What is AproDerm^®?

The AproDerm^® Range of emollients are suitable from birth and have been specially formulated to soothe, moisturise and protect skin suffering from eczema, psoriasis and other dry skin conditions as well as being effective daily moisturisers.

Emollients can be divided into two groups those that you apply onto the skin and leave-on and those that you use as soap substitutes and wash off the skin. AproDerm^® is a range of occlusive, leave-on emollients which means they form a layer over the skin that traps water inside thus hydrating, softening and smoothing the skin. When applied to the skin the cream formulations are also soothing, due to the water inside them cooling the skin as they evaporate off.

Many emollients contain substances that can irritate or sensitise the skin so aggravating it further, these include SLS, parabens, halogens, fragrances and colours. Unlike these the complete AproDerm^® Range have been specially developed to be:

How Does AproDerm^® Range Work?

Your skin is the largest organ of the body and consists of many layers. The uppermost layer, known as the stratum corneum, is the skin barrier and, to understand how AproDerm^® works, we first need to look at this barrier and what it does.

The best way to think of the skin barrier, is as a brick wall which, in healthy skin, keeps pathogens, irritants and allergens out whilst preventing the loss of water and other substances. Within this barrier the skin cells (the bricks) are swollen with water so sit tightly against each other, they are surrounded by extracellular lipids (the mortar), giving you a smooth and strong barrier as shown in Fig 1. This barrier is semi-permeable which means that there is some water loss through it however this is normal and is known as Transepidermal Water Loss.

In dry skin conditions such as eczema the skin barrier is no longer effective as a result of the breakdown of the extracellular lipids and a reduction in the amount of water in the skin cells. Less water in these skin cells means that they begin to shrink causing gaps to form between them and, as a result of the breakdown of the extracellular lipids, cracks start to appear in the skin (the mortar is crumbling). We now have a barrier with cracks and gaps which lets in irritants, allergens and pathogens and through which there is more water lost than the normal transepidermal water loss(see the Eczema side of Fig 1). This causes dryness, inflammation and itching so flaring up eczema and other dry skin conditions.

Itching and inflammation can lead to scratching which can lead to further irritation exacerbating the itch-scratch cycle and making the eczema or other dry skin condition worse. Scratching can also break the skin causing it to bleed, leaving it open to infections and can result in thickening of the skin.

Emollients, such as the AproDerm^® Range, are moisturising treatments which are used to break this Itch – Scratch cycle and to maintain the smoothness of the skin. They work by:

   Moisturising the skin

   Soothing the skin

   Helping skin retain water

   Easing itching

   Softening cracks

   Protecting the skin

Emollients are therefore leading symptomatic treatments for eczema, psoriasis and other dry skin conditions where a person’s skin has become reddened, dry, itchy and cracked, however many emollients contain SLS, parabens, halogens, fragrances and colours, these substances can irritate and sensitise your skin.

The AproDerm^® Range of emollients are:

   They work by forming a protective layer over the skin surface trapping in water which then goes into the skin cells, rehydrating them and causing them to swell again. AproDerm^® also penetrates through the upper layers of the stratum corneum filling the gaps between the skin cells so that they are once again surrounded thus restoring the skin barrier so that irritants, pathogens and allergens are kept out whilst keeping water and other substances in as illustrated in Fig 3.

   Rehydration of the skin helps relieve the itching, irritation and discomfort associated with eczema, psoriasis and other dry skin conditions. In psoriasis the AproDerm^® Range also softens psoriatic patches, which makes them less likely to crack and cause the skin to become sore. The range can also be used to remove the scales which in turn helps in the application of other topical psoriasis treatments and should be applied 30 minutes before them.

   AproDerm^® Colloidal Oat Cream has a number of additional benefits and mechanisms of action. Specially developed with active colloidal oatmeal, which is proven to protect and restore the skin’s surface, oatmeal has been used for centuries to soothe and relieve the itch and irritation that you get with eczema, psoriasis and other dry skin conditions. Colloidal oat has been clinically proven to improve dryness, scaling and roughness and restores the skin barrier damaged by eczema, psoriasis and other dry skin conditions. AproDerm^® Colloidal Oat Cream also has humectant, buffering and cleansing effects.

In order to achieve maximum benefit from AproDerm^® patients should apply it regularly, liberally and at least three times a day in gentle, downward strokes following the direction of hair growth. Once their condition has improved they should continue applying AproDerm^® in order to reduce the risk of flare-ups.