To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: AAD: Sodium Bicarbonate May Be a Better Abrasive Than Aluminum Hydroxide for Microdermabrasion URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/244ABA.htm Doctor's Guide August 4, 2004
By Maggie Schwarz NEW YORK, NY -- August 4, 2004 -- The efficacy of sodium bicarbonate appears to be similar to that of aluminum hydroxide when used as the abrasive agent in microdermabrasion for photodamaged skin, according to results of a study of 35 women. D.J. Goldberg, MD, of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, and colleagues, conducted the comparison of aluminum hydroxide and sodium bicarbonate because particulate aluminum oxide may pose a safety hazard to patients and operators over long periods of use. They presented results at the American Academy of Dermatology Annual Summer Scientific Meeting held here July 28th to August 1st. Subjects were aged 25 to 67 years and underwent microdermabrasion with sodium bicarbonate to 1 half of the face and aluminum oxide to the other half. Treatments were undertaken on a weekly basis for 6 weeks. Subjective and objective safety and efficacy evaluations were made before and after treatment during the 6-week period and 1 week after the final treatment. Each subject provided visual assessments of each half of the face using a visual analog scale. Objective efficacy evaluation was made on the cheek and/or forehead and included the following end points: skin surface sebum content using a photometric method; melanin and erythema indexes using diffuse remittance spectrometry at specified wavelengths; skin stiffness and energy absorption using balistometric evaluations. No adverse reactions were observed during the study. Sodium bicarbonate and aluminum oxide were well tolerated by all subjects. The researchers found that the sodium bicarbonate formulation significantly decreased mean skin surface sebum content by a mean of 80% on the cheek and 87% on the forehead during the study with no significant long-term effect. The agent also significantly decreased mean melanin index by 11% to 18% on the cheek and by 5% to 10% on the forehead, and increased the mean erythema index by 7% to 17% on the cheek. Sodium bicarbonate also significantly altered the biomechanical properties of the skin on the cheek 1 week after the final treatment compared to baseline by decreasing skin stiffness (13.7%) and increasing energy absorption (19.7%), thus increasing the compliance of the skin. Visual assessment consistently demonstrated significant improvement over baseline during the study and at 1 week after the final treatment. Between-group comparisons showed similar effects for sodium bicarbonate and aluminum oxide. Dr. Goldberg concluded that sodium bicarbonate and aluminum oxide produced similar safety and efficacy results after standard microdermabrasion. He noted that sodium bicarbonate was perceived by patients to be more acceptable due to its less abrasive effect on the skin and its benign safety profile. [Presentation title: Clinical Efficacy and Safety Evaluation of Sodium Bicarbonate in Microdermabrasion. Abstract P101] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.