Interaction of liposomes with human skin: The role of the stratum corneum

Liposomal topicals may be superior to conventional ones in some skin diseases such as atopic eczema particularly linked to disturbances of the epidermal barrier, i.e. the stratum corneum, according to clinical findings, This is in keeping with the findings from light microscopic and ultrastructural investigations. While liposomes are taken up and disintegrated by keratinocytes directly exposed they do not penetrate an intact stratum corneum. Instead, they dissolve and form unit membrane structures and oil droplets, Although this view is backed by investigations of differing types making use of various markers and most recent detection technology it has not yet been uniformly accepted.