TREATMENT OF POSTCRYOSURGERY WOUNDS WITH A TROLAMINE/SODIUM ALGINATE TOPICAL EMULSION VERSUS STANDARD OF CARE

Background: Actinic keratoses are commonly treated with cryosurgery, often causing a wound that may blister and crust. Proper wound care aids in better healing and patient satisfaction. Objective: To evaluate the use of a topical trolamine/sodium alginate emulsion (TAE) cream for actinic keratosis treatment wounds in the clinical setting. Methods: Twenty subjects, 50 years of age or older, were enrolled in this investigator-blinded prospective study. Subjects were randomized to apply a topical TAE to wounds on 1 forearm and bacitracin/polymyxin B sulfate (BPB) (standard of care) to wounds on the other forearm. Medications were applied 3 times per day for 4 weeks to the areas treated with liquid nitrogen at baseline. Results: Both the treatment and control groups displayed significant decreases in severity from baseline to week 4 for erythema, thickness, and mean severity scores. However, severity of the TAE-treated group decreased at a faster rate as evidenced by mean combined erythema, scab, and thickness scores of 1.20 compared to 1.58 for the BPB-treated group at week 2 (P<.01). Conclusions: While wound treatment with both methods was effective and well tolerated, the trolamine emulsion helped postcryosurgery wounds heal somewhat more quickly. The utilization of nonantibiotic medication also may help curb the growing problem of bacterial resistance.