Role of topical application of polyherbal formulation in photodamaged facial skin: An open label study.

Skin aging is a complexbiological process influenced by a combination of intrinsic and extrinsicfactors. Extrinsic aging is influenced by factors such as smoking, excessivealcohol consumption, poor nutrition, and chronic exposure to the sun. Wrinklingand pigmentary changes are directly associated with photo-aging. Asian skintends to tan more and burn less, which means that chronic UV exposure tends toproduce more pigmentation-related problems. There are several syntheticskincare cosmetics existing in the market to treat premature aging and theyhave so many adverse reactions too. Therefore a cheap, effective and safealternative is needed for the prevention of skin ageing. For the prevention ofskin aging, Unani physicians recommend the use of Jaali, mohammir and Mohsin allon drugs. In which aarad e baqla,aarad e jau, aarad e nakhud, aarad e masoor, tukhm e turb, khardal, haldi andkateera are selected for the study.They have protein, fat, vitamin B complex, vitamin E, Mn, Cu, Zn, etc. as theirmain constituents. These chemical constituents contribute to photoprotection byincreasing epithelialisation, smoothing the skin and stimulating collagensynthesis. The drugs will be given in powder form, Kateera will be powdered separately and mixed into the wholepowder. Subjects will be advised to take 15 gm powder and mix into milk to forma uniform paste then applied it on the face once a day for 2 month. On theother hand control group will be given Tretinoin 0.025% cream & appliedlocally once a day for 2 months.