Adipose tissue-derived stem cell exosomes improve skin barrier and show exploratory associations with skin mycobiome in aging skin
Transdermal delivery of adipose-derived stem cell exosomes significantly reduced transepidermal water loss and improved hydration and elasticity in a small split-face randomized controlled trial.
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What the study showed
HACS treatment significantly reduced TEWL at weeks 2 and 8 and increased stratum corneum hydration at all time points. Elasticity parameters (R2/R5/R7) also improved significantly. Bacterial alpha/beta diversity remained largely unchanged and no bacterial taxa survived FDR correction; associations with fungal taxa were noted but the abstract is truncated before full results are presented.
How it was done
Split-face RCT in 16 adults aged ≥40 years; one facial side received ultrasound-assisted transdermal HACS and the contralateral side received normal saline across three sessions at two-week intervals. 16S rRNA and ITS1 sequencing was performed on swabs from ten participants.
Risk of bias
The sample size is very small (n=16, n=10 for microbiome analysis), severely limiting statistical power and generalizability. The truncated abstract prevents full evaluation of mycobiome results and secondary outcomes.
What this study does NOT prove
The study does not establish a causal effect of exosomes on the skin microbiome nor efficacy comparable to established anti-aging interventions.
In clinical practice
Biophysical findings are preliminary and derived from an underpowered sample; they do not support clinical recommendations. Incomplete mycobiome data preclude any conclusion on that endpoint.
Limitations
The sample size is very small (n=16, n=10 for microbiome analysis), severely limiting statistical power and generalizability. The truncated abstract prevents full evaluation of mycobiome results and secondary outcomes.
Technical appendix
Version history
- 1.0 · 2026-07-12 — Auto-generated under Evidence Standard v1.0
Paid access: structured summary from public metadata; consult the original study at the source.