Effect of the application of an anionic detergent combined with FABRY's tincture and its components on human skin resident flora. Part 2: Dermofug solution combined with either salicylic acid tincture or phenol acid tincture.

Using the forehead skin test, we investigated the combined application of 10 v/v% Dermofug solution and 3 w/v% salicylic acid tincture or 1 v/v% phenol acid tincture. The former combination showed better antibacterial efficacy against the coagulase-negative staphylococci and Propionibacterium spp. in the stratum corneum/acroinfundibulum as well as in the infrainfundibulum of the sebaceous glands. No antibacterial efficacy could be determined against Propionibacterium spp. in the infrainfundibulum of the sebaceous glands after the combined application of Dermofug solution and 1 v/v% phenol acid tincture. In contrast, the combined application of Dermofug solution and 3 w/v% salicylic acid tincture led to a long-term reduction of the cfu-counts of Propionibacterium spp. in the infrainfundibulum of the sebaceous glands. The following conclusions can be drawn from our study and applied to external therapy: a detergent like Dermofug should be used instead of an alcohol to enhance the penetration of a drug into the infrainfundibulum of the sebaceous glands, since the former can block the growth of Propionibacterium spp. in the infrainfundibulum. Secondly, it should be kept in mind that the addition of salicylic acid to a topical antibiotic ointment does not only enhance the penetration of the antibiotic into the infrainfundibulum of the sebacous glands, but that the antibacterial effect of the salicylic acid itself may be the reason for the better clinical antibacterial efficacy of such combinations.