An Insight of Microsponges for Acne Treatment

Abstract

Dermatological disorders have a significant psychosocial impact, impairing the patient's life significantly. Topical therapy is crucial in the treatment of such disorders. Overmedication and under medication are common outcomes of traditional topical delivery systems, resulting in adverse effects and a reduction in therapeutic efficacy. As a result, researchers have been working to develop alternative delivery systems for dermatological applications. Microsponges have emerged as an appealing option for topical delivery over the last decade. Their unique particle size provides additional benefits, making them superior to modern microcarriers. Microsponges are uniform, spherical, porous polymeric microspheres with a plethora of interconnected voids ranging in particle size from 5-300 µm. These microsponges can entrap a wide range of active ingredients, such as emollients, fragrances, essential oils, sunscreens, anti-infectives, and so on, and then release them onto the skin over time in response to a trigger. Despite their microscopic size, these systems are too large to pass through the stratum corneum, preventing excessive drug accumulation within the epidermis and dermis and thus systemic drug entry.