TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - Cosmeceuticals and Topical Agents A1 - Draelos, Zoe Diana A2 - Avram, Marc R. A2 - Avram, Mathew M. A2 - Ratner, Désirée Y1 - 2015 N1 - T2 - Procedural Dermatology AB - Topical agents are important in procedural dermatology. They can prevent infection, improve the skin barrier, minimize pain, create an environment for wound healing, decrease scarring, and enhance skin appearance. The most basic of topical agents important for skin health are cleansers designed to maintain a healthy biofilm key to the prevention of wound infection. A specialized subset of cleansers are hand sanitizers used by physicians and patients alike, as the most accessible source of pathogens for wound infection is the hands. Moisturizers are sometimes required due to the overly aggressive effects of cleansers and are useful in improving postprocedural skin appearance and creating an environment for barrier repair and healing. Many scar creams are specialized moisturizers with an important subset considered as FDA 510(k) cleared prescription products. Some contain interesting new ingredients, such as stem cell extracts and peptides, engineered to promote healing with market crossover into the anti-aging market. This chapter discusses these technologies and their relevance to procedural dermatology. SN - PB - McGraw-Hill Education CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2024/03/29 UR - dermatology.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1175094720 ER -