MEASUREMENT OF INTRA-CORNEAL COHESION IN MAN USING INVIVO TECHNIQUES

[摘要] Measurement of intracorneal cohesion in vivo should provide quantitative information concerning the process of desquamation. Techniques (3) were employed to measure internal binding forces within the stratum corneum in vivo. The 1st technique, cohesography, directly measured the force required to remove stratum corneum of partial thickness from a known area of skin. Sex and site differences were detected using this method. A 2nd technique employed a surfometer to measure surface contours of the internal face of skin surface biopsies. Quantitative assessment of surfometer tracings reflected internal structure of stratum corneum and its cohesive property. Positive correlations were found using these 2 techniques on forearms of 16 normal subjects. A scrub technique was used which could deliver a controllable and measurable stimulus to the skin surface to release corneocytes. Counting the number of corneocytes released provided a further measure of internal cohesion of the stratum corneum, but the results did not correlate with the other 2 techniques. Use of all 3 techniques might provide a profile of the cohesive property of the stratum corneum.