Etude comparée de la perte insensible d’eau et de la pénétration cutanée des corticoïdes

Abstract

Modifications of transepidermal water loss due to repeated topical applications of water/oil emulsion, salicylic acid and urea, with and without occlusion, were studied on the forearms of healthy volunteers. Percutaneous absorption of three different corticosteroids was evaluated by means of the bleaching test on each treated area. It was shown that only salicylic acid significantly increased transepidermal water loss. This increase was positively correlated with an increase in the percutaneous absorption of corticosteroids. Thus it seems that a comparative evaluation of the percutaneous absorption of topical treatments in normal and lesional skin may be obtained, in vivo in man, by non-aggressive comparative evaluation of transepidermal water loss.

Mechanism of action of a lipophilic derivative of salicylic acid on normal skin

“…One problem in the study of this new compound was to understand its mode of action relative to salicylic acid. With regard to noninvasive measurements, keratolytic compounds augment TEWL after a few days of application (10). This property is classically interpreted as the consequence of a reduction in the thickness of the horny layer.…”