‘Second skin’ may treat eczema, psoriasis and offer relief from wrinkles

By Luis Georg

Scientists at Harvard and MIT have developed a ‘second skin’ that can give you the elasticity of youth. The research paper published in the journal Nature Materials has unveiled that the ‘second skin’ that will give wrinkle-free skin has been made using chemicals considered safe by the Food and Drug Administration.
Pilot studies have been carried out on 170 subjects. The invisible film can be soaked with sunscreen and you do not need to be worried about sweat or water washing it away. Researchers said that the invisible skin can be used to treat eczema, psoriasis and other skin conditions by covering dry itchy patches with a film that moistens and soothes.
It is a two-step process. Firstly, a polymer, a clear liquid, is applied. Its chains are not very strong therefore in the next step is to apply a product that links them together. Researchers have mentioned that by altering the chemistry of the chains, the researchers can alter the properties of the second skin, depending on how it has to be used.
To cite an example, a more permeable skin could be used for under-eye bags and a less permeable one might hold a medication in place. The idea for second skin originated more than a decade ago when Dr. R. Rox Anderson, a professor of dermatology at Harvard Medical School was approached by Living Proof.
“A lot of what happens when we age and skin starts wrinkling and sagging is loss of elastic recoil. When we move skin, it doesn’t snap back to what it used to be”, said Anderson.
Dr. Anderson discussed what would be required for second skin. He said that it has to be nearly invisible and the skin should be able to breathe through it. It should be strong enough and elastic. Dr. Robert Langer, founder of Living Proof, said that they made hundreds of polymers. A number of tests were carried out.
"The high-tech solution dries to form youthful-looking human-like skin. Tests show it can banish bags under the eyes and wrinkles and stop real skin drying out. Scientists also hope to use it to boost eczema treatment by loading it with medicine that can be in constant contact with the body," according to a news report published by The Sun.
Experts at the renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology spent ten years coming up with the artificial “second skin”. Mimicking human skin has proved difficult in the past. A synthetic version needs to be strong, breathable and able to repel moisture as well as keep it in.
According to a report in "name of CBS NEWS by Mary Elizabeth Dallas, "MIT researchers may have discovered a fountain of youth for skin -- at least a very temporary one. The researchers have developed a "second skin" that could be used to smooth wrinkles, protect skin from damage, or administer medications to treat skin conditions, such as eczema. But, right now, the product only does its job for about a day."

"Creating a material that behaves like skin is very difficult," said one of the study's authors, Barbara Gilchrest, a dermatologist at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. "Many people have tried to do this, and the materials that have been available up until this have not had the properties of being flexible, comfortable, nonirritating, and able to conform to the movement of the skin and return to its original shape."
A report published in NY Times informed, "Scientists at Harvard and M. I. T. have discovered that it is not fantasy at all. Reporting on Monday in the journal Nature Materials on pilot studies with
170 subjects, the researchers said a “second skin” composed of commonly used chemicals deemed safe by the Food and Drug Administration can accomplish that — and in small studies of it, so far no one has reported irritation or allergic reactions."
Undereye bags are just the start. You can soak the film with sunscreen and protect yourself without worrying about sweat or water washing it away, researchers said. They expect it can be used to treat eczema, psoriasis and other skin conditions by covering dry itchy patches with a film that moistens and soothes.

http://perfscience.com/content/2143883-second-skin-may-treat-eczema-psoriasis-and-offer-relief-wrinkles