Dry skin in atopic dermatitis.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common, chronically recurring skin disorder. Dry skin is a common finding in patients with AD, apart from the dermatitis. Although there are obvious clinical signs of an impaired barrier function of the skin, few investigators have studied this aspect of AD. The stratum corneum, where the barrier is located, has been studied with different techniques in patients with AD, and the results are now presented. The water-binding capacity of dry atopic skin was found to be reduced when measured with an in vitro microbalance technique. TEWL (transepidermal water loss) measured with and Evaporimeter Ep1, was increased in dry skin and in clinically normal skin of atopics on predilection areas. Water content was decreased in dry atopic skin, when measured with the Corneometer CM 420. In a quantitative electron microscopic study, the lamellar bodies were found to have an increased relative volume in dry atopic skin. When using chromatographic analysis, preliminary data suggested reduced amounts of extractable stratum corneum lipids in patients with AD. In a clinical study, 80% of the patients with AD regarded their skin as being dry. Fifty percent were found to have areas of dry skin, on clinical examination. By scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the surface pattern of dry atopic skin was found to be coarse and irregular. When using profilometry, quantitative differences in roughness parameters were found in dry atopic vis-à-vis to normal skin.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)