Abstract
3D printing has been widely used for the personalization of therapies and on-demand production of complex pharmaceutical forms. Recently, 3D printing has been explored as a tool for the development of topical dosage forms and wound dressings. Thus, this review aims to present advances related to the use of 3D printing for the development of pharmaceutical and biomedical products for topical skin applications, covering plain dressing and products for the delivery of active ingredients to the skin. Based on the data acquired, the important growth in the number of publications over the last years confirms its interest. The semisolid extrusion technique has been the most reported one, probably because it allows the use of a broad range of polymers, creating the most diverse therapeutic approaches. 3D printing has been an excellent field for customizing dressings, according to individual needs. Studies discussed here imply the use of metals, nanoparticles, drugs, natural compounds and proteins and peptides for the treatment of wound healing, acne, pain relief, and anti-wrinkle, among others. The confluence of 3D printing and topical applications has undeniable advantages, and we would like to encourage the research groups to explore this field to improve the patient’s life quality, adherence and treatment efficacy.
Highlights
IntroductionSkin is the largest organ in the human body and plays an important role in emotional and physical welfare [1,2]
Published: 17 November 2021Skin is the largest organ in the human body and plays an important role in emotional and physical welfare [1,2]
The external dense layer was composed of PCL and a silk sericin electrospun membrane, acting as a protective skin barrier, whereas the internal layer was composed of 3D printed alginate and chitosan hydrogel to provide an ideal environment for cell proliferation and migration
Summary
Skin is the largest organ in the human body and plays an important role in emotional and physical welfare [1,2]. Topical products are a lot more complex, varying from simple solutions and creams to multiphase, nanotechnology and assisted technologies [4] In this scenario, 3D printing is a promising alternative to develop and produce biomedical and pharmaceutical. Pharmaceutics 2021, 13, 1946 products aiming at the treatment of skin disorders and skin injuries This technology allows the design and control of specific desired properties, porosity, pore size, roughness, functional groups, size, shape, swelling, degradability profile, drug loading and drug release profile [8,9,10]. Some disadvantages can be cited, as the use of cells relies on strict regulatory control [19,20] Despite all these skin applications, 3D printing for topically applied local drug delivery systems onto the skin and wound dressing without cells is still a modest but highly promising research field. Challenges and perspectives are discussed, followed by a brief conclusion
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