Skin Firmness & Cohesion

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Skin firmness and wrinkles are the most characteristic external signs of ageing. Proper cellular cohesion or cell to cell adhesion is the primary characteristic of a youthful and healthy skin. Ageing alters cell cohesion and the quality of the extracellular matrix, which both have an impact on skin firmness.

One of the roles of an active ingredient or cosmetic compound is to create cell cohesion in order to prevent loss of firmness and elasticity and to limit wrinkles. Different biological processes or mechanisms can be evaluated in vitro:

  • reinforcement of dermis cohesion and firmness
  • production of extracellular matrix components and improvement of cell-matrix interactions
  • improvement of dermo-epidermal junction quality and cell adhesion

Skin firmness and cohesion: available models and assays

in silico assays

in vitro
and ex vivo
assays & firmness

Clinical imaging
& firmness

in vitro models & assays

QIMA Life Sciences has many in vitro or ex vivo models at your disposal:

  • normal human dermal fibroblasts (NHDF)
  • dermal equivalent (DE)
  • normal human epidermal  keratinocytes (NHEK)
  • reconstructed human epidermis (RHE)
  • full thickness reconstructed skin (FTSK)
  • skin explants (ex vivo)

on which we can evaluate the effect of active compounds or formulations on:

  • dermis cohesion and firmness (lattice contraction)
  • synthesis and expression of extracellular matrix components:
    • collagens (collagen I, collagen III), elastin, fibronectin, etc.
    • proteoglycans, glycoaminoglycans  and hyaluronic acid
    • proteases (MMPs)
  • dermo-epidermal junction proteins (integrins, laminin V, collagen IV, collagen VII)
  • cell adhesion proteins (desmogleins, etc.)
  • cell renewal (proliferation, differentiation)

Data mapping and clinical imaging

Measurement of cutaneous ptosis by 2D or 3D imaging

Loss of firmness linked to age induces cutaneous ptosis on the face and on the body.
With 2D imaging, the measurement of this ptosis involves the monitoring, by image analysis, of the surface and intensity of the projection shadow on facial folds (lower face wrinkles, nasolabial folds, subocular bags).
In addition, image acquisition of the whole unconstrained face, using for example ColorFace®, makes it possible to monitor, by image analysis, the sharpness parameters of facial contour.
This analysis can also be performed by 3D imagining, with additional measurements of volume.

Acquisition d’image du visage entier sans contrainte avec le ColorFace®

Image acquisition of whole unconstrained face with ColorFace®

Analyse de l'ovale du visage

Facial contour analysis

Analyse de la ptose au niveau du sillon nasogénien et des rides d’amertume

Ptosis analysis of nasolabial folds and bitterness folds

Measurement of eye opening using 2D imaging

Loss of firmness also causes eyes to become hooded.
Using the EyelashCam®, the lifting effect can be measured by the monitoring of the eye opening indicators, on high resolution images completed with open eyes.

EyelachCam®

Acquisition d’image de l’œil avec l’EyelashCam® et mesure angulaire et surfacique de l’oeil

Eye image acquisition with EyelashCam®, and angle and surface eye measurement

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