Evaluation of a Barrier Repair Cream Containing Pseudo-Ceramide for Practical Use by Hairdressers with Hand Skin Disorders Due to Daily Exposure to Chemical Irritants

Akihiko Takahashi, Annette Kirst, Ulrike Heinrich, Akira Kiyomine, Koichi Ishida, Hagen Tronnier, Heintz Theis, Takahiro Nishizaka, Hisateru Tanabe

Derma Tronnier, University of Witten-Herdecke, Witten, Germany.
Kao Corporation, Skin Beauty Laboratories, Tokyo, Japan.
Kao Germany, European Research Laboratories, Darmstadt, Germany.

DOI: 10.4236/jcdsa.2013.34040                

Abstract

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.

Keywords

Occupational Skin Disorder; Hairdresser; Dermatological Controlled Use Test; Pseudo-Ceramide; Barrier Cream; Topical Hand Care

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1]	A. Worth, S. H. Arshad and A. Sheikh, “Occupational Dermatitis in a Hairdresser,” British Medical Journal, Vol. 335, 2007, p. 399. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.39252.524317.94
[2]	M. L. Lind, M. Albin, J. Brisman, et al., “Incidence of Hand Eczema in Female Swedish Hairdressers,” Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Vol. 64, No. 3, 2007, pp. 191-195. http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1136/oem.2005.026211
[3]	P. M. Elias, “Epidermal Lipids, Barrier Function, and Desquamation,” The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, Vol. 80, 1983, pp. 44s-49s. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/jid.1983.12
[4]	G. Imokawa, A. Abe, K. Jin, et al., “Decreased Level of Ceramides in Stratum Cornium of Atopic Dermatitis: An Etiologic Factor in Atopic Dry Skin?” The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, Vol. 96, 1991, pp. 523-526. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1523-1747.ep12470233
[5]	K. C. Madison, “Barrier Function of the Skin: ‘La Raison d’être’ of the Epidermis,” The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, Vol. 121, 2003, pp. 231-241. http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1523-1747. 2003.12359.x
[6]	T. Dirschka, C. Szliska, J. Jackowski and H. Tronnier, “Impaired Skin Barrier and Atopic Diathesis in Perioral Dermatitis,” Journal der Deutschen Dermatologischen Gesellschaft, Vol. 1, No. 3, 2003, pp. 199-203. http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1610-0387.2003.02039.x
[7]	G. Imokawa, “Surfactant-Induced Depletion of Ceramides and Other Intercellular Lipids: Implication for the Mechanism Leading to Dehydration of the Stratum Corneum,” Exogenous Dermatology, Vol. 3, 2004, pp. 81-98. http://dx.doi.org/10.1159/000086158
[8]	L. Halkier-Sorensen and K. Thestrunp-Pedersen, “The Efficacy of Moisturizer (Locobase) among Cleaners and Kitchen Assistants during Everyday Exposure to Water and Detergents,” Contact Dermatitis, Vol. 29, No. 5, 1993, pp. 266-271. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0536.1993.tb03563.x
[9]	M. Kucharekova, J. Schalkwijk, P. C. M. Kerkhof, et al., “Effect of a Lipid-Rich Emollient Containing Ceramide3 in Experimentally Induced Skin Barrier Dysfunction,” Contact Dermatitis, Vol. 46, No. 6, 2002, pp. 331-338. http://dx.doi.org/10.1034/j.1600-0536.2002.460603.x
[10]	M. Loden and E. Barany, “Skin-Identical Lipids versus Petrolatum in the Treatment of Tape-Stripped and Detergent-Perturbed Human Skin,” Acta Dermato-Venereologica, Vol. 80, 2000, pp. 412-415. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/000155500300012774
[11]	G. Imokawa, S. Akasaki, O. Kuno, et al., “Function of Lipids on Human Skin,” Journal of Dispersion Science and Technology, Vol. 10, No. 4-5, 1989, pp. 617-641. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0193 2698908943190
[12]	H. Tronnier, M. Wiebusch, U. Heinrich, et al., “Surface Evaluation of Living Skin,” Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, Vol. 455, 1999, pp. 507-516. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-4857-7_75
[13]	Y. Murata, J. Ogata, Y. Higaki, et al., “Abnormal Expression of Sphingomyelin Acylase in Atopic Dermatitis: An Etiologic Factor for Ceramide Deficiency?” The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, Vol. 106, 1996, pp. 1242-1249. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1523-1747.ep12348937
[14]	J. Hara, K. Higuchi, R. Okamoto, et al., “High-Expression of Sphingomyelin Deacylase Is an Important Determinant of Ceramide Deficiency Leading to Barrier Disruption in Atopic Dermatitis,” The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, Vol. 115, 2000, pp. 406-413. http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1523-1747. 2000.00072.x
[15]	S. L. Chamlin, J. Kao, I. J. Frieden, et al., “CeramideDominant Barrier Repair Lipids Alleviate Childhood Atopic Dermatitis: Changes in Barrier Function Provide a Sensitive Indicator of Disease Activity,” Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, Vol. 47, No. 2, 2002, pp. 198-208. http://dx.doi.org/10.1067/mjd.2002.124617
[16]	M. Mao-Qiang, K. R. Feingold and P. M. Elias, “Influence of Exogenous Lipids on Permeability Barrier Recovery in Acetone-Treated Murine Skin,” JAMA Dermatology, Vol. 129, No. 6, 1993, pp. 728-738. http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archderm.1993.01680270066008