Bill, you had once told me that Isopropyl myristate would actually be a detriment if included in Androsol for various reasons but I noticed that it is an ingredient in the prescription Androgel. Would you know the reasons for this? From what I understand, the 4-AD and T molecules are approx. the same size so that might not be the reason, but I know nothing about biology or chemistry.
I don’t think the manufacturer has revealed
why they use IPM, but the reason that makes
sense is, as with use in many cosmetics, it
is a moisturizing agent. A hydroalcoholic
gel that is applied heavily, like Androgel,
is quite drying to the skin and this is
unpleasant or sometimes even a serious problem. So you want a moisturizing agent.
It’s unlikely that they are using it for
penetration enhancement because:
- It takes IPM
quite some time, about a day to really take
effect as a penetration enhancer (there’s no “light-switch” effect so there’s no exact time,
just a gradual very slow increase). That would
not be appropriate for Androgel.
2)The way IPM increases skin permeability, when
it does (which requires a lot of IPM and a lot
of time) is by drawing out skin lipids. This
is irritating and damaging to the skin and
would not be desired if at all avoidable.
- The amount delivered by Androgel is completely in line with what you’d expect given
zero penetration enhancement from IPM.
So, my opinion is that it is used to counteract the drying effect of the hydroalcoholic gel.