Little is known about the pathophysiological linkages between altered ceramide profiles in the stratum corneum (SC) of patients with atopic dermatitis and their impaired skin barrier and water-holding functions. We studied those characteristics following topical treatment with a designed synthetic pseudoceramide (pCer) and analyzed that pathophysiological linkage by microanalyzing ceramides using normal phase liquid chromatographyeelectrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Four weeks of treatment with pCer significantly reduced skin symptoms, accompanied by significant decreases in transepidermal water loss and increases in water content. In the SC ceramide profiles, ceramides containing nonhydroxy fatty acids and 6hydroxysphingosines (Cer[NH]) and ceramides containing nonhydroxy fatty acids and phytosphingosines (Cer[NP]) increased, whereas ceramides containing nonhydroxy fatty acids and sphingosines (Cer[NS]) and ceramides containing a-hydroxy fatty acids and sphingosines (Cer[AS]) decreased, with larger alkyl chain lengths in Cer[NS], distinctly representing a switch from an atopic dermatitis to a healthy skin phenotype. The level of pCer that penetrated into the SC was significantly correlated with the SC water content but not with transepidermal water loss. The level and the average carbon chain length of Cer[NS] were closely correlated with the pCer level in the SC. These findings indicate that the penetrated pCer contributes to shift the ceramide profile from an atopic dermatitis to a healthy skin phenotype. Taken together, the observed clinical efficacy of treatment with pCer provides a deep insight into the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis as a ceramide-deficient disease.

ObjectiveDry and scaly conditions on the scalp are often observed in patients with atopic dermatitis, seborrheic dermatitis and/or pityriasis capitis. Those scalp lesions often exhibit low barrier function and reduced ceramide levels. Therefore, a clinical study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of topical application of a pseudo-ceramide and eucalyptus extract-containing lotion on the scalps of patients with skin diseases.MethodsThirty-four subjects participated in this study (atopic dermatitis: 19 subjects; seborrheic dermatitis: 6 subjects; pityriasis capitis: 9 subjects). After 4 weeks of daily treatment with a pseudo-ceramide and eucalyptus extract-containing lotion, the skin symptoms had significantly improved in all patients with those skin diseases.ResultsSkin dryness, scaling, and erythema were significantly improved by treatment with the lotion. The moisture-retention ability of the scalp was significantly increased and itchiness, evaluated using a visual analog scale, decreased significantly. Accompanying those improvements was a significant improvement in the quality of life of the subjects, evaluated by the Skindex-16®.ConclusionFrom these results, we conclude that this pseudo-ceramide and eucalyptus extract-containing lotion effectively improved the dry and scaly conditions of the scalp as well as the quality of life of subjects with atopic dermatitis, seborrheic dermatitis, or pityriasis capitis.

Background/Objective: Dryness is considered to be an early developmental mechanism of wrinkles, and fine line formation is marked in atopic dermatitis (AD) accompanied by dry skin. To evaluate the efficacy of a skincare product with a moisturizing effect increased by lamellar formulation of pseudo-ceramide for fine lines and wrinkles, a use test was performed applying the product to non-lesional dry skin in patients with atopic dermatitis. Method: The test product was an essence containing pseudo-ceramide formulated in a lamellar structure. The study design was a nine-week single-center non-comparative study, and the evaluation items were the grade of wrinkles at the corners of the eyes judged by a dermatologist, replica analysis, and instrumental measurement (skin surface moisture and transepidermal water loss). Results: Nine-week continuous use of the test product significantly improved the score of wrinkles at the corners of the eyes judged by a dermatologist and wrinkle area ratio on replica analysis of the corners of the eyes and cheeks, compared with those at study initiation. With this improvement, the losses of skin surface moisture and transepidermal water were also significantly improved. Conclusion: It was clarified that the tested pseudo-ceramide-formulated skincare product not only improved the barrier function for atopic dermatitis, but also exhibited an effect on fine lines and wrinkles of dry skin.

Hairdressers are exposed to numerous skin-damaging factors, such as wet work, skin irritants, and thermal changes. Skin protection is a very important factor for the prevention of occupational skin disorders. Therefore, we evaluated a hand cream that was specially formulated for highly stressed skin with regard to its capability to reduce dry, rough, and scaly skin. The objective of this study was to conduct a controlled use test of a barrier repair cream containing pseudo-ceramide and demonstrate its efficacy for hairdressers with dry, sensitive hands and/or occupational skin disorders. A total of 30 hairdressers (29 females and 1 male, aged 20 -67) participated in the study. All subjects suffered from dry hands. Subjects applied the test cream on their hands for 28 days (four weeks). For each subject, the skin surface topography of the hands was measured by the Surface Evaluation of Living Skin (SELS) system at day 14 (week 2) and day 28 (week 4). Dryness, scaling, cracking, redness, and itchiness were evaluated and graded by experts at week 2 and week 4, and then compared to baselines. All 30 subjects completed the study. A comparison of the changes from baseline to endpoint revealed a statistically significant reduction in skin roughness, scaling, and volume measured according to SELS. These data were confirmed by photographic documentation. The results were further supported by the expert evaluation. For the symptoms dryness and scaling, improvement could be observed in almost all regions of the hands. In addition, according to subjective assessments of overall hand skin condition and the hand cream, subjects reported clear improvement over time (p value below 0.001) and good efficacy of the product. In this study, the test hand cream showed excellent skin compatibility. Therefore, the hand cream may be effective for hairdressers with dry, sensitive hands and/or occupational skin disorders.