Compounding Pearls -- Wound Care: Drugs and Formulations for Dermal Healing

Healthy human skin performs a constellation of functions essential to good health, and the consequences of disruption to that effective external defense system have been recognized since antiquity. The earliest treatments for dermal injuries and diseases were compounded: They were prepared for each patient and could be modified to address progressive phases of healing. The benefits of that therapeutic approach continue today, made immeasurably more effective by modern pharmaceutical compounding. In this article, which is the first of several in a series that presents healing-drug profiles, various agents that can be compounded to enable dermal healing are described. Those drugs are not commercially available in the most safe and effective combinations at the time of this writing, but a skilled compounding pharmacist can incorporate compatible agents in preparations designed to ensure best outcomes. Formulations that promote dermal healing are provided for easy reference.