Non-invasive in vivo methods for investigation of the skin barrier physical properties

Skin as an organ of protection covers the body and accomplishes multiple defensive functions. The intact skin represents a barrier to the uncontrolled loss of water, proteins, and plasma components from the organism. Due to its complex structure, the epidermal barrier with its major component, stratum corneum, is the rate-limiting unit for the penetration of exogenous Substances through the skin. The epidermal barrier is not a static structure. The permeability barrier status can be modified by different external and internal factors such as climate, physical stressors, and a number of skin and systemic diseases. Today, different non-invasive approaches are used to monitor the skin barrier physical properties in vivo. The quantification of parameters such as transepidermal water loss, stratum corneum hydration, and skin surface acidity is essential for the integral evaluation of the epidermal barrier status. Novel methods such as in vivo confocal Raman microspectroscopy offer the possibility for precise and detailed characterization of the skin barrier. This paper will allow the readership to get acquainted with the non-invasive, in vivo methods for the investigation of the skin barrier. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.