Efficacy and safety of needle-free jet injection of self-crosslinking hyaluronic acid for facial fine wrinkles and skin texture: 12-week clinical outcomes in Asian women

Introduction Facial aging involves progressive deterioration of the superficial dermal matrix, leading to fine wrinkles, surface irregularity, and reduced skin elasticity. Conventional hyaluronic acid (HA) formulations vary in their ability to achieve uniform superficial dermal dispersion and sustained tissue effects, and needle injections may lead to inconsistent depth and localized pooling. This study evaluated changes in facial skin texture and fine wrinkles following delivery of self-crosslinking HA formulation containing N-hyaluronoyl 5-hydroxydopamine through a needle-free jet injection. Methods Thirty women aged 40–55 years with Fitzpatrick skin types III–IV and visible fine wrinkles underwent three treatment sessions at 4-week intervals. Outcomes included wrinkle and texture scores derived from three-dimensional imaging in the malar and pericommissural regions, investigator-rated fine wrinkle severity, patient-reported improvement, and safety assessment. Results At week 12, malar wrinkle and texture scores decreased by 8.7 and 7.2 points, respectively, and pericommissural wrinkle and texture scores decreased by 7.5 and 4.9 points, respectively, with statistically significant improvements across all quantitative imaging parameters (all p < 0.01). Investigator-rated fine wrinkle severity significantly improved from 7.28 ± 1.18 to 4.32 ± 1.36 ( p < 0.01). Overall, 60% of participants reported moderate to marked improvement, and treatment-related reactions were mild and transient. Discussion The concordant improvements in three-dimensional imaging and investigator-rated outcomes suggest that needle-free jet delivery of self-crosslinking HA may improve fine wrinkles and skin texture through superficial dermal modulation. Further controlled studies with longer follow-up are needed to confirm durability and comparative efficacy.