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• HEALING EFFECTS OF COPPER PEPTIDE

• HairSite Editorial - 4/23/98

• Department of Dermatology, University of California 1997

• David Tse HairSite@aol.com

Recently came across an article that addressed the healing effects of copper chloride on skin tissue. In 1997, a study was conducted by the Department of Dermatology, University of California, to evaluate the efficacy of copper chloride in repairing sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) induced skin damages. SLS is an agent commonly used as an emulsifier in many pharmaceutical products, including shampoos. It has been suggested that high concentration of SLS may damage skin tissue by direct cytotoxic action.

The study involved six participants - 3 women and 3 men who have no known skin disorders. An irritant was applied topically to the participants' skin to induce dermal damages for the purpose of this study. The irritant is made of 99% pure SLS.  After the dermal damages were effected, the participants were treated topical with Protect & Restore® - a skin repair topical agent formulated by Dr. Pickart of Skin Biology, Inc. In addition, a placebo control was also established by using a topical agent that is identical to Protect & Restore® except that copper peptide was not used in the control placebo.

Three categories of test sites (on the skin) were established. One only treated with SLS,  the second treated with Protect & Restore® and the third treated with the control placebo (ie: Protect & Restore® without copper peptide). Recovery was measured in terms of dermal water barrier restoration or TEWL - Transepidermal Water Loss measurement.

The Results - 24 hours after the dermal damages were induced, no recovery was reported in any of the three test groups (ie: SLS treated only, Protect & Restore® treated and placebo control). In fact, it was reported that the dermal conditions of the SLS group and the placebo control group slightly deteriorated. After 48 hours, in comparison to the SLS treated group, the Protect & Restore® treated group showed marked improvement in tissue recovery. The placebo control group produced a minimal recovery. After 72 and 96 hours, all three groups showed an increase in tissue recovery, but only the Protect & Restore® treated group showed a significant improvement when compared to the SLS group.

Conclusion: The research showed that Protect & Restore® (with copper peptide) significantly accelerated skin repair after dermal damages with SLS. According to the researchers, this ability of Protect & Restore® (with copper peptide) suggests a potential clinical use for similarly damaged skin.