Background:
Skin is the largest organ of the body and helps to regulate several physiological functions.
It acts as a barrier that protects the body against UV-radiation, toxic substances, infections, etc. The abnormal
growth of the skin cells is called skin cancer. Different types of skin cancer can be classified as Basal
Cell Carcinoma (BCC) and Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC); which mainly occur due to chronic exposure to
UV- sunlight and pollution.
Methods:
The conventional topical treatments of skin cancer such as cream, gel, ointment, etc., are more occlusive
and thus they do not penetrate deep into the skin (dermal layer) and remain at the upper part of the skin
(epidermal layer). The stratum corneum acts as a physiological barrier for the drug-loaded in the conventional
formulation. The novel carrier systems have the potential to facilitate the penetration of the drug deep into the
skin (dermal layer) because these have less size and higher flexibility than conventional treatment.
Conclusion:
In the present review, we have discussed various novel carrier systems being investigated for the
topical application of chemotherapeutic agents for efficient skin targeting and better dermatological as well as
therapeutic benefits with minimal systemic exposure and toxicity.
Infiltration of subcutaneous adipose layer into the dermal layer with aging
