Carrier-Mediated Dermal Delivery

Book excerpt: This book presents new approaches for skin aging and photocarcinogenesis and topical formulations based on nanocarrier systems for skin disorders. It discusses cosmeceuticals, laser, photodynamic therapy, and melatonin-based treatments as important strategies for photoaging management. Photodynamic therapy and melatonin can be used in the photocarcinogenesis context, too. Therefore, the inclusion of this strong antioxidant in sunscreen products could be a promising approach. The book discusses topical formulations, including emulsions (conventional formulations and emulsions stabilized by solid particles), nail films, and nanocarriers used for the delivery of actives in various skin and nail diseases such as acne, psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, fungal diseases, leishmaniasis, and skin cancer. Finally, several nanocarriers are introduced, such as lipid vesicles (ranging from the first-generation conventional liposomes to the more recent deformable vesicles), liquid crystalline nanodispersions, gelatin, and solid lipid nanoparticles. Their composition, formulation, characterization, and topical applications are also discussed. Although this is a broad topic, the most important (nano)pharmaceutical formulations are presented in the book.