In vivo barrier challenge and initial recovery in human facial skin.
BACKGROUND
Many in vivo biophysical studies focus on parts of the body which are generally less exposed to the environment compared with facial skin. This study characterizes in vivo changes in the barrier function of cheek stratum corneum (SC) during controlled conditions of damage.


OBJECTIVE
The objective was to investigate structural and compositional changes in cheek SC in vivo using tape stripping and Attenuated Total Reflectance Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy.


METHODS
In vivo ATR-FTIR spectra of the cheek were collected before and after tape stripping. Trans epidermal water loss (TEWL) measurements from the same site were conducted before and after stripping. Data were also collected 24 h after the last tape strip to investigate any initial recovery process.


RESULTS
Sequential tape stripping of the cheek progressively increases TEWL to twice baseline values but some barrier recovery is evident 24 h later. ATR-FTIR spectra show increasing water content within the SC with each tape strip with concomitant increase in lipid conformational order.


CONCLUSIONS
Several structural and compositional parameters have been analyzed for cheek SC and these have been correlated with barrier function. The depth dependent changes in face SC map those in body skin but over a much shorter distance.
The School of Pharmacy, University of London, Brunswick Square, London, WC1N 1AX, UK.
Mihaela
M
Gorcea
Jonathan
J
Hadgraft
David J
DJ
Moore
Majella E
ME
Lane
D000328:Adult; D001834:Body Water / Q000378:metabolism; D002610:Cheek; D004817:Epidermis / Q000293:injuries* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D005145:Face; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008055:Lipids / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008954:Models, Biological; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000502:physiology*; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D053832:Surgical Tape / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014870:Water Loss, Insensible / Q000502:physiology*
D008055:Lipids