Ward Jade, Verucchi Emilio, Swaile Dave, Parker Katie, Worsley Peter R, Filingeri Davide
ThermosenseLab, Skin Sensing Research Group, School of Health Sciences, The University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.
Procter & Gamble, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.
Skin Res Technol. 2025 Feb-May;31(2-5):e70170. doi: 10.1111/srt.70170.
Experiencing wetness on the skin because of sweating or contact with fluids can induce thermal discomfort. Millions of people apply antiperspirant deodorant products to the underarm to minimise this negative experience. However, the mechanisms underpinning wetness perception at the underarm and the influence of underlying stratum corneum hydration remain under investigation. We aimed to evaluate the role of stimulus temperature and skin hydration levels on wetness perception at the underarm in young participants.
Ten healthy participants (5 M/5 F; 29 ± 7 years) underwent a quantitative sensory test during which they reported the perceived magnitude of wetness perception from a short-duration static application of a cold-wet (i.e., 5°C below local skin temperature), neutral-wet (i.e., equal to local skin temperature) and warm-wet (i.e., 5°C above local skin temperature) stimuli. Wetness perception was assessed on a 100-mm visual analogue scale (0 = dry; 100 = completely wet), with a repeated measures design exploring the effects of overhydration (+21 %) and dehydration (-40 %) of the underarm's skin.
Our results indicated a higher wetness perception (p = 0.012) during the cold-wet (40 mm, 95 % CI: 25, 56) than during the warm-wet (25 mm, 95 % CI: 12, 39), and neutral-wet stimuli (24 mm, 95 % CI: 7, 40). Furthermore, overhydration of the underarm' stratum corneum can lead to an increase in wetness perceptions upon contact with cold-wet stimuli only (mean increase: 20 mm, 95 % CI: 3, 36; p = 0.024; corresponding to 20 % increase).
Our findings provide novel fundamental insights into the underarm's perceptual responses to wetness, which could inform understanding of the determinants of wet feel associated with periods of sweating and the application of antiperspirant products.
因出汗或接触液体而导致皮肤有潮湿感会引发热不适。数以百万计的人在腋下涂抹止汗除臭产品，以尽量减少这种负面体验。然而，腋下潮湿感的潜在机制以及角质层水合作用的影响仍在研究中。我们旨在评估刺激温度和皮肤水合水平对年轻参与者腋下潮湿感的作用。
10名健康参与者（5名男性/5名女性；29±7岁）接受了定量感官测试，在此期间，他们报告了短时间静态施加冷湿（即比局部皮肤温度低5°C）、中性湿（即等于局部皮肤温度）和暖湿（即比局部皮肤温度高5°C）刺激时所感知到的潮湿程度。潮湿感通过100毫米视觉模拟量表进行评估（0 = 干燥；100 = 完全湿润），采用重复测量设计，探究腋下皮肤过度水合（+21%）和脱水（-40%）的影响。
我们的结果表明，冷湿刺激期间的潮湿感（40毫米，95%置信区间：25，56）高于暖湿刺激（25毫米，95%置信区间：12，39）和中性湿刺激（24毫米，95%置信区间：7，40）（p = 0.012）。此外，腋下角质层过度水合仅在接触冷湿刺激时会导致潮湿感增加（平均增加：20毫米，95%置信区间：3，36；p = 0.024；相当于增加20%）。
我们的研究结果为腋下对潮湿的感知反应提供了新的基础见解，这有助于理解与出汗期相关的湿感决定因素以及止汗产品的应用。
