Conclusions No conclusive recommendations were possible due to wide variation in study quality , method ologies and outcome measures .
A synthesis of available literature suggests that treatments containing urea as a primary active ingredient have been the most research ed .
Background Xerosis , literally dryness of the skin , of the foot is a common condition encountered clinical ly , which can lead to discomfort and predisposition to infection .
Currently , there are no evidence -based recommendations on which moisturiser formulations best alleviate xerotic symptoms .
The aim of this review was to guide clinical practice in the treatment of primary and diabetes related foot xerosis , by identifying from the existing literature the most effective ingredient or formulation of topical treatments for symptoms of primary foot xerosis in the general population .
Clinical Evaluation of 40% Urea and 12% Ammonium Lactate in the Treatment of Xerosis
Abstract Background : Urea and ammonium lactate are used for the treatment of xerosis , with different degrees of success . This study compares the clinical effectiveness of these two agents . Objective : To compare the effectiveness and tolerance of a 40 % urea topical cream (Carmol ® 40)1 from Doak Dermatologics , a subsidiary of Bradley Pharmaceuticals , Inc. , and 12 % ammonium lactate topical lotion ( Lac-Hydrin ® 12 % ) from Westwood Squibb , a division of Bristol-Myers Squibb . Methods : A r and omized , double-blind , bilateral paired comparison study was conducted involving 25 men and women who were undergoing treatment for moderate to severe xerosis . The study included evaluations upon initiation of the study , after a 14-day treatment period and treatment follow-up on day 28 . Results : Eighteen study participants completed the entire 28-day evaluation period . Evaluation of treatment benefit was based on instrumental measurement of water loss from the skin surface , skin capacitance , skin desquamation , skin roughness , subject self assessment of skin and investigator evaluation . Results indicated that clinical observation ratings by patients and investigators , as well as instrument measures , show differences between the two treatments . Most measures show that improvement is achieved in less time with 40 % urea cream than with 12 % ammonium lactate lotion . On day 14 , the 40 % urea cream was superior to the 12 % ammonium lactate lotion as measured by skin roughness , fissure reduction , thickness and dryness . Discussion : At day 14 of treatment , 40 % urea cream was superior to 12 % ammonium lactate for most of the instrumental and clinical assessment
Conclusions No conclusive recommendations were possible due to wide variation in study quality , method ologies and outcome measures .
A synthesis of available literature suggests that treatments containing urea as a primary active ingredient have been the most research ed .
Background Xerosis , literally dryness of the skin , of the foot is a common condition encountered clinical ly , which can lead to discomfort and predisposition to infection .
Currently , there are no evidence -based recommendations on which moisturiser formulations best alleviate xerotic symptoms .
The aim of this review was to guide clinical practice in the treatment of primary and diabetes related foot xerosis , by identifying from the existing literature the most effective ingredient or formulation of topical treatments for symptoms of primary foot xerosis in the general population .