Compositions and methods for treating certain skin conditions

A method for the treatment of a diseased condition of the skin of a mammal, which condition involves skin mast cells and/or delayed cellular hypersensitivity reactions, which method comprises applying to the affected areas of the skin an effective amount of a composition comprising as active ingredient about 0.01 to 10% by weight of a compound of formula I, ##STR4## in which R.sub.1 represents hydrogen, hydroxy or --NR.sub.5 R.sub.6, in which R.sub.5 and R.sub.6, which may the same or different, each represents hydrogen or alkyl C 1 to 6,

• an adjacent pair of R.sub.2, R.sub.3 and R.sub.4 form a --(CH.sub.2).sub.4 --chain and the remaining substituent R.sub.2 or R.sub.4 represents alkyl C1 to 9,
• E represents a 5-(1H)tetrazolyl- or a --COOH group, and
• X represents oxygen or a group --NR.sub.7 --in which R.sub.7 may be hydrogen or alkyl C 1 to 6,
• or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt, or, when E is a --COOH group, a lower alkyl ester thereof, an ester thereof derived from a di-lower alkyl amino substituted alkanol, a lower acyloxy-lower alkyl ester thereof or a bisester thereof derived from a di(hydroxy-lower alkyl)ether, or an unsubstituted or a mono- or di- C 1 to 6 alkyl amide thereof, together with a mixture of a solvent for the active ingredient and a non-solvent for the active ingredient, the solvent and the non-solvent being miscible in the relevant proportions and the proportion of the non-solvent being such that the active ingredient forms a substantially saturated solution in the mixture.