Elemental analysis on freeze-dried sections of human skin: studies by electron microprobe and particle induced X-ray emission analysis.

The possibility of using the proton microprobe (PMP) in the elemental analysis of dermatological material, under conditions where the spatial resolution can be restricted to a few micrometers, was demonstrated. Comparison with the electron microprobe (EMP) technique using duplicate sections from the same human skin biopsies revealed that the PMP and EMP techniques are complementary and yield closely corresponding elemental distributions for elements of dermatological interest. The concentrations of phosphorus and potassium were low in the dermis, high in the stratum basale and stratum spinosum, and decreased markedly in the stratum granulosum to a low level in the stratum corneum. The sulfur concentration was highest in the stratum corneum.