Supplementary Material for: Adjuvant Lip Gauze Wet Dressing Restores Lip Barrier Function and Improves Atopic Cheilitis

Eczematous cheilitis is a common issue in atopic dermatitis patients, and restoring the lip barrier function is crucial for effective management. Wet wrap dressing is frequently used as an adjuvant method to treat atopic dermatitis lesions, and a similar strategy can be applied to the treatment of atopic cheilitis. This study aimed to evaluate the short-term effects of saline gauze wet dressing on lip barrier function and to compare the clinical efficacy of gauze wet dressing as an adjuvant treatment for eczematous cheilitis. The study involved patients with eczematous cheilitis and healthy volunteers, assessing barrier function through transepidermal water loss, stratum corneum hydration, pH, and erythema values. Short-term changes were measured at 15, 30, and 60 minutes post-application, and a case-control design was used to compare the 7-day efficacy of gauze wet dressing as an adjuvant therapy to topical glucocorticoid and petroleum jelly. Results indicated that patients exhibited decreased lip barrier function, which improved significantly with gauze wet dressing, enhancing hydration and normalizing pH levels within 30 minutes. The adjuvant treatment also showed more significant clinical improvement at 7 days compared to the control group, with notable restoration of barrier function and improvement in fissure phenotype. Furthermore, the study demonstrated that the application of gauze wet dressing not only increased stratum corneum hydration and normalized pH levels but also significantly improved the clinical condition of eczematous cheilitis over the 7-day treatment period. This suggests that gauze wet dressing, as an adjunct to standard therapy, provides a convenient and cost-effective method for enhancing lip barrier function and managing eczematous cheilitis, leading to better therapeutic outcomes and patient satisfaction.