Cancer is an uncontrolled growth of body cells. Skin cancer, the most common human malignancy, is classified into non-melanoma and melanoma skin cancers. In recent years, incidence of skin cancer is increasing throughout the world. The top most layer of the skin is epidermis that presents a principle barrier to topically applied medicines for the treatment of skin cancer. To overcome the limitations like poor penetration, low solubility and side effects associated with the use of cytotoxic agents, nanocarrier based approaches are gaining popularity in the pharmaceutical field. Liposomes and nanoparticles are representatives of their own classes of nanocarriers. Encapsulation of cytotoxic drugs within nanocarriers enhances the therapeutic index of the drug and improves the concentration to be delivered to the tumor site. Targeting principles can be applied on these nanocarriers by surface modification. In this comprehensive review, the recent advancements made in the development of nanocarrier-based chemotherapeutics for use in skin cancer therapy are discussed.
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