Probing the effectiveness of barrier creams against human skin penetration of nickel powder

OBJECTIVE

Barrier creams (BCs) are marketed as locally applied medical devices or cosmetic products to protect the skin from exposure to chemicals and irritants. Generally, the mechanism of action of such products is mainly due to the formation of a superficial thin film between the skin and the irritant or sensitizer, thus reducing or totally blocking the cutaneous penetration of such agents. Specifically, studies focusing on the effectiveness of commercial protective creams to prevent nickel cutaneous penetration are extremely scarce. The aim of the current work, therefore, is to evaluate the protective role of a commercially available barrier cream for nickel and compare the results with a simple moisturizing, following exposure to Ni powder.

METHODS

Marketed BCs were evaluated and tested. Human skin absorption of Ni was studied in vitro using static Franz diffusion cells.

RESULTS

Our results demonstrate that the application of both formulations caused a reduction of Ni inside the skin (8.00 ± 3.35 μg cm-2 for the barrier cream and 22.6 ± 12.6 μg cm-2 for the general moisturizing product), with the specialized barrier cream being statistically (p = 0.015) more efficient on forming a protective barrier, thus evidencing the importance of some ingredients in such formulations on the nickel dermal accumulation.

CONCLUSIONS

The composition of the formulations based on film-forming or chelating agents may play an imperative role in reducing the cutaneous penetration of Ni.

From the Cochrane Library: Interventions for Preventing Occupational Irritant Hand Dermatitis

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[Local barrier creams for skin care in newborns, infants and toddlers with incontinence-associated dermatitis (IAD) – Narrative Review]

Background: The incontinence-associated dermatitis (IAD) is a common condition in newborns, infants and toddlers. For the therapy nurses and parents have the choice between numerous barrier creams based on zinc oxide, Dexpanthenol or Vaseline in various combinations of active agents and with additional ingredients. Research question: Which combination of active ingredients in local barrier creams reduce pain, severity of or duration of healing in IAD in neonates, infants and young children? Method: MEDLINE and CINAHL was systematically search for randomized controlled trials on the effect of barrier creams in pediatric patients with IAD. These were evaluated on validity and applicability. Results: 15 RCTs were found, of which six were included in the systematic review. The methodological quality of these trials ranges from good to poor, partially high bias risk were recognizable. Barrier creams containing the active ingredients zinc oxide / lanolin, zinc oxide / cod liver oil, zinc oxide / Dexpanthenol, paraffin / beeswax / Dexpanthenol show effects. They reduce the IAD-associated symptoms. Conclusions: The investigated barrier creams can be used in the pediatric nursing for the treatment of IAD. Because of limitations it cannot be ruled out that further studies will change the results.