The identification of biophysical parameters which reflect skin status following mechanical and chemical insults
The identification of biophysical parameters which reflect skin status following mechanical and chemical insults
Background : Skin is constantly exposed to mechanical and chemical insults, in the form of prolonged loading, overhydration or exposure to irritants. An array of non-invasive biophysical tools has been adopted to monitor the changes in skin response. The present study aims to identify a set of robust parameters sensitive to mechanical and chemical challenges to skin integrity.
Materials and methods: Eleven healthy participants were recruited to evaluate the skin response following mechanical loading, tape-stripping, overhydration and chemical irritation. Forearm skin responses were recorded at baseline and at three time points following the insult. Measurements included transepidermal water loss, sub-epidermal moisture, erythema and laser Doppler imaging. Thresholds were informed by basal values and the sensitivity of parameters to detect skin changes was evaluated.
Results: High degree of variability in skin response was observed with selected biophysical parameters, such as sub-epidermal moisture, laser Doppler imaging and erythema, even in the absence of an applied insult. Temporal skin response revealed distinct response profiles during each evoked insult. Indeed, the sensitivity of the biophysical parameters was influenced by the threshold values and time point of measurement. Some statistically significant correlations were determined between the biophysical parameters.
Conclusion: The study revealed that thresholds derived from single biophysical parameters were limited in detecting skin changes following insults. A complementary evaluation using combined parameters has the potential to provide a more sensitive assessment. Further research is required to identify robust biophysical parameters, to aid the early detection of skin damage in clinical settings.
biophysical parameters, chemical irritation, mechanical loading, overhydration, pressure ulcers, sensitivity analysis, skin response
366-375
Jayabal, Hemalatha
8f2b053c-b614-4af2-b332-8ee861ab75f6
Bates-Jensen, Barbara
2aa24fb1-18b7-43c4-943d-0075ede8d5ba
Abiakam, Nkemjika
26818cc2-758e-4fa2-b1c3-8fef0ae82c4a
Worsley, Peter
6d33aee3-ef43-468d-aef6-86d190de6756
Bader, Daniel L.
9884d4f6-2607-4d48-bf0c-62bdcc0d1dbf
July 2021
Jayabal, Hemalatha
8f2b053c-b614-4af2-b332-8ee861ab75f6
Bates-Jensen, Barbara
2aa24fb1-18b7-43c4-943d-0075ede8d5ba
Abiakam, Nkemjika
26818cc2-758e-4fa2-b1c3-8fef0ae82c4a
Worsley, Peter
6d33aee3-ef43-468d-aef6-86d190de6756
Bader, Daniel L.
9884d4f6-2607-4d48-bf0c-62bdcc0d1dbf
Jayabal, Hemalatha, Bates-Jensen, Barbara, Abiakam, Nkemjika, Worsley, Peter and Bader, Daniel L.
(2021)
The identification of biophysical parameters which reflect skin status following mechanical and chemical insults.
Clinical Physiology and Functional Imaging, 41 (4), .
(doi:10.1111/cpf.12707).
Abstract
Background : Skin is constantly exposed to mechanical and chemical insults, in the form of prolonged loading, overhydration or exposure to irritants. An array of non-invasive biophysical tools has been adopted to monitor the changes in skin response. The present study aims to identify a set of robust parameters sensitive to mechanical and chemical challenges to skin integrity.
Materials and methods: Eleven healthy participants were recruited to evaluate the skin response following mechanical loading, tape-stripping, overhydration and chemical irritation. Forearm skin responses were recorded at baseline and at three time points following the insult. Measurements included transepidermal water loss, sub-epidermal moisture, erythema and laser Doppler imaging. Thresholds were informed by basal values and the sensitivity of parameters to detect skin changes was evaluated.
Results: High degree of variability in skin response was observed with selected biophysical parameters, such as sub-epidermal moisture, laser Doppler imaging and erythema, even in the absence of an applied insult. Temporal skin response revealed distinct response profiles during each evoked insult. Indeed, the sensitivity of the biophysical parameters was influenced by the threshold values and time point of measurement. Some statistically significant correlations were determined between the biophysical parameters.
Conclusion: The study revealed that thresholds derived from single biophysical parameters were limited in detecting skin changes following insults. A complementary evaluation using combined parameters has the potential to provide a more sensitive assessment. Further research is required to identify robust biophysical parameters, to aid the early detection of skin damage in clinical settings.
More information
Accepted/In Press date: 26 April 2021
e-pub ahead of print date: 2 May 2021
Published date: July 2021
Additional Information:
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The work was supported by the EPSRC-NIHR ‘Medical Device and Vulnerable Skin’ Network and NetworkPLUS (Refs. EP/M000303/1 and EP/N02723X/1) and European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 811965 ‘STINTS – Skin Tissue Integrity under Shear’.
Keywords:
biophysical parameters, chemical irritation, mechanical loading, overhydration, pressure ulcers, sensitivity analysis, skin response
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 448994
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/448994
ISSN: 1475-0961
PURE UUID: 82520638-407e-455a-86cb-42966391b732
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Date deposited: 12 May 2021 16:50
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 03:15
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Contributors
Author:
Hemalatha Jayabal
Author:
Barbara Bates-Jensen
Author:
Nkemjika Abiakam
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