Transdermal drug delivery (TDDS) has been highly explored in the past couple of decades due to benefits such as increased patient compliance, improved drug release, tissue targeting, avoiding the presystemic metabolism in the liver etc. However, the stratum corneum poses as the rate limiting barrier to the permeation of drugs through the skin, which has been a continuous challenge in TDDS. This review covers the various types of nanoparticles and nanoemulsions that are currently being investigated for TDDS applications, desirable physical and chemical characteristics of these systems, their routes of penetration through the skin, and summarizes recent advances using these systems in treating conditions such as alopecia, wound healing, psoriasis, and melanoma. Additionally, synergistic effect of iontophoresis and mechanical force mediated drug delivery will be reviewed.
Keywords: Nanoparticles; Skin diseases; Transdermal drug delivery; Vesicular systems.
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