title: Physiological skin surface water loss dynamics of human vulvar and forearm skin.
abstract: In order to estimate the influence of occlusion and sweating on forearm and vulvar skin surface water loss (SSWL), both were measured simultaneously and continuously for 30 min in 8 healthy women. Vulvar SSWL decreased significantly during the measuring period from 24.9 +/- 5.2 gm-2 h-1 (mean +/- standard error of the mean) in the first 5 min, to 13.4 +/- 1.7 gm-2 h-1 in the last 5 min (p less than 0.05), whereas no significant changes were observed in forearm SSWL. The vulvar SSWL decay curve followed a logarithmic equation of the form y = a*tb. Irregular SSWL increases ('bursts') were observed in vulvar (but not in forearm) skin of 7 out of 8 women. These SSWL bursts were considered to be caused by sweating. The study shows possible causes of systematic errors in vulvar irritation studies. Methods for error reduction are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco 94143-0989.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Elsner
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wilhelm
authors.forename: H I
authors.initials: HI
authors.lastname: Maibach
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005542:Forearm; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D012879:Skin Physiological Phenomena; D013546:Sweating / Q000502:physiology; D013997:Time Factors; D014844:Vulva; D014870:Water Loss, Insensible / Q000502:physiology*