EMOLLIENT/PROTECTING THERAPY
To prevent friction and chafing skin needs to be clean and dry and being treated with the right emollient devices with a protecting action.
Zinc, elemental or in its various forms (salts), has been used as a therapeutic modality for centuries. Topical preparations like zinc oxide, calamine, or zinc pyrithione have been in use as photoprotecting, soothing agents.
The anti-infammatory properties of zinc have been the reasons for its use in many common infammatory dermatoses like acne, rosacea, eczemas, and ulcers and wounds of varied etiology.(2)
Young’s results suggest that antioxidants, such as taurine, should be considered as part of a more specific and effective therapy for the treatment of inflammatory skin diseases, including psoriasis.(3)
The topical use of dexpanthenol, the stable alcoholic analog of pantothenic acid, is based on good skin penetration and high local concentrations of dexpanthenol when administered in an adequate vehicle, such as water-in-oil emulsions.
Topical dexpanthenol acts like a moisturiser, maintaining skin softness and elasticity.
It appears that the topical administration of dexpanthenol not only improved re-epithelialization, but may also have prevented the loss of water.
Adjuvant skin care with dexpanthenol considerably improves the symptoms of skin irritation, such as dryness of the skin, roughness, scaling, pruritus, erythema, erosion/fissures, over 3 to 4 weeks.(4)
(1) Intertrigo Timothy Nobles; Richard A. Miller
(2) Gupta M., et al. Review article zinc therapy in dermatology: a review. Dermatology Research and Practice, Volume 2014, Article ID 709152.
(3) Young C.N., et al. Reactive oxygen species in tumor necrosis factor-α-activated primary human keratinocytes: implications for psoriasis and inflammatory skin disease. J Invest Dermatol. 2008; 128(11): 2606–14.
(4) Topical Use of Dexpanthenol in Skin Disorders Fritz Ebner, Andreas Heller, Frank Rippke and Irene Tausch