Obesity is a major health problem in the developed and developing world. Many “functional” foods and ingredients are advocated for their effects on body composition but few have consistent scientific support for their efficacy. However, an increasing amount of mechanistic and clinical evidence is building for green tea (GT). This experiment was therefore undertaken to study the effects of a high‐catechin GT on body composition in a moderately overweight Chinese population. In a randomized placebo‐controlled trial, 182 moderately overweight Chinese subjects, consumed either two servings of a control drink (C; 30 mg catechins, 10 mg caffeine/day), one serving of the control drink and one serving of an extra high‐catechin GT1 (458 mg catechins, 104 mg caffeine/day), two servings of a high‐catechin GT2 (468 mg catechins, 126 mg caffeine/day) or two servings of the extra high‐catechin GT3 (886 mg catechins, 198 mg caffeine/day) for 90 days. Data were collected at 0, 30, 60, and 90 days. We observed a decrease in estimated intra‐abdominal fat (IAF) area of 5.6 cm2 in the GT3 group. In addition, we found decreases of 1.9 cm in waist circumference and 1.2 kg body weight in the GT3 group vs. C (P < 0.05). We also observed reductions in total body fat (GT2, 0.7 kg, P < 0.05) and body fat % (GT1, 0.6%, P < 0.05). We conclude that consumption of two servings of an extra high‐catechin GT leads to improvements in body composition and reduces abdominal fatness in moderately overweight Chinese subjects.

In this human intervention study, no statistically significant LDL-c lowering effect was seen with either TFs alone or the TFs/catechins combination as compared to placebo. Based on these findings it cannot be concluded that tea flavonoids such as theaflavins and catechins are responsible for a putative cholesterol-lowering effect of black tea, at least not with the daily dose applied in the present study.

Background Since air pollution is only one of many environmental stressors that can affect skin, it has been challenging to identify skin appearance or functional features profoundly affected by chronic exposure to traffic‐derived air pollution. Aims The current population study focused on taxi drivers working in urban and rural areas in order to take advantage of difference in occupational exposure. Methods The skin conditions of 100 middle‐aged male taxi drivers from urban Shanghai and 66 from rural Chongming were measured with facial tape strips were collected for biomarker analyses. Results Trans‐epidermal water loss (TEWL) values before and after tape stripping were considerably higher in urban taxi drivers from Shanghai. Contrary to previous studies, there was no apparent detrimental effect on skin wrinkle or pigmentation from traffic pollution, which might be attributed to the higher than general public level of photo‐exposure in this population. At the same time, pollution exposure especially the heavy traffic pollution exposure was found to associate with lower stratum corneum trypsin‐like enzyme activity (SCTE), reduced catalase activity and total antioxidant capacity (TAOC) in tape strips. Conclusion The evidence suggests that traffic‐derived air pollution could deteriorate skin's physical and antioxidant barrier, whereas factors like photo‐exposure can be overwhelming against appearance aging. Therefore, in addition to photoprotection, skin barrier care should be considered for people with high air pollution exposure.

Objectives To demonstrate the synergistic effect of 4‐hexylresorcinol (4‐HR) with niacinamide in boosting anti‐melanogenic efficacy in vitro and establish the in vivo efficacy and safety of the combination in a human trial. Methods Primary human epidermal melanocytes and 3D pigmented skin equivalents were treated with 4‐HR, niacinamide, and their combinations for their effect on pigmentation. This was followed by a randomized, double‐blind, split‐face clinical study in Chinese subjects, and effects on skin tone, hyperpigmentation, fine lines and wrinkles, hydration, and skin firmness were measured for a 12‐week study period. Results In vitro tyrosinase enzyme activity studies showed that 4‐HR is one of the most potent tyrosinase inhibitors. The combination of 4‐HR and niacinamide showed a synergistic reduction in melanin production in cultured melanocytes and lightened the 3D skin equivalent model. In vitro as well as in the human trial, the combination of 4‐HR and niacinamide showed significantly improved efficacy over niacinamide alone on hyperpigmentation spots as measured by L*, the visual appearance of fine lines and wrinkles in crow's feet and perioral area and skin firmness, with no product‐related adverse events. Conclusions A formulation containing a combination of 4‐HR and niacinamide delivered superior skin tone and anti‐ageing benefits significantly better than niacinamide alone with no adverse events. This study demonstrates that a product designed to affect multiple pathways of melanogenesis, inflammation, and ageing may provide an additional treatment option, beyond hydroquinone and retinoids, for hyperpigmentation and ageing.

The association between the skin microbiome and skin health has been widely reported. However, the role of the skin microbiome in mediating skin physiology remains a challenging and yet priority subject in the field.

Background Facial skin characteristics and appearance vary according to ethnicity. While much of this knowledge is derived from the Caucasian population, lately there have been efforts to gain such understanding in various regions in Asia.  In this paper, we have built an understanding of such features in Indonesia. In Indonesia, a section of females wears a traditional veil (hijab) to cover the scalp and part of face. The influence of the hijab on facial skin attributes was also investigated. Methods In a cross‐sectional observational study design involving 419 female volunteers in Jakarta, Indonesia, facial skin attributes (colour, radiance, hydration, trans‐epidermal water loss [TEWL], wrinkles, fine lines, pores, and sebum levels) and conditions (melasma, post‐inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH), solar lentigines/ senile lentigines, seborrheic keratoses and acne) were assessed by trained operators and dermatologists using standard validated instruments and scales. Results With age, facial skin colour showed darkening in cheek; forehead on the other hand showed slight lightening. The skin evenness and radiance decreased, substantially. Aging attributes measured in terms of lines, wrinkles, and under‐eye dark circles showed deterioration with age; the decline was progressively faster than colour change. Facial image data analysis corroborated these findings. Skin hydration remained similar across the age groups even though the skin barrier function measured in terms of TEWL improved with age. Sebum levels in the skin were similar up to the age of 50 but declined in the next group of 50–60 year. Pore severity increased with age. Melasma, seborrheic keratosis and PIH showed a high prevalence (>∼50%) at the young age group (20–30 years), itself. Melasma prevalence attained 100% in the age group of 41–50 year and onwards, and its severity similarly showed a steady rise with age. PIH on the other hand showed a steady decline with age. Solar lentigines prevalence (∼30%) did not change much across age groups, and the severity scores were similar in age groups up to 50 year but increased substantially in 51–60‐year age groups. Seborrheic keratosis was similar (∼47%) in age groups up 20–40 year but steadily increased in upper age groups. Its severity was similar in the age groups of 20–30 year and 31–40 year but showed a two‐fold increase in subsequent age groups. Acne was 10% in the age group of 20–30 year and declined gradually to 0.7% in the 51–60‐year age group. Hijab wearers showed slight protection in skin colour darkening and improvement of evenness and radiance but were similar on aging (fine lines and wrinkles on crow's feet, under eye and peri‐oral areas) markers to non‐wearers. In general, in majority of age‐groups, hijab wearers showed a higher prevalence of melasma, solar/senile lentigines, seborrheic keratosis and PIH.

Background Postinflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH) reflects a dynamic process from primary injury and cutaneous inflammation to subsequent melanogenesis and hyperpigmentation, of which pathogenesis remains unclear, hindering the development of targeted therapies. Aims To observe the dynamic development of PIH; determine the starting point and peak point of the inflammatory phase and pigmentary phase; and clarify the timing of anti‐inflammatory and anti‐pigmentary treatment. Methods Thirty healthy volunteers with Fitzpatrick skin types III‐IV were enrolled and underwent suction blisters. The noninvasive evaluation of inflammation and hyperpigmentation on suction blister sites were performed via spectrophotometry (CM2600d and SIAscope) and RCM for the following 24 weeks. Results We successfully observed suction blister‐induced PIH lasting over 24 weeks. The inflammatory phase started soon after the procedure and lasted for 8‐12 weeks, manifested by significantly elevated a* values and erythema index detected by spectrophotometry, as well as inflammatory infiltration and angiogenesis shown in RCM images. Meanwhile, melanogenesis was accelerated after week 3 and reached peak on week 8, manifested by significantly accumulated melanin granules and bright pigment rings in different depths under RCM, which was in parallel with elevated melanin index. The darkening skin tone in PIH actually presented a mixture of inflammatory erythema, angiogenesis, and hyperpigmentation. The inflammation and pigmentation phases of PIH were not sequential but partially overlap. Conclusion The duration of suction blister‐induced PIH is more than 24 weeks. The inflammatory phase partially overlaps with the pigmentary phase, and those drugs with anti‐inflammatory and anti‐pigmentary dual effects are potential choices.

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