State of hydration and electrical conductance of ichthyotic skin

Abstract

Dry skin of twelve subjects suffering from ichthyosis vulgaris and the efficacy of a moisturiser-Cotaryl were quantitatively assessed by measuring the skin surface hydration and high frequency (3.5 MHz) electrical conductance of skin. The state of hydration and conductance of ichthyotic skin were 86.9 + 24.6 and 11.0 + 5.7 micro-mho respectively, being much less-compared to 132. 0 + 5.3 and 72.5 + 54.0 micro-mho ofnormal subjects. The moisturiser increased the state of hydration and also the electrical conductance of the stratum corneuni to near-normal values and maintained them as long as the application continued. However, both the hydration and the conductance fell sharply within a week of withrawal of the moisturiser. A moisturiser was thus undoubtedly efficacious in ichthyotic skin, but the effect was only temporary. The state of hydration was found, at all stages, to bear a strong positive correlation (r = 0.69 to 0.80) with the skin conductance.