• Proceedings of the SCSK Conference
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• 2003.09a
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• pp.765-779
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• 2003

Physiological lipid mixtures comprised of cholesterol, ceramide and free fatty acid better maintain epidermal homeostasis and have been recently used for dermatoses induced by skin barrier damage, for example for atopic dermatitis and xerotic skin. Itching and dry atopic dermatitis of the skin may be related to altered skin barrier function. In a previous study, the use of multi-lamellar emulsion (MLE), which is a lipid mixtures containing cholesterol, pseudoceramide and free fatty acid, has been shown to accelerate the recovery of the epidermal permeability barrier. In this study, we assessed the efficacy of MLE compared with a currently used anti-itch moisturizer (AIM), the active ingredients of which are menthol and camphor, on barrier recovery after barrier disruption. To clarify the effect of MLE and AIM after acute barrier perturbation, we measured the relation between transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and the barrier recovery rate at 3, 6, 24, and 48 hours after tape stripping hairless mice and then observed changes in the stratum corneum (SC), including the intercellular lipid structure and secretion of lamellar bodies, by electron microscopy. MLE treated skin recover skin barrier function more rapidly, and AIM treated skin delayed barrier repair. Morphological changes in the epidermis, of MLE treated skin revealed well-conserved lipid multi-lamellar structures at 24 h after tape stripping, whereas AIM treated skin showed altered lamellar bilayers within the SC interstices at 48 h. In addition, MLE treated skin showed an increase in the number of LBs and in their secretions and a decrease in the number of SC layers versus AIM treated skin. These results suggest that MLE may accelerate the production of an epidermal permeability barrier in hairless mice by increasing the number and secretion of LB and improve the dryness and itch associated with an altered epidermal permeability barrier.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.30 no.3 s.47
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• pp.345-352
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• 2004

There are two paradigms to explain the atopic dermatitis. The first is outside-inside paradigm and the second is inside-outside paradigm. According to the outside-inside paradigm the best way to treat the atopic dermatitis is recovery of skin barrier function. The barrier function is maintained by the specific structure of stratum corneum, which is constructed from corneocytes and intercellular lipids. In terms of lipid structures of SC in atopic dermatitis and lamellar ichthyosis, they contain more fluid hexagonal gel structures in SC and show deficiencies in free fatty acids, especially long chains and certain ceramides. With this reason, moisturizer which has the lamellar structure and restoring function of intrinsic intercellualr long periodicity phase can maintain and restore the lamellar structure of intercellular lipids in SC. The moisturizers containing ceramide or pseudoceramide also seem to be reasonable therapy for atopic dermatitis and several skin diseases, which interrelated with impaired skin harrier. By the way, according to the inside-outside paradigm, immune response including helper T cells, IgE, eosinophils is related. It is effective treatment of atopic dermititis to restore imbalance between Th1 and Th2 cells. Even though several kinds of immune-suppressor were introduced, these can affect the intrinsic immune function. SPC and S1P, metabolites of ceramide, would be interesting because they have the function of wound healing and immune modulating properties.