A new study had found that a naturally occurring body fat lipid can help dampen the multiplication of psoratic skin cells when applied directly to the skin.
BY Amy Anderson 4 July, 2007
The study, carried out at the Medical College of Georgia in the US and published in June in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, found that by applying a certain type of lipid that forms naturally in health skin, it helped skin that was affected by psoriasis to start producing naturally occurring moisturising and skin barrier protection chemicals (namely phosphatidylglycerol). It is a dysfunction in producing these skin chemicals that is the underlying cause of psoriasis but scientists who carried out the research believe that applying fat lipids to psoriasis prone skin provides the missing link in the production chain.
The researchers are now carrying out further research using a topical preparation containing synthetic phosphatidylglycerols. However Glycerol, a precursor of phosphatidylglycerol, also is already used in many skin care products because it's long been known to help skin retain moisture. Now researchers are suggesting that it could also has an additional role as a precursor for an important lipid signal in the skin for psoriasis sufferers.
