Jeong SK, Park HJ, Park BD, Kim I-H. Effectiveness of topical chia seed oil on pruritus of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients and healthy volunteers. Ann Dermatol. 2010;22(2):143-148.

Xerosis (dry skin) and pruritus (skin itch) are often seen in patients with diabetes or with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Subjective evaluation is generally used to measure the efficacy of treatment. Topical products are used to alleviate the symptoms of pruritus but usually without complete resolution. The oral consumption of fish oils, rich in n-3 fatty acids, is known to help relieve pruritus. Chia (Salvia hispanica) seed oil is rich in n-3 fatty acids, which possess anti-inflammatory properties. In this small, placebo-controlled study, the authors measured the effect of topical chia seed oil on pruritus and xerosis in both ESRD patients and healthy volunteers.

Eleven patients with diabetes or ESRD, who had been treated in the Department of Dermatology, Endocrinology, and Nephrology at Ansan Hospital at Korea University College of Medicine, were recruited, as well as 5 healthy volunteers with symptoms of xerotic pruritus. Six of the 11 patients with diabetes withdrew from the study for personal reasons, leaving 5 patients (3 with diabetes and 2 with ESRD) to complete the 8-week study. The 2 patients with ESRD were undergoing hemodialysis. The patients were all men, with a mean age of 49 years. The 5 healthy subjects with pruritus included 3 men and 2 women, with a mean age of 31.6 years.

The authors used topical chia seed oil containing moisturizers as an oil-in-water lotion formula with 4% chia seed oil. Moisturizers without chia seed oil were used as placebo samples.

The subjects (including the 5 patients with diabetes or ESRD and 5 healthy volunteers) were allowed to apply the moisturizers to either the left or right side of the body whenever needed, thoroughly rubbing them in. They applied placebo moisturizer to the other side of the body at the same time and in the same way.

The subjects completed a questionnaire and rated their pruritus symptoms every 2 weeks. Subjective evaluation of degree of satisfaction and improvement of skin dryness, pruritus, abrasion, lichen simplex chronicus, and prurigo nodularis were all scored on a 6-point scale. Also, functional measurements of skin conditions such as epidermal permeability barrier function (expressed by transepidermal water loss [TEWL]), skin hydration (expressed by skin capacitance), and skin surface pH were also performed every 2 weeks.

The authors report that the subjects with ESRD or diabetes reported an overall increase in subjective satisfaction at 2, 4, and 8 weeks of treatment; however, the data were not statistically significant.

In the same subjects, a statistically significant improvement in skin dryness was observed at 4 weeks after treatment and was maintained throughout the study (P<0.05). A statistically significant improvement of lichen simplex chronicus and prurigo nodularis was also observed (P<0.05). An improvement was reported for pruritus and abrasion; however, it was not statistically significant (P>0.05). In the subjects with ESRD, a significant alleviation in lichenified brownish patches on the foot and erythematous wheal-like eruptions on the leg was observed after 8 weeks of treatment.

The healthy subjects with xerotic pruritus symptoms reported a statistically significant increase in overall degree of satisfaction after 4 weeks of treatment (P<0.05), which continued throughout the study. The subjective assessment revealed improvements in all symptoms, though they were not statistically significant.

For the subjects with underlying disease, no significant changes in TEWL values were seen with either the chia seed oil or placebo. However, skin capacitance, which represents skin hydration, was below normal values before treatment and gradually increased during treatment in the skin treated with the chia seed oil containing moisturizer. After 8 weeks of chia seed oil treatment, a statistically significant improvement in skin capacitance was observed, compared with baseline (P<0.05). No significant changes in skin surface pH were observed during the treatment with either the chia seed oil or placebo.

In the healthy subjects, no significant changes were seen in TEWL, skin capacitance, or skin surface pH during the study.

The authors conclude that, "Topical chia seed oil is effective for pruritus and xerosis treatment and is also beneficial for skin moisturization in healthy volunteers with xerotic pruritus, as well as patients with chronic renal failure or diabetes." [Editor's Note: Because of the small sample size and lack of detail in the methods of reporting (i.e., method of treatment and placebo application and composition), additional studies are required before strong conclusions can be drawn.] Chia seed oil should be further investigated as an adjuvant therapy for chronic eczematous dermatitis such as atopic dermatitis with pruritus and xerosis.