Evaluation of skin barrier-related parameters in 116 healthy children

Abstract

Objective To assess and compare physical and chemical properties of skin among different body areas of healthy children at different ages from Beijing.Methods A total of 116 healthy children were recruited from Beijing,China,and classified into four age groups.Tewameter TM300 was used to measure transepidermal water loss (TEWL) value,Corneometer CM825 to estimate stratum corneum hydration,and skinpH-Meter PH905 to determine skin surface pH,in the forehead,cheek and forearm.The Mexameter MX 18 probe to determine melanin index of the face.Analysis of variance was carried out to assess differences in these parameters among different measurement sites and age groups.Results TEWL value did not differ among different age groups or measurement sites (both P ＞ 0.05).The stratum corneum hydration value of forehead,cheek and forearm was 51.53 ± 15.70,39.88 ± 10.48 and 50.33 ± 17.54 respectively in the age group ＜ 1 year,49.95 ± 17.88,32.51 ± 12.09 and 36.10 ± 7.43 respectively in the age group 1-3 years,51.37 ± 10.60,31.65 ± 9.01 and 34.41 ± 8.21 respectively in the age group 4-6 years,49.74 ± 10.64,39.99 ± 50.43 and 29.35 ± 8.10respectively in the age group 7-12 years,with significant differences among different measurement sites (P ＜ 0.05) but not between different age groups (P ＞ 0.05).The cheek and forearm showed lower stratum corneum hydration value than the forehead.No statistical difference was observed in pH value at the same measurement sites between the age group ＜ 1 year (forehead 5.27 ± 0.60,cheek 6.12 ± 0.51 and forearm 5.48 ± 0.45),1-3years (forehead 4.68 ± 0.58,cheek 6.80 ± 0.55 and forearm 5.07 ± 0.58),4-6 years (forehead 4.58 ± 0.37,cheek 5.70 ± 0.48 and forearm 5.09 ± 0.49),and 7-12 years (forehead 4.87 ± 0.51,cheek 5.72 ± 0.49 and forearm 5.09 ± 0.51),but the cheek had significantly higher pH value than the forearm and forehead (both P ＜ 0.05).Melanin value on the face did not differ between different age groups (P ＞ 0.05).Conclusion Physical and chemical properties of skin vary with body sites in healthy children. Key words: Child; Beijing; Skin; Barrier