Anti-irritants agents for the treatment of irritant contact dermatitis: clinical and patent perspective.

This overview defines whether anti-irritant agents, in fact, inhibit, prevent or treat irritant contact dermatitis (ICD) in man. We performed a literature search using PubMed, EMBASE, and Scopus via the library at University of California San Francisco, and a hand search of relevant text books to investigate chemicals that can be considered anti-irritants in either prevention or treatment. Emphasis was placed on data that included quantitative and qualitative results and that followed evidence-based dermatological guidelines. Related patents were summarized. Conflicting observations summarized here suggest well controlled, but often arduous, field type studies are required for confirmation.