title: Heavy Cigarette Smokers in a Chinese Population Display a Compromised Permeability Barrier.
abstract: Cigarette smoking is associated with various cutaneous disorders with defective permeability. Yet, whether cigarette smoking influences epidermal permeability barrier function is largely unknown. Here, we measured skin biophysical properties, including permeability barrier homeostasis, stratum corneum (SC) integrity, SC hydration, skin surface pH, and skin melanin/erythema index, in cigarette smokers. A total of 99 male volunteers were enrolled in this study. Smokers were categorized as light-to-moderate (<20 cigarettes/day) or heavy smokers (≥20 cigarettes/day). An MPA5 was used to measure SC hydration and skin melanin/erythema index on the dorsal hand, forehead, and cheek. Basal transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and barrier recovery rates were assessed on the forearm. A Skin-pH-Meter pH900 was used to measure skin surface pH. Our results showed that heavy cigarette smokers exhibited delayed barrier recovery after acute abrogation (1.02% ± 13.06 versus 16.48% ± 6.07), and barrier recovery rates correlated negatively with the number of daily cigarettes consumption (p = 0.0087). Changes in biophysical parameters in cigarette smokers varied with body sites. In conclusion, heavy cigarette smokers display compromised permeability barrier homeostasis, which could contribute, in part, to the increased prevalence of certain cutaneous disorders characterized by defective permeability. Thus, improving epidermal permeability barrier should be considered for heavy cigarette smokers.
authors.affiliation: Dalian Skin Disease Hospital, Dalian, Liaoning 116021, China.
authors.forename: Shujun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Xin
authors.affiliation: Dalian Skin Disease Hospital, Dalian, Liaoning 116021, China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.affiliation: Dermatology Services, San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center and University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94121, USA.
authors.forename: George
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-8964-0415
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Man
authors.affiliation: Dalian Skin Disease Hospital, Dalian, Liaoning 116021, China.
authors.forename: Chengzhi
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lv
authors.affiliation: Dermatology Services, San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center and University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94121, USA.
authors.forename: Peter M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Elias
authors.affiliation: Dermatology Services, San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center and University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94121, USA.
authors.forename: Mao-Qiang
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-0957-4903
authors.initials: MQ
authors.lastname: Man
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002463:Cell Membrane Permeability / Q000187:drug effects*; D004817:Epidermis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012867:Skin / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D013499:Surface Properties