Influence of ageing on the in vivo extensibility of human skin at a low stress.

The response of the forearm skin to a 9 . 10(-3) N . m torque was measured on 141 subjects aged 3-89 years. The results for each age class were adjusted to a skin thickness of 1 mm by use of a skinfold caliper. Results indicate a maximum skin thickness around the age of 40 years. Standardised skin extensibility decreases with age, the skin of females being less extensible than that of males. These results, which should be considered in relation to the total water content of the skin, are compared to those of other papers dealing with this subject.