The differences in how atopic dermatitis (AD) presents and progresses in patients with Skin of Color (SOC) compared to their white counterparts are well documented. In this study, we assessed how effectively a new imaging device (SkinCam) measures skin texture changes in patients of diverse backgrounds with AD or xerosis, after following a prebiotic skincare routine for 10 weeks.

We enrolled 39 participants, aged 3 to 76 years, from various racial and ethnic backgrounds, all with Fitzpatrick skin phototypes I to VI, who exhibited mild AD and moderate to severe xerosis. Each participant began the study by using a prebiotic cleanser alone for 2 weeks, followed by an additional 8 weeks using a prebiotic moisturizer alongside the cleanser. Using SkinCam, we captured standardized images of the participants’ legs at various time points (baseline, week 2, and week 10) for analysis of skin texture parameters.

Our findings indicate that the prebiotic skincare routine significantly enhances both skin texture irregularity and color patterns over time in patients with AD (n=12) and xerosis (n=24). Notably, image analyses revealed that patients with xerosis and AD SOC (n=18, Fitzpatrick IV-VI) showed more pronounced improvements over time. Furthermore, the skin texture evaluations conducted through SkinCam imaging were consistent with clinical assessments, demonstrating significant improvements in all participants by week 10 due to the prebiotic skincare regimen.

In conclusion, our study highlights the effectiveness of the SkinCam imaging device in tracking skin texture changes in patients with both lightly and darkly pigmented skin suffering from AD and xerosis.