In wound healing, a variety of mediators have been identified throughout the years. The mediators discussed here comprise growth factors, cytokines and chemokines. These mediators act via multiple (specific) receptors to facilitate wound closure. As research in the last years has led to many new findings, there is a need to give an overview on what is known, and on what might possibly play a role as a molecular target for future wound therapy. This review aims to keep the reader up to date with selected important and novel findings regarding growth factors, cytokines and chemokines in wound healing.

Diabetes mellitus is the most common endocrine disorder with continuously increasing prevalence. Blood vessels, nerves, eyes, kidneys and skin are affected, which causes both an enormous financial burden and a reduced quality of life of the affected patients. Long-standing diabetes may impair skin homeostasis resulting in skin manifestations in at least one third of all diabetics. The skin involvement may be the first presenting sign of diabetes, thus the respective skin signs should lead to diabetes focused diagnostic. Besides, the skin signs may be considered as a marker for the course of the disease or for the success of therapeutic interventions.

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Background: pH is known as an important parameter in epidermal barrier function and homeostasis. Aim: The impact of age and body site on skin surface pH (pH_SS) of women was evaluated in vivo. Methods: Time domain dual lifetime referencing with luminescent sensor foils was used for pH_SS measurements. pH_SS was measured on the forehead, the temple, and the volar forearm of adult females (n = 97, 52.87 ± 18.58 years, 20–97 years). Every single measurement contained 2,500 pH values due to the luminescence imaging technique used. Results: pH_SS slightly increases with age on all three investigated body sites. There are no significant differences in pH_SS between the three investigated body sites. Conclusion: Adult pH_SS on the forehead, the temple and the volar forearm increases slightly with age. This knowledge is crucial for adapting medical skin care products.

The skin pH is crucial for physiological skin functions. A decline in stratum corneum acidity, as observed in aged or diseased skin, may negatively affect physiological skin functions. Therefore, glycolic acid-containing water-in-oil (W/O) emulsions adjusted to pH 4 were investigated regarding their effect on normal or increased skin pH. A pH 4 W/O emulsion was applied on three areas with pathologically increased skin surface pH in diabetics (n = 10). Further, a 28-day half-side trial (n = 30) was performed to test the long-term efficacy and safety of a pH 4 W/O emulsion (n = 30). In summary, the application of a pH 4 W/O emulsion reduced the skin pH in healthy, elderly and diabetic subjects, which may improve epidermal barrier functions.