Students:
Mahdi Barakat
Batool Ashqar
Razan Al-Ashqar
Supervisor
Dr. Ramzi Shawahna
Abstract
Flaxseed oil has a numerous health benefits to the human body, which include the dermatological system. The aim of the present study is to investigate and evaluate the moisturizing effects of applying a flaxseed oil-based cream on the skin of human volunteers for a short period of time in comparison with other moisturizer creams available on the market. This was an open-label randomized placebo controlled cross-over comparative clinical trial. Four different areas on each volunteer’s skin were designated for each formulation (a) base alone, b) test formulation containing the flaxseed oil, c) Johnson, and d) Olay). Skin areas were chosen away from the sensitive skin areas like the face or areas frequently washed. For this study, we recruited 15 healthy volunteers. Of those 13 (86.7%) were females and 2 (13.3%) were males. Of the volunteers, 12 (80.0%) were above 20 years old and 3 (20.0%) were younger than 20 years. There was a change in R0 produced by the base and extract containing cream, this significant change may be attributed to the moisturizing property of the flaxseed extract, and the hydration of the skin attributed to mucilaginous materials (soluble gums) in the seeds. The decrease in R1 values of the extract cream indicate improvement in the skin ability to revert back to its original state after application of stress, it mean better elasticity. We found that our formulation has the potential of moisturizing the skin. Future studies need to be conducted for a longer duration of time to assess if these improvements are statistically significant.
