Keith Joseph Stone

Hydration vs. skin permeability to nicotinates in man

Background/aims: Prolonged skin occlusion increases stratum corneum water content and often increases skin permeability and irritant dermatitis. As skin wetness from wearing diapers is considered an important factor favouring the onset of diaper dermatitis, optimal diapering might decrease skin hyperhydration and dermatitis. Our aim is to define the quantitative relationship between nicotinate ester (a model penetrant) skin permeability and hydration, as measured by water evaporation rate (WER), decay curves (at individual time points) and WER‐area under the curve (WER‐AUC); and also to determine the level of skin hydration and skin permeability to nicotinates following a diapering simulation.

Skin hydration analysis by experiment and computer simulations and its implications for diapered skin

Experimental work on skin hydration is technologically challenging, and mostly limited to observations where environmental conditions are constant. In some cases, like diapered baby skin, such work is practically unfeasible, yet it is important to understand potential effects of diapering on skin condition. To overcome this challenge, in part, we developed a computer simulation model of reversible transient skin hydration effects.