Atopic Dermatitis: inhibit inflammation and support repair by using Palmitoylethanolamide cream, an endogenous repair molecule
Since 2007 a number of international publications supported and documented the anti-eczema activity of the natural molecule palmitoylethanolamide. As alternatives for topical steroids are highly needed, PEA is a new kid on the block, with growing scientific support as a key molecule in pain and inflammation.
Treatment of atopic dermatitis for instance has always been a tremendous problem. Treatment with corticosteroids only inhibit the inflammation of the skin and do not bring the skin in balance. On the contrary. After weeks of treatment the skin loosis its elasticity and becomes old and wrinkled and easily bruised. That is not what you expect from a treatment. Now the treatment insights of doctors can shift from symptom control to balancing overactive inflammations as in atopic dermititis and repair of the skin barrier function.
Furthermore, with the availability of palmitpylethanolamide cream (PEA cream) the skin can also be extra protected by the reintegration of water in the skin via physiologic moisturizers, available in PEA cream.
Most important,y for the vehicle of the PEA cream is that it reduce transepidermal water loss, hand in hand with calming the inflammation via the active principle PEA.
Skin barrier defects and inlfammatory damage in atopic dermatitis include increased inflammatory parameters, such as TNF-alpha, increased stratum corneum chymotryptic enzyme, increased proteases and mast cell infoltration, decreased maturation of lamellar bodies, and decreased concentration of molecules such as filaggrin. Palmitamide MEA (PEA) is an important component of The PEA cream and it is an reparative fatty amide with anti-inflammatory and protective properties. It inhibits inflammation and reduces many of th said parameters in the atopic eczematous skin.
Some years ago dermatologists conducted a PEA study in which atopic patients applied PEA and a neurtral cream to their left wrist and forearm, and the neutral cream only to their right wrist and arm. After 2 weeks of treatment the difference was already clear. These results lead to a full scale big international study, including more than twthousands patients suffering from atopic eczema, aged 2-70,all treated with PEA cream. Itching, erythema, scaling, dryness, wrinkling and skin damages after treatment with PEA cream significantly improved or was eliminated, compared to the state without PEA cream.
For children it is important that itching was reduced, in this way PEA cream stops children suffering from eczema from itching and scratching, and the skin will get time to to heal. The skinreparative properties of PEA are quite significant and has been proven in a number of studies, also in pet animals suffering from skin diseases.
PEA naturally occuring protective molecule in our skin
Compounds such as PEA, the N-acylethanolamines are present in nearly all animal cells. The most abundant of this family of N-acylethanolamines is PEA. PEA can be found in significant concentrations in the skin is N-palmitoylethanolamine (PEA) [Lambert, 2002]. N-palmitoylphosphatidylethanolamine, the precursor phospholipid of PEA, is also present in high amounts in the stratum granulosum, an important part of the skin. PEA serves as an endogenous ligand of the so called PPAR-alpha receptor, which is expressed in human skin and has a key role in the control of all kinds of inflammatory responses. In this way PEA can influence the baalnce in the skin and can protect skincells against all kinds of stressors, for instance UV exposure in the skin and radiation induced skin damage, as well as topical eczema and other dermatological inflammations.
PEA cream protecting skin in uremic pruritis
More and more data emerge, supporting the efficacy of molecules such as PEA in skin disorders. Researchers at Poland University (Dept. of Dermatology) reported that topical application of PEA based cream reduced uremic pruritus. Dry skin on hemodialysis patients was completely eliminated after a three week period of twice daily applications of the cannabinoid cream. Itching was significantly reduced in eighty one percent of the subjects. Encouraging preliminary results.
References atopic eczema and treatment with PEA cream
Cannabinoids Heal Skin Disorders
http://medicalmarijuana.com/medical-marijuana-treatments/Eczema
Kircik L. A nonsteroidal lamellar matrix cream containing palmitoylethanolamide for the treatment of atopic dermatitis. J Drugs Dermatol. 2010 Apr;9(4):334-8.
Phan NQ, Siepmann D, Gralow I, Ständer S. Adjuvant topical therapy with a cannabinoid receptor agonist in facial postherpetic neuralgia. J Dtsch Dermatol Ges. 2010 Feb;8(2):88-91. doi: 10.1111/j.1610-0387.2009.07213.x. Epub 2009 Sep 10. English, German.
Eberlein B, Eicke C, Reinhardt HW, Ring J. Adjuvant treatment of atopic eczema: assessment of an emollient containing N-palmitoylethanolamine (ATOPA study). J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2008 Jan;22(1):73-82. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-3083.2007.02351.x.
Kemeny L, Koreck A, Kis K, Kenderessy-Szabo A, Bodai L, Cimpean A, Paunescu V, Raica M, Ghyczy M. Endogenous phospholipid metabolite containing topical product inhibits ultraviolet light-induced inflammation and DNA damage in human skin. Skin Pharmacol Physiol. 2007;20(3):155-61. Epub 2007 Jan 17.
Ständer S, Reinhardt HW, Luger TA. [Topical cannabinoid agonists. An effective new possibility for treating chronic pruritus]. Hautarzt. 2006 Sep;57(9):801-7. German.
Szepietowski JC, Szepietowski T, Reich A. Efficacy and tolerance of the cream containing structured physiological lipids with endocannabinoids in the treatment of uremic pruritus: a preliminary study. Acta Dermatovenerol Croat. 2005;13(2):97-103.
Garcia BD, Goldman MP, Gold MH. Comparison of pre- and/or postphotodynamic therapy and intense pulsed light treatment protocols for the reduction of postprocedure-associated symptoms and enhancement of therapeutic efficacy. J Drugs Dermatol. 2007 Sep;6(9):924-8.
Abramo F, Campora L, Albanese F, della Valle MF, Cristino L, Petrosino S, Di Marzo V, Miragliotta V. Increased levels of palmitoylethanolamide and other bioactive lipid mediators and enhanced local mast cell proliferation in canine atopic dermatitis. BMC Vet Res. 2014 Jan 14;10:21. doi: 10.1186/1746-6148-10-21.
Abramovits W, Perlmutter A. Steroids versus other immune modulators in the management of allergic dermatoses. Curr Opin Allergy Clin Immunol. 2006 Oct;6(5):345-54. Review.
Lambert DM, Vandevoorde S, Jonsson KO, Fowler CJ: The palmitoylethanolamide fam- ily: a new class of anti-inflammatory agents? Curr Med Chem 2002;9:663–674.
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