Clinical Study

NU SKIN CLEAR ACTION™ CLINICAL BULLETIN

Summarized from a third party professional assessment performed according to Good Clinical Practices and the Standard Operating Procedures of the organization. ©2003 Nu Skin International, Inc., Provo, UT

INTRODUCTION

Empirical observation and documented studies have led to the arguable conclusion that the effects of acne impact both emotional and physical health. As bothersome as an acne lesion itself may be, the residual post-inflammatory changes in the appearance of skin are sometimes even more troubling than the actual pimple. Many drugs and cosmetics have been designed to treat acne, but to date no product system has been designed to treat the more comprehensive range of effects.

Acne prone skin is typically found to be in a general, low-grade state of inflammation—ever ready to quickly react to metabolic, environmental, or stress changes. Acne occurs when tiny pores covering the face, arms, back, and chest and the oil glands attached to them respond abnormally and excessively to normal levels of testosterone in the blood. This acute response, manifested as papules and pustules, presents the skin with major challenges that must be resolved with the addition of specialized skin care to minimize scarring and abnormal pigmentation. To reduce the ability of the skin to respond acutely or overact, a state-of-the-art acne treatment should address overall skin health, calming and fortifying skin defenses that allow it to respond in a timely and measured manner.

To address this prevalent, multi-factorial, multi-phasic skin condition that affects almost all people, Nu Skin developed a multi-product system, Nu Skin Clear Action.™ When used together as a system, ingredients in the Nu Skin Clear Action™ products work together to address the souvenirs of the past, present challenges, and the future effects of acne.

THE CLINICAL STUDY

A double-blind clinical evaluation was performed by an independent laboratory to test the efficacy of Nu Skin Clear Action™ in reducing the overall acne condition, reducing blemishes, addressing troubled skin, and evening skin tone. Fifty-eight participants, males and females, 18 to 45 years of age, exhibiting mild to moderate acne (acne grading system described by Doshi et al. [1997]) were divided into two groups, one using Nu Skin Clear Action™ and a control group using a standard skin care regimen consisting of a cleansing, toning, and moisturizing twice per day. Participants were followed through 12 weeks of product use. Entering the study, participants exhibited varying numbers of acne lesions. Open comedos (whiteheads), closed comedos (blackheads), papules (pimples), and pustules characteristic of mild to moderate acne were observed. 

RESULTS

Global Acne Score

Figure 1 represents the average overall improvement in acne. The score, represented as the percentage of improvement over the baseline, is derived by considering the severity of the lesion (blackheads, whiteheads, papules, and pustular papules) and the location of the lesion. Forehead, right cheek, and left cheek locations are weighted heavier than the nose and chin. Comedones are weighted less than papules and pustular papules. Participants using Nu Skin Clear Action™ showed a remarkable overall improvement of 24% in this global score (p<0.05).

Reduction in Papules and Pustules

Figure 2 illustrates the change in the number of both papular and pustular acne lesions (commonly referred to as pimples) and is shown as a combined value relative to baseline. The papule is the first visible sign of an acneic condition and a point at which intervention can reduce the probability of further development into a pustule that can lead to expanded inflammation resulting in scarring and pigmentation changes. Note that at 12 weeks Nu Skin Clear Action™ reduced the number of pimples by 55% relative to the baseline. To have this type of influence on the dynamic skin environment of acne sufferers, a product must address redness, swelling, and bacterial growth, and increase circulation in the skin to rapidly clear away the byproducts of inflammation and provide fresh nutritional support for repair.

Skin Tone Uniformity

Using a chromameter, an instrument that measures and reports skin color in three numbers, L* for luminance, a* for red-green balance, and b* for yellow-blue balance, the radiance, clarity, and evenness of skin tone was measured. Figure 3 shows a remarkable 37% increase in the uniformity of skin tone from the use of Nu Skin Clear Action™ for 12 weeks relative to the control group of subjects.

Customer Satisfaction

Figure 4 shows the results of a customer satisfaction survey conducted at the close of the Nu Skin Clear Action™ clinical study. More than 90% of those who were included in the Nu Skin Clear Action™ test group were satisfied with the performance of the system. Study participants using Nu Skin Clear Action™ observed a decrease in new breakouts, improved texture and skin tone, and decreases in shine and pore size.

CONCLUSIONS

A 12 week independent clinical has documented the successful design of the acne treatment system Nu Skin Clear Action.™ Nu Skin Clear Action™ was conceived as a comprehensive treatment system that addresses the full range of effects—past, present, and future—that acne can have on your skin. Clogged pores, sebum production, bacterial growth, inflammation, wound repair, discoloration, and hyperpigmentation contribute to what is visibly seen as acne. Each product of the Nu Skin Clear Action™ is uniquely formulated to unclog pores, reduce shine, discourage the progression to papules and pustules, reduce redness, minimize scarring, improve skin tone, and texture and generally improve the overall skin health of acne prone skin.

KEY ACNE BENEFICIAL INGREDIENTS

  • Salicylic acid—OTC anti-acne agent that exfoliates and keeps pores clear
  • Dipotassium glycyrrhizate—Reduces redness and soothes skin
  • DL-Pyrrolidonecarboxylic acid (Zinc PCA)—A 5 alpha reductase inhibitor that reduces sebum flow, diminishes redness, and soothes the skin
  • Potassium ascorbyl—Tocopheryl phosphate—Water and lipid-soluble antioxidant
  • Camellia sinensis leaf extract (White tea)—Polyphenolic antioxidant
  • Lactic acid—Exfoliates to keep pores clear and reduces discoloration of acne scars
  • Phytosphingosine—Reduces redness
  • Hexapeptide-2—Reduces discoloration and hyperpigmentation
  • Thioctic acid (Alpha lipoic acid)—Patented agent for reducing redness, pore size, and scarring
  • Retinol—Accelerates skin renewal, thickens skin, evens texture, and lightens dark spots

REFERENCES

Doshi, Zaheer and Stiller. International Journal of Dermatology. 36, 416–418. 1997 Perricone, Nicholas, M.D. The Perricone Prescription. HarperResource. 2002 Harman, D. Aging and oxidative stress. Journal of the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry. 1998 Mar.; 10(1):24–27