ABSTRACT
The skin protects the body from unwanted environmental effects. The stratum corneum (SC), only 10 to 30-mm thick, provides a barrier to the percutaneous penetration of drugs and macromolecules (1). Despite major research and development efforts in topical/transdermal systems and the advantages of these routes, low SC permeability remains a major limit for the usefulness of the topical approach (2,3). To increase permeability, chemical and physical approaches have been examined to decrease barrier properties. Physical approaches for skin penetration enhancement such as stripping (4-12), iontophoresis (13), and electroporation (13,14) have been evaluated. In addition, penetration enhancers and vesicle systems had been used to enhance permeability (15-17). Tape stripping is commonly used to disrupt the epidermal barrier to enhance the delivery of applied drug and biological macromolecules.
