New polymer skin offers protection and wrinkle-smoothing capabilities

A new silicone-based polymer material with the ability to temporarily protect and tighten skin, while also smoothing wrinkles.

Developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the synthetic skin can be applied as a thin, imperceptible coating, mimicking the mechanical and elastic properties of healthy and youthful skin.

In tests with human subjects, researchers found that the material was able to reshape eye bags under the lower eyelids and enhance skin hydration, or potentially be used as a second skin to provide long-lasting ultraviolet protection.

It was also shown to be capable of easily returning to its original state after being stretched more than 250 percent, offering a much better elasticity than silicone gel sheets and polyurethane films, two other types of wound dressings that are currently used on skin.

Daniel Anderson, an associate professor in MIT's department of chemical engineering, said: "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."