Journal of

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Background and Aim: Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is the most common form of alopecia in men, worldwide and topical minoxidil appears to be the most effective and safe treatment for AGA beside oral finasteride. Safety assessment of topical minoxidil formulation could be conducted using in vivo studies on human volunteers. Using skin biophysical parameters is a fast and noninvasive method for safety assessment of topical products.

Methods: A topical combination of Minoxidil 5% solution in combination with chamomile extract from Iran’s pharmaceutical market tested on the skin of the forearm of 15 healthy volunteers. Changes in transepidermal water loss (TEWL), stratum corneum hydration, pH, melanin and hemoglobin contents have been evaluated, using biometric assessments with MPA 580 Cutometer®.

Results: There was not any significant change in skin hydration (P=0.692), TEWL (P=0.191), stratum corneum pH (P=0.613), melanin (P=0.533), and hemoglobin (P=0.579) contents before and after topical minoxidil application.

Conclusion: No significant change detected in skin erythema and assessed parameters Application of minoxidil 5% + chamomile 7% topical solution on human volunteers has not shown any adverse effects and these formulations could be recommended to use.

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Postsurgical scars are of significant concern to both the patients and surgeons. Different laser systems have been used to accelerate and improve the healing process in surgical scars. Some studies have demonstrated the benefits of prophylactic laser application on pre-scars. It seems that using laser energy in the early phase of the healing process may produce changes in the physiology of wound healing toward a more fetal-like tissue regeneration and healing. Laser-Assisted Skin Healing (LASH) is a new approach in which laser irradiation is applied immediately after surgery in order to improve the resulting surgical scars. LASH produces controlled homogenous heating throughout the full thickness of the skin around the wound which accelerates wound healing without thermal damage to the tissue.

The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the available peer-reviewed research literature on the application of LASH, the in-vitro, animal and human studies and the suggested mechanisms of action. Further studies are necessary to optimize the best laser parameters especially according to different skin phototypes and  better understanding of the mechanisms of action.

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Background and Aim: Dermatitis or eczema is an itchy skin disorder which is usually caused by the skin inflammatory reaction in response to combination of genetic and environmental factors. This study was aimed to assess the safety of anti-dermatitis creams and possible side effects on human volunteers through measuring the skin biophysical parameters with non-invasive methods.

Methods: Two groups of 15 adults and 15 children as healthy volunteers participated for safety assessment of three anti atopic and contact dermatitis creams. All measurements were done using Cutometer® MPA 580 and the changes in the rate of transepidermal water loss (TEWL), stratum corneum hydration, content of melanin and hemoglobin (erythema) and skin pH were recorded. The obtained data were analyzed using SPSS software version 20 and P<0.05 were considered as significant.

Results: In this trial, no statistically significant changes in skin biophysical parameters including TEWL, melanin, erythema and pH was observed. The stratum corneum hydration on the applicatioins areas of Dermalex Repair Eczema, Dermalex Repair Contact Eczema, Dermalex Repair Eczema for Babies & Children compared to the control sides were significantly different (P=0.002, 0.001 and 0.013). This significant difference was due to emollient or humectant compounds in these creams.

Conclusion: Because of no adverse changes in the skin biophysical parameters, the studied anti-dermatitis creams could be conisdered as safe products. In addition, due to self-assessment results of adverse effects by the participants, no significant adverse effect was seen.

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Application of sunscreens is one of the most important ways for skin protection against sunburn, early skin aging and skin cancer.
Due to variety of sunscreen products, it is necessary to assure their protection ability against the sun’s damages. Performance assessment of sunscreens against UVB expressed by sun protection factor. Due to great cost of determination methods of this factor in foreign countries, developing a comprehensive protocol for in vivo SPF determination in Iran would have distinct benefits.
In this study four international standards have been reviewed and compared for Sun Protection Factor (SPF) determination including ISO24444, FDA2011, AS/NZS 2604:2012 and CEN 2006. The general process of in vivo SPF determination is similar in these protocols but there are some obvious differences in details that leading to advantages and disadvantages for each of them.
In this study a complete document were collected, then regarding to available facilities and with cooperation of Iran food and drug organization a comprehensive in vivo SPF determination protocol will be developed.

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Sunscreen products are among the most important ways for skin protection against sunburn, early skin aging and skin cancer. Due to existing wide variation of sunscreens, it is necessary to assure their protection ability against the sun damage. Performance assessment of sunscreen products against UVA is expressed by sun UVA protection factor (UVA-PF). Because currently these factors are determined in foreign countries at high cost, developing a comprehensive protocol for UVA-PF determination in Iran would have distinct benefits.
The two standards, CEN 2006 and FDA 2007, introduce persistent pigment darkening (PPD) method for UVA-PF in vivo determination, while following the same principles are different in details. For in vitro UVA-PF determination, 4 standards CEN 2006, FDA 2007, FDA 2011 and ISO 24443 provided protocols, which two of them (CEN 2006 and FDA 2011) proposed critical wavelength method. On the other side, FDA 2007 offered modified Diffey method. ISO 24443 approved that and considering in vitro UVA-PF determination correlated with PPD method.
In this review, complete documents were collected, and the available facilities and setups, with cooperation of Iran Center for Food and Drug Control Labs, a comprehensive UVA-PF determination protocol for Iranian sunscreen products was developed.

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Pediculosis infection is seen in all age group and different societies and several treatment have been suggested and marketed. In this study, we try to explain the difference of anti-lice products in Iran. Also it is necessary to mention that Anti-lice products are not effective alone, therefore to eliminate head lice infection the use of appropriate anti-lice combs is recommended.

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Rosacea is a chronic inflammatory disease which presents with condition with a prevalence erythema and inflammatory lesions on central face.
Rosacea has significant impact on quality of life of patients hence lowering confidence and harmful for social positions Study of effective medications improves quality of life of patients. In this study we tried to review effective medical treatments for this disease.

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Probiotics are living microorganisms that, when used adequately, have beneficial effects on the host, and their superiority is that they are safe and secure for the host. The use of probiotics in addition to the digestive tract, has been studied in immune function, skin diseases, diabetes, cancer, liver disease, hypertension, urogenital system and oral cavity. In general, probiotics seem to be a promising and safe treatment. Nevertheless, more extensive studies are needed to use probiotics as alternative treatments along with old treatments. In dermatology, there is also a widespread use of probiotics and prebiotics. The use of probiotics has been studied in the treatment of atopic dermatitis, acne, eczema, allergic diseases, skin aging, bacterial and fungal infections, chronic wound healing, including diabetic foot ulcers, with promising results. In this review, papers related to the use of probiotics in the treatment of skin diseases were searched in data bases of Pubmed, Google scholar and Medline. Relevant papers were selected and presented. It is expected that probiotics will be used as complimentary treatment in several skin disorders.

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Knowledge about environmental factors that are aggressive to skin has increased in recent years. Although concern previously focused primarily on UVA and UVB, this has broadened to contain damage from pollution, tobacco smoke, other ambient toxins, infrared light, blue light and UVA-II.
This article reviews the negative effects of infrared, blue light and UVA-II on skin. Potential protective actions also are discussed.

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Habits since the introduction of the first commercial antiperspirant and deodorant, the use of these products have played an increasing role in a person's personal care. This article studies the physiology of human perspiration and responsible compounds for body odor. It also describes the function, classification, and differences between antiperspirants and deodorants.

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Full term newborns have a skin that rapidly develops towards adult skin. From the anatomical point of view, the differences are limited, but some changes at birth are responsible for the physiological differences between the skin of infants and adults. Newborns skin exhibits the same barrier function and absorption properties as adults, but external conditions for newborns may be different from those for adults, and these differences may lead to different skin absorption profiles between these two groups. Also, a baby's temperature regulation (transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and sweating) is not completely developed and the skin becomes easily infected, which is mainly due to changes in pH and immaturity of the skins defense system. This implies why only cosmetics with safe ingredients should be used for newborns. The initial aim is to formulate a simple, pure, gentle and pathogen-free product. Systemic side effects are not expected with washable products but should be taken into account for leave-on products. Great attention should be given to cosmetic products used in the napkin area, especially where there is a possibility of rash. If necessary, more safety precautions should be taken for these products.

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Microneedles consist of micron-sized projections similar to needles. They are capable of piercing through the stratum corneum and increase the permeation of active ingredients. Besides active pharmaceutical ingredients, microneedles can also deliver cosmetic agents, biotherapeutics like insulin and vaccines and also are used in diagnostic purposes. This article examines the types of microneedles. It also describes the function, classification, and differences between them.

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Background and Aim: Although several commercial moisturizers are available in the market, continued role of pharmaceutical compounding have been still felt in dry skin management. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of a two urea- based compounded moisturizers on barrier function, compared to similar commercial product. 15 volunteers (14 females and one male) age 36.15 ±9.55 years old (range 21-56 years old) with non-pathologic dry skin, recruited to the study applied 5% urea containing hydrophilic petrolatum and 10% urea containing hydrophilic petrolatum during two following phases.
Methods: Upper parts of right and left forearms randomly were assigned for twice a day application of commercial or compounded products. Biophysical assessments including trans epidermal water loss (TEWL), skin hydration, friction co efficient, pH and surface lipids, performed before intervention, 1, 4 after single application and at 24 hours and one week twice daily application. 
Results: In both phases, commercial and compounded moisturizers showed appropriate and comparable effect on skin barrier function compared to the baseline. However commercial products, led to better improvement in TEWL, 4 hours after single application in both phases (P=0.04). The rate of increase in skin hydration was also significantly higher for commercial emollient, compared to compounding product (57.48±11.23 vs. 50.59±11.42, P=0.01).
Conclusion: Commercial formulation led to higher acceptability and better improvement on skin barrier function after single application, probably due to influence of excipients. Present study did not find sufficient added value for pharmacy product relative to commercial one and suggest to be replaced in similar condition.

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Alterations in barrier function are associated with a number of skin diseases, including xerosis, atopic dermatitis, and psoriasis. Urea, a component of the natural moisturizing factor of the skin, plays an important role in the preservation of skin hydration and integrity. Several studies have investigated the effects of urea in the clinical setting. Here, we summarize the available clinical evidence regarding the effects of urea in the maintenance of healthy skin and management of skin disorders. At lower doses (≤10%),
urea-containing topical formulations act as a skin moisturizer, while at higher concentrations (>10% urea), urea-based preparations exert a keratolytic action. Urea is also useful in combination therapies with anti-inflammatory and anti-fungal drugs, due to its activity as a penetration enhancer.

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Background and Aim: Hair loss is one of the most common problems among the skin and hair related diseases. Hair loss can lead to anxiety, depression, low self-esteem and dissatisfaction with appearance.
 

Methods: Patients with androgenetic alopecia who met the eligibility criteria entered the study. Participants were asked to randomly apply a solution of valproic acid 8.3% or a solution of minoxidil 5% on the affected areas according to the treatment protocol (twice a day). Before and 2 months after treatment, the participants were evaluated. The studied indices included the number of hair follicles in the specified area, the number of velus hairs, the number of terminal hairs, the average hair thickness, and the percentage of hairs in the anagen and telogen phases, as well as the skin reactions in the area. Hairs were examined at the beginning of the study and at 2 months after treatment using Foto Finder-trichoscale device.
 

Results: Two months after treatment compared to baseline in the valproic group, anagen hair count index (P=0.02), general hair count index (P=0.03), and terminl hair count index (P=0.012) showed significant changes. While telogen hair count (P=0.059) and vellus hair count (P=0.097) did not show significant changes. These changes were more significated in minoxidil group.

Conclusion: 8.3% valproic acid solution showed positive effects in increasing the number of hairs and decreasing the percentage of telogen hairs. Due to the delayed mechanism of valproic acid, the duration of treatment with this compound should be considered longer than minoxidil as a positive control.

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Cosmeceuticals are the fastest growing segment of the personal care industry, and a number of topical cosmeceutical treatments for conditions such as photoaging, hyperpigmentation, wrinkles, and hair damage have come into widespread use. In the cosmeceutical arena nanotechnology has played an important role. Using new techniques to manipulate matter at an atomic or molecular level, opening up new perspectives for the future of cosmeceutical industry. Nanotechnology-based cosmeceuticals offer the advantage of diversity in products, and increased bioavailability of active ingredients and increase the aesthetic appeal of cosmeceutical products with prolonged effects. However increased use of nanotechnology in cosmeceuticals has raised concern about the possible penetration of nanoparticles through the skin and potential hazards to the human health. This review outlines the different nanoparticles used in various classes of cosmeceuticals, and the potential risk caused by nanoparticles on exposure.

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Background and Aim: Oral hydrolyzed collagen is one of the newest and most popular systemic supplementations for skin rejuvenation. However, there are limited information in case of Middle Eastern consumers. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the tolerability and efficacy of an oral collagen supplement for improvement of skin elasticity, hydration and roughness.
 

Methods: It was a 12-week, before-after clinical study, conducted on 20 participants (18 women and two men) aged 44.15±5.36 years with skin type III-IV. Skin elasticity parameters (R0, R2, R5 and R7), skin hydration and friction, as well as the thickness and echo density of the dermis, were measured after six and 12 weeks daily intake of the study product, as well as four weeks after stopping its use (week 16). Participants’ satisfaction was assessed on the basis of their answers to the standard questionnaire, and tolerability of the product was assessed by monitoring the adverse effects.
 

Results: A significant improvement was detected in R2, R5 and skin friction at week 12 (P<0.041, P<0.012 and P<0.01, respectively). At week 16, the values remained at an increased level, which indicates the stability of the results. The increase of dermis density in week 16 was also significant (P=0.03). Moderate overall satisfaction was reported with the treatment, and a few gastrointestinal complications were reported.
 

Conclusion: The study demonstrated that oral collagen peptides could significantly improve the skin elasticity, roughness, and dermis echo density, and they also proved to be safe and well-tolerated.

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Background and Aim: Cutaneous leishmaniasis is one of the most important health problems in Iran. There is still no effective vaccine available against human leishmaniasis and current treatment is based on chemotherapy. Conventional drugs are toxic and expensive, and drug resistance has caused the search for new treatments. Tofacitinib is a Janus kinase inhibitor that disturbs the signaling pathway of several cytokines in the immune system. The aim of this study was to evalute the effect of topical tofacitinib 2% ointment in healing cutaneous leishmaniasis in Balb/C mice.
 

Methods: This experimental study was performed using tofacitinib and glucantim drugs in 40 female Balb/C mice. The metacyclic form of promastigote of Leishmania major standard strain (MRHO/IR/75/ER) was injected into the footpad of the mice, the mice were divided into 4 treatment groups: tofacitinib, glucantim, tofacitinib-glucantim and control without treatment. The treatment period was 28 days. The footpad thickness of all groups was measured at the end of each week.
 

Results: After the end of the treatment in the groups treated with tofacitinib, a significant decrease in the size of lesion and the footpad thickness was observed compared to the control group without treatment (P<0.01).
 

Conclusion: It seems that tofacitinib ointment accelerates lesion healing in Balb/C mice and has worked similarly to standard glucantim treatment. Ointment can be a better option for leishmaniasis treatment and due to its ease of use and no need for painful injections it can be considered as an option for the treatment of patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis.

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Background and Aim: Marine seaweeds are a valuable source of bioactive ingeredients with the possibility of different effects in cosmeceutical industries such as skin health products. One of the main characteristics of the skin is moisture which plays an important role in maintaining metabolism, enzymatic activity, mechanical properties, appearance and protective barrier. The objective of the present study was to formulate the water extract of brown algae Sargassum tenerrimum with antioxidant and antibacterial properties as a moisturizing cream to evaluate physicochemical stability and microbial growth.
 

Methods: Algae were collected from the Persian Gulf intertidal zone and was washed with seawater, then transferd to Seafood Processing Laboratory in Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources for extraction process, after that formulation of 1% moisturizing cream was made at Center for Research and Training in Skin Diseases and LeprosyTehran University of Medical Scinces. Statistical analysis of antibacterial properties of water extract was performed by SPSS software version 22 and one way ANONA was used to analyse the data. The comparison between the means were investigated by Duncan’s test used for measuring significant differences at 5 percent level. Finally, the charts were created by using Excel software. The results of the study were reported as mean ± standard deviation.
 

Results: According to the results, the prepared 1% cream was completely stable and homogeneous in room temperature and oven for 6 months and successfully passed microbial tests.
 

Conclusion: In view of the above mentioned, the manufactured cream efficacy was well done and can be introduce as a skin moisturizing agent.

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Antimicrobial photodynamic inactivation is emerging as a non‑antibiotic strategy for treating infected wounds, particularly those harboring multidrug‑resistant bacteria. aPDI relies on a photosensitizer that, when illuminated with an appropriate wavelength, generates reactive oxygen species (ROS) that cause rapid, non‑specific damage to microbial membranes, proteins and nucleic acids. Effective photosensitizers combine high quantum yield to penetrate both Gram‑positive and Gram‑negative organisms, while light sources such as LEDs or lasers provide precise control of irradiance and tissue penetration. Clinical investigations have demonstrated that aPDI, alone or in combination with low‑dose antibiotics or growth factors, can reduce bacterial load in chronic wounds by up to 84 % and accelerate healing. Current challenges include limited light penetration, optimal dosing, and potential phototoxicity, emerging solutions involve nanocarrier‑delivered photosensitizers, oxygen‑releasing dressings, and ultrasound‑mediated activation to enhance efficacy and safety.