Background: The epidermal skin barrier and lipids that are integral to its structure are impaired in atopic dermatitis (AD). Current treatment guidelines include proactive therapy.
Objective: This study assessed the effect of 12 weeks of proactive treatment with tacrolimus ointment 0.1% (TAC) compared with mometasone furoate cream (MF) on specific skin barrier lipids in patients with AD who previously received 10 days of reactive treatment with either agent.
Methods: This was an open-label, non-interventional study. In the reactive phase, forearm lesions in 20 patients were treated with either TAC or MF twice daily for 10 days. In the subsequent proactive phase, patients applied TAC or MF twice weekly for 12 weeks (n = 16 patients).
Results: Over the 12-week proactive treatment period, the mean local SCORAD significantly decreased in the TAC and MF treatment group. Levels of total and individual ceramides increased in both groups. Normalized intercellular lipid lamellae values were significantly higher with proactive TAC treatment than MF and undistinguishable from healthy skin.
Conclusion: The results show that proactive treatment with TAC is superior in restoring the skin barrier.
Keywords: Atopic dermatitis; mometasone furoate; proactive treatment; skin barrier; tacrolimus ointment; transmission electron microscopy.