5 research outputs found
Review of methods used for quantifying excess water in over-hydrated skin using evaporimetry
No full textBackground: advances in diapers and skin barrier products are often aimed at reducing water penetration of the skin to prevent diaper dermatitis and evaporimetry has commonly been measured to quantify excess water in the skin. The aim of this study was to critically review the methods used to measure water vapour flux density (WVFD) using evaporimetry in order to identify a standardised methodology.Methods: we used MEDLINE (1980–2008) and hand searching to identify published papers that used evaporimetry to measure WVFD when the skin has been exposed to water/saline/urine. We compared the papers with respect to subjects, sites, methods of hydrating the skin, the conditions of logging, timing and analysing the evaporimetry data.Results: we identified 10 papers. Methods and techniques for measuring WVFD and analysing data varied considerably between studies and it was not possible to identify a standardised method. The main sources of error and variation are discussed.Conclusion: little work has been carried out to establish the optimum methods and techniques needed to minimise variation in measurements of WVFD using evaporimetery. There is a need to develop more robust, standardised methods and to demonstrate their reliability for further wor
The skin surface microenvironment. Aspects on biophysical conditions and microbiology
No full textThe influence of skin environmental factors has been investigated in five studies. In the first study, the microbial growth and rash development in diaper dermatitis were studied in order to evaluate a UVB radiation therapy in comparison with a combined antifungal-hydrocortisone cream. The effect of reducing skin environmental pH in experimentally induced Candida lesions was investigated in the second study. The effect of occlusion on vulvar skin temperature, humidity and surface pH, with and without the use of panty liners was investigated in study III and IV, with study IV also including measurements of the skin microflora. In the fifth study, string panties equipped with string panty liners were compared with regular panties with standard panty liners, to evaluate whether there was any difference in their impact on the vulvar skin microenvironment.Diaper dermatitis was susceptible to treatment with UVB therapy, the improvement effect in this study was comparable to the use of antifungal-hydrocortisone cream. Experimentally induced skin reactions caused by C. albicans, were significantly reduced when skin environmental pH was changed from 5.7 to 5.1 (study II). The results were not caused by reduced growth of C. albicans, but might be due to a pH dependence of the virulence of the yeast and/or a modulation of the host s defence capability. The results in study III indicated that vapour-impermeable panty liners increased vulvar temperature, humidity and pH, compared with the use of no liners. However, the use of vapour-permeable (breathable) panty liners kept the microclimate basically at an undisturbed level. Study IV showed that vulvar microclimate and microflora levels were significantly higher during use of a non-breathable panty liner, compared to the use of no liner. The use of a breathable and acidic panty liner resulted in a microclimate and microflora close to the situation without panty liner. However, the numbers of microorganisms were low for all three circumstances (with or without the use of both panty liners) implying no significant microbial risk. The differences in panty and panty liner design in study V (string vs normal), seem to have negligible impact on the vulvar skin microclimate, skin surface pH and microflora. No support was found for the fear that a string panty system would result in higher contamination of vulvar skin with anorectal microflora.It is concluded that changes in skin environmental pH and occlusion are important for changes in skin microflora. A well-balanced skin microenvironment, with respect to temperature, humidity and pH, could be a good preventive approach to avoid skin infections and irritations
The Hygienic Effectiveness of 2 Different Skin Cleansing Procedures
No full textThis study was designed to assess the ability of 2 skin cleaning procedures to remove transient microbial flora from the skin
The microenvironment of vulvar skin in women with symptomatic and asymptomatic herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV‐2) infection
No full textBACKGROUND: It is not known why some individuals infected with herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), experience frequent recurrences, while most of those infected have a completely silent infection. OBJECTIVE: We wanted to study if local factors in the skin could explain this difference. DESIGn 21 HSV-2 seropositive patients, 10 with history of >8 clinical recurrences a year (symptomatics) and 11 without symptoms of genital herpes (asymptomatics) were included. All had to answer a questionnaire. With standardised methods, the skin temperature, pH, and the skin barrier function, expressed as transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and skin capacitance, were measured on labium majus and perineum. Culture for bacteria was performed from the same regions. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: No significant differences in terms of pH and skin barrier function were registered between symptomatic and asymptomatic patients. Asymptomatic patients had a tendency (0.06) to a higher colonisation with lactobacilli on labium majus than symptomatic patients
