Highly Efficient Rinse-Off/Leave-On Scalp Care Treatments to Reduce Moderate to Severe Dandruff

Background/Aim: Dandruff is a common scalp problem associated with flaky and inflamed skin. In this study, we investigated the efficacy of a shampoo containing piroctone olamine and climbazole and the combination of this shampoo with a scalp tonic containing piroctone olamine and licochalcone A, derived from Glycyrrhiza inflata root extract, to reduce dandruff. Study Design/Methods: After conditioning, 102 subjects (♂ 56 and 46 ♀) with moderate to very strong dandruff affection underwent a randomized half head study for 4 weeks. The volunteers’ heads were washed regularly either with a placebo or the anti-dandruff shampoo, followed by the anti-dandruff tonic application or no treatment. In a 2-week post-treatment phase, subjects only applied placebo shampoo. Every two weeks, trained experts assessed dandruff affection based on a scale of 1 to 6. At study start and after every 2 weeks, cytokine concentrations and anti-fungal activity of test products were determined in scalp wash-ups by enzyme-linked immunosorbant assays or a Malassezia colony-forming assay, respectively. Results: Results of expert grading and anti-fungal activity revealed a significant reduction in dandruff affection and Malassezia colony-forming units after treatment with the anti-dandruff shampoo or its combination with the tonic. Dandruff affection even remained reduced in the post-treatment phase when levels of Malassezia colony-forming units had returned to baseline. Cytokine analyses proved a significant decrease in pro-inflammatory dandruff markers after treatment with both anti-dandruff products. For the shampoo/tonic combination, a superior reduction of one scalp inflammatory marker was determined even after the post-treatment phase. Conclusion: Both the rinse-off shampoo as well as its combination with the leave-on tonic excellently alleviated dandruff and its associated micro-inflammation. Both treatments showed anti-fungal activity. The superior benefit, exerted by the combination, is primarily based on the known anti-inflammatory effect of licochalcone A and the improved scalp substantivity of the leave-on application.

A Dead Sea Water-Enriched Body Cream Improves Skin Severity Scores in Children with Atopic Dermatitis

Dead Sea (DS) mud and water are known for their unique composition of minerals, and for their therapeutic properties on inflammatory skin diseases. The objective of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of an emollient cream enriched with DS water in children with atopic dermatitis (AD). Eighty six AD children were randomized in a double-blind controlled study to receive twice-daily topical treatment with a body cream enriched with DS minerals (TP) compared to two types of control: 1) DM, DS minerals with lower DS water concentrations than TP, and 2) an emollient (E) with no DS minerals. Efficacy was assessed by a change in clinical skin severity scores: SCORing Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD), investigator’s global assessment (IGA) and patient global assessment (PGA) as well as by objective physiological parameters: transepidermal water loss (TEWL), stratum corneum hydration (SCH), affected body surface area (BSA) and Objective Severity Assessment of Atopic Dermatitis (OSAAD). The total length of the trial was 12 weeks divided to 6 visits at weeks 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12. The study showed that both TP and DM creams improved OSAAD scores. Only TP improved TEWL and SCH. TP was the most effective regarding TEWL, SCH and OSAAD compared to DM and E. Treatment with E decreased more significantly IGA score compared to TP. Although within each treatment group significant improvements in SCH, BSA, SCORAD, IGA and PGA were observed, the reduction in BSA, SCORAD and PGA was not significantly different among the groups. Our results clearly show the benefits of TP as a leave on-skin emulsion enrich with DS water in terms of skin barrier function. Thus, TP can serve as an effective adjuvant treatment for AD skin as well as for its maintenance.