EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE ON EXTENSIBILITY OF ISOLATED CORNEUM AND ITS RELATION TO SKIN CHAPPING

SUMMARY.— As part of a study on the effect of water on the extensibility of isolated corneum we have investigated the effect of temperature on extensibility under conditions where the corneum water content was kept as constant as possible. The results showed that corneum extensibility was decreased at lower temperatures. These results may be of significance in the appearance of skin chapping in winter. The incidence of chapping has been related to low dewpoints and the hypothesis was that a low dewpoint leads to a low corneum water content. Our results suggest that low temperatures play an equally important part and that chapping is not related purely to a low corneum water content. Copyright © 1969, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved