title: Combining tape stripping and non-invasive reflectance confocal microscopy : an in vivo model to study skin damage.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Evaluation of (immuno)histological and cell biological changes in damaged skin requires often an invasive skin biopsy, making in vivo models inappropriate to study skin damage. Reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) might overcome this limitation. Therefore, we evaluated the use of a tape-stripping model in combination with RCM to provide morphological data on skin damage and recovery.
  
  
  METHODS
  In 25 volunteers, a tape-stripping stimulus was applied. The skin was imaged with RCM during 1 week and 3 mm punch biopsies were obtained.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Strong correlations between epidermal thickness determined by RCM and conventional histological measurements were found. RCM thickness measurements correlated well with epidermal proliferation. The 10× or 15× repeated tape-stripping resulted in skin damage similar to acute stripping. Mild repeated tape-stripping showed no skin damage.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Overall, we demonstrated that non-invasive RCM in combination with tape-stripping could be used as model to obtain morphological and cell biological data on skin-material interactions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Peppelman
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: W A J
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: van den Eijnde
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Jaspers
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: M-J P
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Gerritsen
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: P E J
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: van Erp
mesh_terms: D001706:Biopsy / Q000379:methods; D046169:Dermoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012867:Skin / Q000293:injuries* / Q000473:pathology*; D013048:Specimen Handling / Q000379:methods*; D053832:Surgical Tape; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: epidermal proliferation and thickness; immunohistochemistry; in vivo models; reflectance confocal microscopy; skin damage; tape stripping