Lipid vesicles for (trans)dermal administration

Transdermal administration can solve the biopharmaceutical issues of several drugs, thereby improving patient compliance. Nevertheless, overcoming the skin barrier is not an easy task. In the past years, high expectations for nanotechnologies have been raised. In particular liposomes have been the most investigated carriers because of the composition that resembles that of the extracellular environment of the stratum corneum. This chapter provides a brief description of the skin architecture and the main limits of transdermal drug delivery. Then the use and the potentialities of all classes of lipid vesicles developed as carriers for cutaneous application are discussed. Finally the main clinical outcomes of the studies on these nanocarriers are reviewed focusing on the products that really reached the pharmaceutical market.