Lipid Nanoparticles and Skin: Discoveries and Advances

Nowadays, skin is one of the organs most commonly affected by diseases (infections, inflammations, and injuries) due to exposure to the external environment. Although topical treatment represents the most suitable administration route, it is poorly effective due to the low permeability of the drug through the skin. Skin drug delivery by lipid nanocarriers (LNs) appears to be a suitable therapeutic strategy to overcome these issues, allowing it to reach a topical or systemic effect. Several LN-based products have been developed to enhance the permeation of bioactive compounds through the skin, obtaining interesting results in both pharmaceutical and cosmetic fields. Therefore, this review aims to analyze the scientific literature regarding the use of LNs to treat major skin diseases (psoriasis, wound healing, atopic dermatitis, and acne) and esthetic skin defects (wrinkles and cellulite). Furthermore, attention has been paid to the transdermal application of LNs (topical formulations, transdermal patches, and microneedles), being a new topic in recent years.