Moisturizers are effective in the treatment of xerosis irrespectively from their particular formulation: results from a prospective, randomized, double-blind controlled trial.

Background Many companies claim that their moisturizers are superior to others based on their ingredients. Objective To compare the efficacy and safety of the most popular moisturizers in the field. Methods A randomized, double-blind, controlled study was performed on 80 patients with moderate to severe xerosis. The test agents included the newly developed cream containing topical recombinant human epidermal growth factor (EGF), its vehicle without EGF and four additional therapeutic moisturizers. The study subjects applied the test agents on designated skin areas twice daily for 4 weeks. All of the clinical assessments and non-invasive objective measurements were performed at baseline, and on days 14 and 28 of the study. Results All of the test agents significantly improved the clinical symptoms of xerosis. The biophysical parameters similarly improved from baseline (P < 0.05). None of the test agents performed significantly better than did another. Conclusion In the treatment of xerosis, consistent and regular moisturizer use is much more important than the moisturizer's particular formulation.