Clinical Research Directory

Dermocosmetic Evaluation of Propolis Ointments in Atopic-Prone Dry Skin

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if propolis ointments work to improve dry, atopic-prone skin in adults. Propolis is a natural substance made by honeybees. It will also learn about the safety of these ointments. The main questions it aims to answer are: Does propolis ointment lower dryness, scaling, and roughness better than a base ointment with no propolis? Is there a difference between crude propolis and ethanolic extract of propolis (EEP)? Researchers will compare three ointments to see if they improve skin condition: A propolis ointment made with 3% ethanolic extract A propolis ointment made with 5% crude propolis A base ointment with no propolis (look-alike) Participants will: Apply the ointment to dry skin areas twice a day for 4 weeks Visit the clinic 4 times: for screening, at the start, at week 2, and at week 4 Have their skin checked by a researcher using a standard dryness score Answer questions about skin comfort, itching, and satisfaction Have a patch test before starting to check for allergy to propolis

Xerosis and Use of Topical Moisturizer

The primary hypothesis is that routine measurement of trans epidermal water loss (TEWL) rates and stratum corneum (SC) hydration levels will promote patient adherence to maintenance moisturizer therapy and prevent disease relapse. The project will consist of a trial in which thirty subjects with xerosis receive moisturizer therapy and are randomized to receive either no intervention, a weekly electronic survey to assess patient's response to daily moisturizer, or daily monitoring of the effectiveness of a moisturizer with a portable hydration measurement device. The study team will measure adherence to daily moisturizer use objectively in all three groups with electronic monitors attached to the containers of the moisturizer. The adherence measure will allow the study determine how well moisturizers work for xerosis when that are well used. The study team anticipate that in the no intervention group, adherence will be abysmal and that in the group reporting their response to treatment weekly, adherence will be much better. This will give the study team negative and positive controls for assessing the effect of home barrier monitoring on treatment adherence.