Objectives

There has been so far few studies on the effects of dietary supplements in the prevention of the oxydative process and skin ageing.
If free radicals scavengers are often used in the prevention of skin ageing, the effects of vitamins and trace elements that have an oxidant function (vitamin C, selenium) has not been clearly demonstrated. This study was assessed against placebo to evaluate the effects of ENOCERIDE® on the characteristic changes involved in skin ageing (cell and tissue degeneration), and more particularly in photo-induced skin ageing.
a) biological active ingredients of marine origin : collagen hydrolysate, glycosaminoglycans, marine oil extract;
b) vitamins and minerals : vitamins C and E, beta-carotene, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, magnesium, iron, manganese, copper, selenium.
This original formula strenghthens the hydrophilic power of the marine elements through the antioxidant effect of the vitamins and minerals. The interdependance of the elements contained in ENOCERIDE® can be represented by the opposite diagram.

Patients and Methods

Study design : randomised double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial on the two paralell groups.
Study population : 60 female volunteers between 40 and 69 years old (equally distributed by age brackets of 5 years ) with sun-damaged skin.
Dosage : 4 tablets per day (2 tabs in the morning, 1 tab at midday, 1 tab in the evening) for 90 consecutive days.
Assessment criteria :
clinical assessment (14 characteristic parameters of skin ageing)
measurement of skin hydration levels by corneometry on the cheek and the forearm (CM820)
measurement of skin elasticity cutometry on the same areas (SEM474)
assessment of superficial cutaneous fat levels by sebumetry at the temple (CM810)
measurement of crow's feet cutaneous microrelief and recording on an image analyser
measurement of desquamation and cellular turnover (D-squam) on the area of the outer epicanthus


Results

	ASSESSMENT		BASE Enoceride Placebo			1 MONTH Enoceride Placebo			2 MONTHS Enoceride Placebo			3 MONTHS Enoceride Placebo
	HYDRATION
	cheeks		63.52	61.20		63.61	63.83		63.57	62.63		63.66	61.10
	arm		66.83	63.97		71.75	68.90		68.79	66.67		68.66	64.97
	ELASTICITY
	cheeks		261.24	232.10		215.31	210.39		183.95	174.57		150.65	131.67
	arm		228.28	236.04		211.26	196.53		181.82	181.85		165.89	150.02
	MICRORELIEF		1.658	2.597		1.668	1.592		1.503	1.725		1.607	1.575
	SEBACEOUS SECRETION		80.76	89.60		71.46	75.90		102.36	100.90		101.10	112.23
	CELLULAR TURN-OVER		2.086	2.309		1.476	1.381		2.260	1.540		1.475	1.346

Improvement of skin clinical condition (reduction in wrinkles and small lines on the face) in 62% of subjects.

Improvement of cutaneous hydration of arm (unexposed zone) after 3 months of treatment in 65 % of cases (cheeks : no change).
Improvement  in skin elasticity :	Women aged 40 to 44 : +22.3 % at one month
	Women aged 55 to 59 : + 19.6 % at 2 months
	Women aged 60 to 64 : +31.9 % at 3 months
No change in sebaceous secretion.
Improvement in cutaneous microrelief under ENOCERIDE® in 48 % of cases (5.1 % reduction in roughness after 3 months of treatment).
Acceleration in cellelar turnover in 28 % of cases after 3 months (by 12.5 % ), most notably in women aged between 55 and 64 (+47 %)

Conclusion

The results obtained after 3 months of treatment with ENOCERIDE® clearly show : 1) its importance against the oxidative processe related to photo-ageing, 2) its role in cellular and tissue regeneration in the skin. The clinical and laboratory safety of product was found to be excellent. The beneficial effects of ENOCERIDE®, notably in skin hydration and elasticity, seem to be more significant on unexposed skin. Moreover, these changes are more marked in the youngest subjects, suggesting the value of taking ENOCERIDE® clearly in order to slow down skin ageing.