Many skincare lotions and serums promise to restore youthful skin. Now chemical engineers say rather than trying to use a serum or lotion to turn back the hands of time, a “second skin” might be in order.
Developed by engineers and scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Living Proof, and Olivo Laboratories, the new material mimics the mechanical, optical, and physical properties of healthy skin. When applied as a thin coating, the second skin of sorts can temporarily protect, smooth, and tighten natural skin.
“It’s an invisible layer that can provide a barrier, provide cosmetic improvement, and potentially deliver a drug locally to the area that’s being treated. Those three things together could really make it ideal for use in humans,” says Daniel Anderson, an associate professor of chemical engineering at MIT and a member of MIT’s Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research and Institute for Medical Engineering and Science.
The skin is a versatile organ that protects the body from exposure to radiation, toxins, and mechanical injury. Because it is on the outside of the body, it also plays an important aesthetic role. As the skin ages, it becomes less firm and less elastic, which not only impairs its ability to protect the body from outside forces but also can indicate a person’s health and age.
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