Anti-wrinkle treatment targets male skin needs

The company's recent clinical study on male volunteers suggested that after two months of daily application of Matrixyl 3000, visible results were observed. Matrixyl 3000 differs only in strength to the original Matrixyl product released in 2003 for the female consumer, 4 per cent strength in comparison to the original 3 per cent. This is due to the fact that male skin is generally more difficult to treat than females and wrinkles tend to be more defined, as a result of its increased thickness. The product's active ingredient is a combination of two matrikines, lipo-ghk and lipo-gqpr, endogenous lipopeptides that occur naturally in the cell's extracellular matrix. The matrikines result from the degradation of extra cellular matrix proteins and work as cell messengers by signalling to the cell through cell surface receptors. Research suggests that these peptides work as messengers regulating wound healing and skin repair illustrating their suitability for use in dermatology. When topically applied the peptides link to receptors on the cell surface, signalling to the cell to resynthesise products of the cell matrix such as collagen, elastin and glucosamine. The study compared the efficacy of Matrixyl 3000 against a placebo, an entirely identical product except for the lack of the two matrikines, on two panels of 24 men with a mean age of 54.5 years. The study claims that after two months a decrease of 29.4 per cent was seen in the area occupied by deep wrinkles, a reduction by 10.2 per cent in the mean depth of the main wrinkle as well as a 17.1 pre cent reduction in its volume. Investigations of the product's effect over longer periods were undertaken with the original 3 per cent Matrixyl that yielded positive results, according to the company, and similar longer term improvements can be expected with Matrixyl 3000. Furthermore as the matrikines are innate they are completely non toxic thus application of the product could continue on a long term basis. The relaunch of the product specifically for men reflects the growth in the number of cosmetics ranges devoted for the male consumer, Sederma's spokesperson told Cosmetics Design Europe. Matrixyl 3000 joins a relatively small selection of male anti-wrinkle products currently on the market, including Shiseido's Deep Wrinkle Corrector that claims to 'minimise the appearance of deep wrinkles and enhance the skin's vitality'​ and l'Oreal's Men's Expert Vita Lift Anti-Wrinkle and Firming Moisturiser. Euromonitor estimates that the European male grooming market stands at $ 21bn, estimating an 18 per cent growth in the sector by 2011, whilst identifying anti wrinkle treatments as an important area for possible expansion.