ArticleSkin pharmacology and physiology2026
Efficacy of Topical Emollients on Skin Biophysical Properties and Inflammatory Markers in Stasis Eczema.
Article in Skin pharmacology and physiology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionStasis eczema is a chronic inflammatory skin condition commonly associated with chronic venous insufficiency and represents a significant clinical burden. Emollients are widely used to improve skin hydration and barrier function; however, their effects on inflammation and skin remodeling in stasis eczema remain unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of a topical emollient on skin barrier integrity and systemic inflammatory markers in affected patients.
methodsFifty patients with stasis eczema were randomized to receive either a topical emollient or placebo for 6 weeks. Skin parameters, including melanin content, hydration, and transepidermal water loss, were assessed using Tewameter. Plasma levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α), anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10, and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs: MMP-1, MMP-2, MMP-3, and MMP-9) were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay at baseline and after treatment.
resultsBaseline clinical assessment demonstrated a high prevalence of comorbidities, particularly hypertension, chronic venous insufficiency, diabetes mellitus, and dyslipidemia. No statistically significant changes were observed in skin barrier parameters or circulating cytokine levels following 6 weeks of treatment. MMP-1 and MMP-2 concentrations remained stable in both groups. However, posttreatment MMP-3 levels were significantly higher in the emollient group than in the placebo group, while MMP-9 demonstrated a significant within-group change in the placebo group only.
conclusionShort-term use of a topical emollient may help maintain skin barrier function and systemic inflammatory status but does not appear to produce clinically meaningful improvements in most skin barriers or inflammatory parameters, despite isolated significant changes observed in specific MMP biomarkers in patients with chronic stasis eczema. These findings highlight the complexity of disease management in this population and suggest that longer treatment durations, larger sample sizes, consideration and statistical adjustment for baseline comorbidities are warranted in future studies.
Indexed as
Identifiers
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.