EFFECTIVENESS OF VARIOUS BARRIER PREPARATIONS IN PREVENTING AND OR AMELIORATING EXPERIMENTALLY PRODUCED TOXICODENDRON DERMATITIS

Background. Despite extensive research on hyposensitization and prior application of topical barrier preparations, efforts to prevent Toxicodendron dermatitis have been only minimally successful. Objective. Seven different barrier creams were evaluated for topical protection against experimentally produced Toxicodendron dermatitis in a randomized, double-blind study. Methods. Twenty patients had the seven barrier creams randomly applied to eight test sites (one untreated area as control) on each forearm before application of the Toxicodendron extract. Development of Toxicodendron dermatitis was followed for 8 days, with measurements of erythema, induration, vesiculation, and global severity taken at each site on days 1, 2, 3, 4, and 7 after Toxicodendron application. Results: The barrier creams Stokogard, Hollister Moisture Barrier, and Hydropel significantly reduced the erythema, induration, and global severity of Toxicodendron dermatitis and did not differ from each other. The percent reductions in global dermatitis severity per day of assessment for the seven barriers in order of effectiveness were as follows: Stokogard, 59%; Hollister Moisture Barrier, 52%; Hydropel, 48%; Ivy Shield, 22%; Shield Skin, 13%; Dermofilm, 13%; and Uniderm, -9%. During the 8-day period, a significantly greater number of test sites pretreated with Stokogard, Hollister Moisture Barrier, and Hydropel were free of dermatitis compared with control sites and sites treated with the other four barriers. Conclusion: The results indicate that Stokogard, Hollister Moisture Barrier, and Hydropel are effective in the prevention of Toxicodendron dermatitis.