705 A study about the importance of constant temperature and humidity system in analyzing skin barrier function

Abstract

Background: Measurement of skin barrier function is easily affected by external environment such as temperature and humidity, especially in Korea where there are distinct four seasons. Objectives: This study was conducted to analyze the variation in measurement of skin barrier function with or without thermohygrostat conditioning in each season. Methods: The study voluntarily enrolled 10 healthy females whose age range from 28 to 34. Each subject was put into a room with a thermohygrostat facility. Transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and stratum corneum hydration (SCH) were measured before (uncontrolled value) and after operation of a thermohygrostat facility for 20 minutes (controlled value) in the middle of each season. Results: The measurements under controlled condition (TEWL 3.20±1.97, SCH 13.10±9.26) showed less variation compared with those under uncontrolled condition (TEWL 3.95±2.03, SCH 13.35±10.30), but there was no statistical significance (p>0.05). The difference between two conditions was statistically significant only in summer (TEWL p=0.009, SCH p=0.002). Conclusion: Although the study did not show statistical significance, the thermohygrostat could preserve skin barrier function from the external environment to some extent. Thus, it is regarded that a room equipped with a thermohygrostat could help measure more exact skin barrier function to exclude the influence of surrounding environment, especially in summer season.