts observed in areas with UV spots (PIGM groups).
• Low attenuation coefficients and dermal density linked to high red areas and low UV spots.

Conclusions:

• Non-invasive imaging devices are effective for evaluating facial aging and distinguishing subtypes.
• VISIA® and D-OCT successfully differentiate aging phenotypes and assess vascularity.
• Two intermediate aging types were identified alongside traditional hypertrophic and atrophic subtypes.