Regularly, patients in our Naples office jokingly ask if we have a cream to eliminate their fine lines and wrinkles. Aesthetic technology has grown leaps and bounds over the last several years, and scientists have tried to develop a product that can best reflect all the unique properties of our skin. But a lab had been unable to match what Mother Nature so easily creates.
Well, scientists might be close to realizing this dream. Recently, MIT announced the development of a revolutionary new product that mimics all the properties of skin. The new material, called a cross-linked polymer layer (XPL), can be used to reshape under eye bags and increase skin hydration. The thin, polymer coating is flexible, comfortable, and non-irritating. The product is applied in a two-step process that allows the material to form strong cross links and stay on the skin up to 24 hours, without looking stiff or unnatural. In laboratory studies, the product demonstrated elasticity that even exceeded the capabilities of natural skin!
Don’t get too excited, yet. The product is still under study and not yet available for commercial applications. Scientists also hope the polymer can be used for medical purposes, treating skin conditions such as dermatitis.
If this technology is sounding familiar, you are absolutely right. Living Proof, one of the companies partially responsible for this study, developed a similar eye bag treatment called Neotensil in 2014. Referred to as the “Spanx” of under eye treatments, Neotensil was a two-step treatment designed to tighten and improve the appearance of eye bags. Many of our patients tried this product and found it successful. It will be exciting to see how this new polymer compares, if and when it becomes commercially available. As always, our office will keep you posted on the latest advances in aesthetic medicine!
When will this be out?