Experimentally induced steroid atrophy in the domestic pig and man.

A histological method of ranking topical steroid preparations according to the degree of epidermal thinning they cause in pig skin has been shown to be applicable to human skin. A 0-05% ointment of the new compound, clobetasone butyrate (Molivate), has been shown to cause less thinning than either fluocinolone acetonide 0-025% (Synalar) or flurandrenolone 0-0125% (Haelan) when applied without the use of occlusive dressings for 3 weeks to the human forearm.