Anti-Wrinkle Efficacy of Cross-Linked Hyaluronic Acid-Based Microneedle Patch with Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 and Epidermal Growth Factor on Korean Skin

Background: Hyaluronic acid (HA)-based microneedle patch has recently been studied for wrinkle improvement.Cross-linked HA (CLHA) is widely used in dermal fillers.Acetyl hexapeptide-8 (AHP-8) and epidermal growth factor (EGF) are used for cosmetic ingredients.Objective: This study aimed to verify the efficacy of the CLHA/HA-based patch with microstructure (microneedle patch) containing AHP-8 or EGF.Methods: A total of 52 Korean females were enrolled in a double-blind, randomized, controlled, splitface trial.The subjects were divided into 3 groups: (1) microneedle patch alone, (2) microneedle patch/AHP-8, and (3) microneedle patch/EGF.The treatment was applied on the periorbital and nasolabial fold area for 4 hours to completely dissolve the microstructures once per week for 29 days.Evaluations, including photodamage scoring, image analysis with Antera 3D Ⓡ (Miravex, Ireland), skin hydration measurement, and adverse effect assessments, were performed at each visit.Results: Fifty subjects (96.2%) completed this clinical study.On day 29 after application, statistically significant improvements in wrinkle and skin hydration were observed in all groups (p＜0.01).Treatment with microneedle patch/AHP-8 and microneedle patch/EGF showed statisti-cally significant improvements in wrinkle compared with microneedle patch alone (p＜0.05).No serious adverse effects were noted.Conclusion: Combination of CLHA-based microneedle patch and functional cosmetic ingredients can improve wrinkle with minimal discomfort.(Ann Dermatol 31(3) 263∼271, 2019)