ABSTRACT
Inflammatory skin diseases are extremely common dermatological problems that present
in a variety of forms, from occasional rashes accompanied by skin itching and redness to
more chronic conditions such as atopic dermatitis, rosacea, seborrheic dermatitis, and
psoriasis. Combined, these conditions affect over 35 million Americans who annually
spend over $2 billion to treat their symptoms. This chapter will provide an overview of the
inflammation process, review current drug, over-the-counter (OTC), and cosmetic topical
treatments for several inflammatory diseases, discuss research approaches that can be used
to identify new anti-inflammatory compounds to treat various aspects of inflammation,
and finally, provide an overview of how topical formulations containing novel anti-
inflammatory compounds can be developed and characterized.
