MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Frank Wang MD William B. Taylor Endowed Professor of Clinical Dermatology Associate Professor, Dermatology Associate Chair for Education Assistant Program Director, Dermatology Residency Program University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Michigan MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? How is the cross-linked hyaluronic acid obtained? Where was it injected? Response: As the skin undergoes photoaging due to chronic exposure to ultraviolet light, it loses dermal collagen, which in turn leads to wrinkling, lines, and loss of support. The loss of collagen is, in large part, due to reduced function of the skin’s collagen-producing cells, dermal fibroblasts. We wanted to investigate whether it was possible to reverse the decreased function of fibroblasts in photodamaged skin, by introducing a space-filling material into the dermis, injected CL-HA dermal filler. The CL-HA filler we used was donated to us for research purposes. We performed injections of CL-HA into the mid-dermis (as is normally done when injected into the face) of severely photoaged forearm skin of human participants over the age of 60. We then examined skin samples at various time points, including 1, 2, 3 and 4 weeks and 3, 6, 9, and 12 months post-injection. (more…)