ReviewDermatology and therapy2021
Urea in Dermatology: A Review of its Emollient, Moisturizing, Keratolytic, Skin Barrier Enhancing and Antimicrobial Properties.
Review in Dermatology and therapy, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 45 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
45 citing papers in PubMed, 107 citations in OpenAlex.
- Over-the-counter and compounded mouthwashes for radiotherapy-induced xerostomia: a randomized controlled trial.Brazilian oral research · 2025Trial
- Best evidence for managing cutaneous immune-related adverse events in cancer: A summary from Chinese and English literature.Asia-Pacific journal of oncology nursing · 2026Review
- Article
- Evaluation of a 10% Urea Lotion for Xerosis: Clinical and Patient-Reported Outcomes From a Prospective Study.Journal of cosmetic dermatology · 2026Article
- Platelet-Rich Plasma Fibrin Glue Dressing Combined with a Novel Repairing Gel for Healing Recalcitrant Diabetic Foot Ulcers: Findings from an Exploratory Randomized Pilot Trial.Clinical, cosmetic and investigational dermatology · 2026Article
- Topical regimens for the management of uremic pruritus.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Review
- Beyond clinical closure: functional skin barrier recovery to prevent diabetic foot ulcer recurrence: a narrative review.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2026Review
- Review
- Skin penetration enhancers: Mechanistic understanding and their selection for formulation and design.Drug delivery and translational research · 2025Review
- Branched Hyaluronic Acid for Reduced Viscosity and Enhanced Moisturization.Materials (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- The dual roles of T cells and keratinocytes in seborrheic dermatitis: a narrative review.European journal of medical research · 2025Review
- Article
- Evaluation of the Interest in and Tolerance of a Topical Emollient in the Management of Canine Nasal Hyperkeratosis: An Open-Label, Prospective, Uncontrolled Pilot Study.Veterinary sciences · 2025Article
- A Multimodal Approach to Managing Severe Psoriasis Vulgaris: A Case Report Leveraging Natural Therapies for Flare Control.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Pilot study on photoacoustic imaging and confocal Raman spectroscopy-derived biomarkers for assessing structural and physiological skin changes in atopic dermatitis and metabolic diseases.Biomedical optics express · 2025Article
- Basic Emollients for Xerosis Cutis in Atopic Dermatitis: A Review of Clinical Studies.International journal of dermatology · 2025Review
- Characteristic of Virulence and Parameters of Mixed Biofilm Formed by Carbapenem-ResistantPathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Effect of Urea on Drug Extraction Efficiency in Reverse Iontophoresis.Pharmaceutics · 2025Article
- An epidermal serine sensing system for skin healthcare.Nature communications · 2025Article
- Effect of topical treatment with urea in ichthyosis, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, and other skin conditions-a systematic review.Annals of medicine and surgery (2012) · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Urea is a hygroscopic molecule (capable of absorbing water) present in the epidermis as a component of the natural moisturizing factor (NMF) and is essential for the adequate hydration and integrity of the stratum corneum. Urea improves skin barrier function including antimicrobial defense by regulating gene expression in keratinocytes relevant for their differentiation and antimicrobial peptide production. It also plays a fundamental role in regulating keratinocyte proliferation. One of the first uses of urea in modern medicine was the topical treatment of wounds due to its proteolytic and antibacterial properties. At present, urea is widely used in dermatology to improve skin barrier function and as one of the most common moisturizers and keratolytic agents. Urea-containing formulations are available in diverse formulations and concentrations. Multiple clinical trials on the use of urea-containing formulations have shown significant clinical improvement in many of the dermatosis presenting with scaly and dry skin such as atopic dermatitis, ichthyosis, xerosis, seborrheic dermatitis and psoriasis, among others. Furthermore, urea can increase skin penetration and optimize the action of topical drugs. Urea-based products are well tolerated; their side effects are mild and are more frequent at high concentration. Here, we present a review of the use of urea in dermatology, discussing its mechanism of action, safety profile and frequent indications.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.