PainRelief.com Interview with:
Markéta SAINT AROMAN, MD
Medical Director in Pierre Fabre Group.

PainRelief.com:  What is the background for this study?  What are the main findings?

Response: Patients with inflammatory skin diseases frequently experience cutaneous pain as a symptom of their disease and may also experience burning and stinging sensations.

Signs and symptoms of inflammation are also experienced by patients who have undergone therapeutic and aesthetic skin resurfacing procedures (such as laser treatment, chemical peels and photodynamic therapy).

Diseases such as eczema (atopic dermatitis (AD), hand eczema) and psoriasis and dermatological procedures are all associated with disruption to the skin barrier which can expose cutaneous nerve endings, which are responsible for transmitting sensory information including itch and pain and increase sensitivity to environmental irritants. Heat sensations and oedema associated with inflammation also activate pain receptors. The impulse to scratch, which is a feature of AD and psoriasis and also occurs during the healing process following dermatological procedures, is a cause of cutaneous pain. At a molecular level, inflammation is characterized by the release of prostaglandins, cytokines, chemokines, proteases, neuropeptides, and growth factors, which are known to act directly on peripheral pain-sensing neurons.

The efficacy of the spray used in the study may be explained by the inclusion of two plant extracts demonstrated to have anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory and antalgic activities.
The oat plantlet extract contains immumomodulatory saponins and anti-inflammatory flavonoids which inhibit the production of inflammatory mediators and stimulate keratinocyte proliferation and skin barrier repair. 

The extract of Uncaria tomentosa contains active compounds targeting peripheral pain sensation pathways.