Wrinkles.

INTRODUCTION

Skin disorders associated with photodamage from ultraviolet light include wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, tactile roughness, and telangiectasia, and are more common in people with white compared with other skin types. Wrinkles are also associated with aging, hormonal status, smoking, and intercurrent disease.

METHODS AND OUTCOMES

We conducted a systematic review and aimed to answer the following clinical question: What are the effects of interventions to prevent and treat skin wrinkles? We searched: Medline, Embase, The Cochrane Library, and other important databases up to April 2008 (Clinical Evidence reviews are updated periodically; please check our website for the most up-to-date version of this review). We included harms alerts from relevant organisations such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

RESULTS

We found 20 systematic reviews, RCTs, or observational studies that met our inclusion criteria. We performed a GRADE evaluation of the quality of evidence for interventions.

CONCLUSIONS

In this systematic review we present information relating to the effectiveness and safety of the following interventions: carbon dioxide laser, chemical peel, dermabrasion, facelifts, glycolic acid, isotretinoin, lactic acid, natural cartilage polysaccharides (oral or topical), retinyl esters, sunscreens, tazarotene, tretinoin, variable pulse erbium:YAG laser, and vitamin C or E (topical).