Effect of soak and smear on [14C]-hydrocortisonein vitrohuman skin percutaneous penetration

Effect of 'soak and smear' on skin absorption and penetration depends on interaction of individual drug's physicochemical property, stratum corneum hydration, and stratum corneum-epidermoid barrier status. Water soaking (≤ 20 min) induced skin hydration increases [¹⁴C]-hydrocortisone absorption and retention into the upper skin layer but not deep layers. This could support the proposed hypothesis of clinical dermatological treatment of hydrocortisone to local skin inflammations should the epidermis be found to be a key target for atopic dermatitis therapy.