Effect of the local corticosteroid therapy and Tacrolimus on the morphological and functional skin indices of different phototypes

Objective. To assess the effect of local corticosteroid therapy and Tacrolimus on the morphological and functional skin indices of different phototypes. Materials and methods. The authors conducted a complex assessment of the morphological and functional skin condition of different phototypes among healthy volunteers under the impact of corticosteroids and Tacrolimus. The study involved 20 healthy volunteers (10 people of the 1st and 2nd skin phototypes and 10 people of the 5th and 6th skin phototypes; 14 males and 6 females; mean age: 2з years). The morphological condition of the skin was assessed with the use of optical coherent tomography (Applied Physics Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Nizhny Novgorod) while the functional condition was assessed with the use of Multi Skin Test Center MC 750 (Courage+Khazaka Cologne, Germany). Results. The authors revealed that the application of local corticosteroids is accompanied with a reliable reduction in the epidermis thickness developing earlier in the subjects belonging to the 5th and 6th phototypes and, at the same time, increased transepidermal water loss and reduced corneous layer humidity. An increase in the corneous layer thickness accompanied by an increase in the humidity factor was registered in all phototypes in the areas where Tacrolimus was applied. It is possible to select the correct tactics of the anti-inflammatory therapy on the basis of monitoring the morphological and functional skin condition in the process of applying local corticosteroids: to determine the optimum duration of the corticosteroid therapy and switch to calcineurin inhibitors on a timely basis when there is a need to perform an antiinflammatory therapy to achieve the maximum efficacy with the minimum risk of complication development.

topical corticosteroids, Tacrolimus, skin atrophy, skin phototypes, optical coherent tomography