Development of Moisturizer for Reducing the Itching Feel in Senior Dry Skin by Reinforcing the Skin Barrier Function Physically

Dry skin is a relatively common disorder, especially in the elderly. The condition is associated with generalized pruritus and herbal medicines such as Coptis chinensis and Houttuynia cordata have been proven to be safe and effective for skin dryness and pruritus. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy of moisturizers containing herbal medicines on senior dry skin patients with pruritus. Twenty six patients were treated with these moisturizers and clinical efficacies, as measured by the score of subjective symptom and objective signs about pruritus, transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and hydration capacitance respectively, were assessed after topical application of the moisturizers. As results, the scores of clinical signs and TEWL showed statistically significant improvements after treating with two types of moisturizers on the senior dry skin and no local or systemic side effect occurred. Topical application of these moisturizers was found to be effective and safe for senior patients suffering from dryness and pruritus. And those results were confirmed by the rheological data of loss angle increasing with the addition of Houttuynia cordata extract and decreasing from 15.8 to 12.1 with the addition of Coptis chinensis extract. About 23% reduction of loss angle means that elasticity of moisturizer increases and physically optimized skincare barrier of moisturizer can be formed to keep dry senior skin effectively moisturized.