The anti‐sebum property of chitosan particles

Abstract

Background Seborrhea is linked to several medical and mental conditions. Although it is common, effective agents and the standardized sebum level for seborrhea are not elucidated. Aims To determine the efficacy of chitosan particles (CP) formulation on controlling sebum secretion, its extended effects on skin redness and texture after combining with proretinal nanoparticles (CP‐PRN), and a correlation of the clinical grading with sebum levels that affect mental health. Patients/Methods A four‐week clinical trial with forty subjects was conducted. Subjects applied either CP formulation or CP‐PRN during nighttime. Objective measurements including sebum levels, transepidermal water loss (TEWL), skin corneometry, skin redness, and texture were analyzed. Subjects completed a self‐assessment clinical grading of skin oiliness at every visit. Results Both CP and CP‐PRN significantly decreased sebum levels (P ≤ .01) at week 4 compared to baseline. CP also resulted in significant decreases in TEWL (P ≤ .05) and skin corneometry (P ≤ .05) throughout the study. A significant improvement in skin redness was observed with CP‐PRN (P ≤ .01). A moderate correlation between the clinical grading and sebum levels was detected (coefficient of 0.5, P ≤ .001), with a sebum level of 106 μg cm‐2 indicating emotional discomfort. One subject experienced local irritation with the CP‐PRN. Mild pruritic symptoms were reported in both groups. Conclusions Chitosan particles exhibited an interesting anti‐sebum effect. It could be combined with PRN to extend benefits without losing the sebum controlling effect. The clinical grading may be useful in practice due to a modest correlation with sebum levels.

The Efficacy and Safety of Chitosan on Facial Skin Sebum

“…Our study demonstrated that CN-G gel significantly reduced sebum production on the face compared to gum alone. The results confirmed our speculation in the previous study that CN could reduce facial sebum [22]. To date, the exact mechanism of action of CN is still unknown; however, we hypothesized that CN, which contains a positive charge and has hydrophilic properties, binds with negatively charged fatty acids in sebum, and they could be removed during facial wash [17, 18].…”

“…We calculated the sample size from the pilot study using the sebum reduction as a primary outcome. Second, there is a lack of standardized and objective measurements of participants’ self-assessment on the degree of seborrhea; however, a previous study reported a moderate correlation between objective measurement of sebum levels and clinical severity grading [22]. Further clinical investigations and in vitro experiments demonstrating the full potential of chitosan are mandatory.…”

“…Participants provided self-assessments on the degree of seborrhea using a rating scale modified from Tangkijngamvong et al [22] (grade 0, not oily; grade 1, slightly oily; grade 2, oily face without emotional discomfort; grade 3, oily face with emotional discomfort). Investigators recorded treatment-related adverse events and participants’ compliance throughout the study.…”

“…Nanoparticle formulation with an optimal particle size for trans-follicular drug delivery systems allows topical preparations to penetrate to sebaceous glands without skin barrier disruption [19-21]. It has been shown that chitosan nanoparticle (CN) was able to reduce the sebum level in the skin [22].…”

“…We previously reported the antisebum effect of proretinal using CN as a drug delivery enhancer [22]. Since the previous study used the combination of CN and guar gum, limiting the explicit conclusion demonstrating the antisebum effect of CN, therefore, here we aimed to study the efficacy and safety of CN formulation on sebum secretion reduction.…”