Patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) have skin barrier impairment in both lesional and nonlesional skin. They are typically exposed daily to emollients and intermittently to topical anti-inflammatory medicaments, thereby increasing the risk of developing contact allergy and systemic exposure to chemical ingredients found in these topical preparations. We systematically searched for studies that investigated skin absorption of various penetrants, including medicaments, in patients with AD, but also in animals with experimentally-induced dermatitis. We identified 40 articles: 11 human studies examining model penetrants, 26 human studies examining AD drugs, and three animal studies. We conclude that patients with AD have almost twofold increased skin absorption compared with healthy controls. There is a need for well-designed epidemiological and dermatopharmacokinetic studies that examine to what extent AD causes patients to be systemically exposed to chemicals compared with nonatopic dermatitis.
© 2017 British Association of Dermatologists.