3D-Printed Products for Topical Skin Applications: From Personalized Dressings to Drug Delivery

Abstract

3D printing has been widely used for the personalization of therapies and on-demand production of complex pharmaceutical forms. Recently, 3D printing has been explored as a tool for the development of topical dosage forms and wound dressings. Thus, this review aims to present advances related to the use of 3D printing for the development of pharmaceutical and biomedical products for topical skin applications, covering plain dressing and products for the delivery of active ingredients to the skin. Based on the data acquired, the important growth in the number of publications over the last years confirms its interest. The semisolid extrusion technique has been the most reported one, probably because it allows the use of a broad range of polymers, creating the most diverse therapeutic approaches. 3D printing has been an excellent field for customizing dressings, according to individual needs. Studies discussed here imply the use of metals, nanoparticles, drugs, natural compounds and proteins and peptides for the treatment of wound healing, acne, pain relief, and anti-wrinkle, among others. The confluence of 3D printing and topical applications has undeniable advantages, and we would like to encourage the research groups to explore this field to improve the patient's life quality, adherence and treatment efficacy.

Keywords: 3D-printing; FDM; additive manufacturing; film; patch; skin disorders; wound dressing.

Figure 1

Skin layers and drug delivery routes for systemic and local action.

Figure 2

Extrusion based techniques, fused deposition modeling (FDM) (left) and semisolid extrusion (SSE) mechanisms (right).

Figure 3

Main characteristics of the studies included in this review: (A) number of publications per year using 3D printing for topical skin applications; (B) number of records of the most employed 3D printing techniques; (C) number of records of the most employed materials; DLP, digital light processing; EHD, electrohydrodynamic jet; FDM, fused deposition modeling; GelMA, gelatin-methacryloyl; N/D, not clearly defined (according to the description described by the authors, it was not possible to categorize it in this review); PCL, polycaprolactone; SSE, semisolid extrusion.

Figure 4

Main applications and advantages of 3D printing for topical skin products.

Figure 5

3D printed products (left side of the circle) and types of active ingredients (right side of the circle) previously proposed for topical skin applications.