TLDR Massage increases how deep both rigid and flexible liposomes can go into skin, with flexible ones going deeper, and covering the skin (occlusion) helps rigid ones more.
The 2014 study explored how massage and occlusion affect the penetration of rigid and flexible liposomes into hair follicles using ex vivo human skin from 6 subjects, with the experiments repeated three times. Massage significantly increased the penetration of both liposome types, with flexible liposomes showing deeper penetration than rigid ones. Specifically, massage increased the penetration depths from 93.2 ± 11.7 µm to 477.2 ± 61 µm for rigid liposomes, and from 137.3 ± 26.5 µm to 698.8 ± 90.7 µm for flexible liposomes. Occlusion improved penetration for rigid liposomes but not for flexible ones, and for hydrophilic agents, it slightly decreased penetration depth. The study concluded that massage is a key factor in enhancing follicular delivery of liposomes, while the benefits of occlusion depend on the liposomal formulation, with rigidity being a significant factor.
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