In vivo measurements of skin barrier: comparison of different methods and advantages of laser scanning microscopy

• Published in: Laser physics letters 2010-12, Vol.7 (12), p.843-852
• Main Authors: Patzelt, A., Sterry, W., Lademann, J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biological and medical applications; Biological and medical sciences; Exact sciences and technology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications); General aspects, investigation technics, apparatus; laser scanning microscopy; Metrological applications; Optics; Physics; skin barrier; stratum corneum; Tissues, organs and organisms biophysics
• ISSN: 1612-2011; 1612-202X
• DOI: 10.1002/lapl.201010071

A major function of the skin is to provide a protective barrier at the interface between external environment and the organism. For skin barrier measurement, a multiplicity of methods is available. As standard methods, the determination of the transepidermal water loss (TEWL) as well as the measurement of the stratum corneum hydration, are widely accepted, although they offer some obvious disadvantages such as increased interference liability. Recently, new optical and spectroscopic methods have been introduced to investigate skin barrier properties in vivo. Especially, laser scanning microscopy has been shown to represent an excellent tool to study skin barrier integrity in many areas of relevance such as cosmetology, occupation, diseased skin, and wound healing. (© 2010 by Astro Ltd., Published exclusively by WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA)