Department of Advanced Skin Care, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
J Dermatol Sci. 2011 Jun;62(3):160-8. doi: 10.1016/j.jdermsci.2011.03.005. Epub 2011 Mar 23.
Skin maceration is recognized as a risk factor for the development of certain skin lesions. In health care settings, incontinence-associated skin maceration is highly prevalent in the elderly. However, the effect of senescence on maceration has not been fully elucidated.
To reveal the enhancement of the maceration-induced ultrastructural alteration and barrier function of the epidermis by aging.
Skin maceration was reproduced by exposure to agarose gel in human and rat. The ultrastructural alterations in human and rat tissue were observed by transmission electron microscopy. The skin barrier function was evaluated by noninvasive methods in human, and by the transdermal penetration of small- and large-fluorescent molecules in rat. In order to reveal the effect of aging on the skin maceration, we compared these parameters between young and aged rats.
In macerated skin, we observed expansion of the interstices of the stratum corneum, spinosum, and basale of the epidermis; disruption of the intercellular lipid structure in the stratum corneum; a decreased number of cell processes in the stratum spinosum and basale. The transdermal penetration test in the rat using two types of fluorescein indicated that maceration disrupted skin barrier function. Furthermore, senescence-enhanced ultrastructural and functional alterations were revealed in the rodent studies.
This study demonstrates that aging enhances skin maceration. Considering that maceration is a risk factor for the skin damage, the development of technology to promote skin barrier recovery after maceration in the elderly is warranted.
皮肤浸渍被认为是某些皮肤损伤发展的一个风险因素。在医疗保健环境中，与失禁相关的皮肤浸渍在老年人中非常普遍。然而，衰老对浸渍的影响尚未完全阐明。
揭示衰老对浸渍引起的表皮超微结构改变和屏障功能的增强作用。
通过琼脂糖凝胶暴露在人和大鼠中复制皮肤浸渍。通过透射电子显微镜观察人组织和大鼠组织的超微结构改变。通过非侵入性方法在人体中评估皮肤屏障功能，并通过大鼠中小荧光分子的经皮渗透来评估。为了揭示衰老对皮肤浸渍的影响，我们比较了年轻和老年大鼠之间的这些参数。
在浸渍的皮肤中，我们观察到表皮的角质层、棘层和基底层的间隙扩大；角质层细胞间脂质结构的破坏；棘层和基底层细胞突起数量减少。大鼠两种类型的荧光素经皮渗透试验表明，浸渍破坏了皮肤屏障功能。此外，在啮齿动物研究中揭示了衰老增强的超微结构和功能改变。
本研究表明衰老增强了皮肤浸渍。考虑到浸渍是皮肤损伤的一个风险因素，开发技术以促进老年人浸渍后皮肤屏障的恢复是有必要的。
