Extended Literature Review on the Effectiveness of Urea on Increasing Skin Hydration Followed by a Research Proposal.

Abstract

Background: The skin is the largest organ, covering most of the human body and comprises of 15% of the body's weight. Dry skin occurs when there is reduction in water residing in the epidermis, causing the skin to flake and crack. Dry skin is also known as xerosis or xeroderma, affecting around 75% of individuals aged 64 and over. Urea based emollients are widely used for the treatment of dry skin conditions such as xerosis. Aim: The aim of this proposal is to determine whether there is a measurable difference in skin hydration levels of skin on the plantar aspect of the feet with the application of 5% and 10% concentrations of a urea based moisturiser. Method: Forty patients will be recruited from a private podiatry practice and all participants will receive the same treatment. The emollients used in this study are CCS ® footcare cream (10% urea) and Eucerin ® repair cream (5% urea). These emollients will be placed into 28 5g containers and one applied to each foot once daily. All participants will be asked not to use any topical skin preparations on their lower limb 14 days prior to the study. Data: The raw data from the hydration measurements taken from the right and left feet from day 0, day 14 and day 28 by a corneometer. The hypothesis is the emollient CCS foot care cream with a higher % concentration of urea has an increased effect on skin hydration levels. Comparisons will be made between both feet on the baseline (day 0), day 14 and day 28. Data will be analysed with parametric Student t-test using the statistical programme SPSS version 21. Keywords: skin, emollients, urea, xerosis, anhidrosis, skin hydration, corneometer,