Studies on skin surface barrier functions. Transepidermal water loss and skin surface lipids during childhood.

Abstract

Since there are few reports dealing with the barrier efficiency of normal skin during childhood, in vivo experiments were carried out on 40 healthy Japanese children of both sexes aged between 3 to 12 years. Two important parameters for barrier properties : transepidermal water loss (TWL) value and the skin surface lipid value, were measured by the original methods devised during the course of our studies. Statistical analysis was employed to understand interrelations between those two parameters. The results revealed the following characteristic barrier properties of child skin surface. 1) Inverse correlations were found between TWL values and total lipid values in the forearm skin. Analogous correlations were also observed between TWL values and cholesterol values. However, there were no correlations between TWL values and squalene values. 2) The amount of cholesterol was significantly higher than the amount of squalene. 3) No statistical significance with respect to age, sex or weight of the children and the observed TWL, total lipid, squalene or cholesterol values was found in this study. 4) TWL measurements suggested that the barrier efficiency of the stratum corneum of child skin is nearly the same as that for adult skin as previously reported. 5) It was confirmed that the amount of total lipids or squalene is significantly smaller and the cholesterol amount slightly higher in children than in adults.