BC05 Technological and clinical demonstration of a skin ageing analysis prototype

Abstract

Abstract The skin undergoes intrinsic and extrinsic ageing, with extrinsic ageing caused by environmental factors including inadequate sleep. Preliminary studies have suggested a link between sleep quality and skin ageing. Noninvasive devices have been developed that are able to measure and quantify markers of skin ageing, such as collagen levels and wrinkle formation. A handheld optical coherence tomography (OCT) test, sourced from Industrial Technology Research Institute, is one such device that allows for the measurement of dermal collagen levels. We describe a pilot study to assess the feasibility of combining several methods to quantify skin ageing in those with and without sleep disturbance, to understand which specific markers of skin ageing are affected by poor sleep. Questionnaires were distributed to 10 female workers and completed by each participant to understand their sleep and sun protection habits. There were two groups: women working fixed day shifts (aged 41–53 years) or fixed night shifts (aged 22–63 years). Skin swabs, VISIA® and OCT were used to measure markers of skin ageing of both cheeks: DNA amplification, wrinkles (percentile) and collagen (percentage), respectively. The entire testing could be completed by each participant within 15 minutes. The results were then compared between the different groups. The testing was well tolerated in this small sample. There was a statistically significant difference between day and night workers in their percentile of wrinkles using the VISIA (left cheek: P = 0.039; right cheek: P = 0.015), with night workers showing fewer signs of wrinkle formation. No statistically significant difference in DNA amplification was observed between day and night workers using skin swabs (left cheek: P = 0.27; right cheek: P = 0.32). Using OCT, no statistically significant difference was observed in collagen percentage between day and night workers (left cheek: P = 0.73; right cheek: P = 0.98). Skin swabs, OCT and VISIA were well tolerated, with no adverse events seen. The VISIA showed a significant difference in markers of skin ageing between day and night workers. Night shift workers may have shown fewer signs of wrinkle formation due to confounding factors such as age and smoking. No significant difference was observed with skin swabs and OCT, which may be related to the small sample size. The skin swabs, VISIA and OCT together can be quickly used to test the impact of sleep or any other extrinsic factor on skin ageing. This study has provided useful pilot data that can be scaled for future, larger studies.