Effect of ethnicity, gender and age on the amount and composition of residual skin surface components derived from sebum, sweat and epidermal lipids

Abstract

Background/purposeThe superficial layer on the skin surface, known as the acid mantle, comprises a mixture of sebum, sweat, corneocyte debris and constituents of natural moisturizing factor. Thus, the phrase ‘residual skin surface components’ (RSSC) is an appropriate term for the mixture of substances recovered from the skin surface. There is no general agreement about the effects of ethnicity, gender and age on RSSC. The aim of this human volunteer study was to evaluate RSSC in relation to ethnicity, gender and age. A suitable acquisition medium for RSSC collection was identified and samples of RSSC were subsequently analysed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and gravimetry.MethodsA total of 315 volunteers participated in the study from a range of self-declared ethnic backgrounds. Six acquisition media were compared to determine the most suitable media for RSSC collection. The effect of age, gender and ethnicity on RSSC collection was evaluated by gravimetric analysis while GC-MS was used to determine the composition of RSSC.ResultsOf the six candidate materials assessed, cigarette paper provided the most practical and reproducible sample acquisition medium. There was no significant difference in the amount of RSSC collected when based on gender and ethnicity and no significant correlation between RSSC recovery and age. Up to 49 compounds were detected from human RSSC when analysed by GC-MS.ConclusionsThe results of the present study suggest that RSSC can be effectively collected using cigarette paper and analysed by GC-MS. Ethnicity, gender and age had no significant impact on the quantity of RSSC recovered from the skin surface.

Introduction to skin aging

“…30 Despite these, the baseline skin barrier function is relatively unaffected by age, 37 and substances recoverable from the skin surface (sebum, sweat, components of natural moisturizing factor, and corneocyte debris) were neither affected by age nor by ethnicity and gender. 39 The barrier function in aged skin (>80 years) is more readily disrupted by sequential tape stripping than is young skin (20 to 30 years), as was barrier recovery. 37 It appears that there is a global reduction in stratum corneum lipids, which may affect the "mortar" that binds the corneocytes together.…”

Lycopene presence in facial skin corneocytes and sebum and its association with circulating lycopene isomer profile: Effects of age and dietary supplementation

“…The study described here convincingly demonstrates the feasibility of applying an immunofluorescent technique for detecting lycopene in the material collected from the surface of human facial skin. This material in fact corresponds to the residual skin surface components (RSSC) (Shetage et al, 2014), noninvasive collection and morphological analysis of which is described in our recent paper . Although it can be admitted that the semiquantitative method of fluorescence intensity assessment used in the current study may not be ideal, the results look convinc- Our substudy with lycopene supplementation showed different patterns of lycopene accumulation in desquamated corneocytes and surrounding sebum (Figure 4).…”

Excessive Weight Favours Skin Physiology - Up to a Point: Another Expression of the Obesity Paradox

“…Other variables, such as the sebum secretion rate and the transcutaneous oxygen partial pressure, seem to be clearly determined by sex (sebum secretion rate higher in males and transcutaneous oxygen partial pressure higher in females), that is the specific neuroendocrine structure-determined environment [27,28]. Even so, a recent study suggested that gender had no significant impact on the levels of the residual skin surface components known as the epidermal “acid mantle” [29]. Also related, differences between genders have been extensively reported for biomechanical descriptors, as have differences involving ageing, since, reportedly, skin elasticity decreases more intensively in women after the menopause [26,30,31].…”