title: Irritant reactivity in males and females.
abstract: Repeated, daily, open sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) applications caused slight alterations in transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and dielectric water content (DEWC) in males and females. No erythema developed. Inter-individual variation in skin reactivity was demonstrated; sex-related patterns in reactivity to open cumulative irritant exposure did not exist. In patch testing with 0.5 and 1% SLS, reflecting acute irritation capacity, the reaction pattern, assessed by TEWL, DEWC, laser Doppler velocimetry (LDV) and visual scoring (VS), differed from that induced by open, cumulative SLS irritation. Again, inter-individual variation in the reactivity was demonstrated; significant sex-related differences did not develop. Individual reactivity showed considerable variation in acute and cumulative irritant response and was greater than the sex-related variation. We did not identify responses demonstrating that women have delicate (easily irritated) skin, nor that males have "tougher" skin than females.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001834:Body Water / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D004890:Erythema / Q000139:chemically induced; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007509:Irritants / Q000633:toxicity*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010328:Patch Tests; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000187:drug effects; D012212:Rheology; D012737:Sex Factors; D012867:Skin / Q000098:blood supply; D012967:Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate / Q000633:toxicity; D014870:Water Loss, Insensible / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D007509:Irritants; D012967:Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate