Nicotinamide in dermatology

Nicotinamide, also known as niacinamide or nicotinic acid amide, is the water-soluble, active form of vitamin B3. It has been increasingly studied for many different indications in the field of dermatology. Some studied attributes of niacinamide include the prevention of ultraviolet immunosuppression in both oral and topical formulations, anti-inflammatory properties, which may be used for bullous diseases, improvement of barrier function through decreasing transepidermal water loss and a number of cosmeceutical applications, such as improvement of dispigmentation and reduction in rhytids, as well as improvement in blotchiness and erythema. In this article, we review the literature on nicotinamide.