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Transonychial water loss: relation to sex, age and nail‐plate thickness
Author(s) -
JEMEC G.B.E,
AGNER T.,
SERUP J.
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
british journal of dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.304
H-Index - 179
eISSN - 1365-2133
pISSN - 0007-0963
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2133.1989.tb15511.x
Subject(s) - nail (fastener) , transepidermal water loss , dorsum , nail plate , medicine , significant difference , ultrasound , anatomy , surgery , materials science , pathology , radiology , complication , stratum corneum , metallurgy
SUMMARY The transonychial water loss (TOWL) was measured in 21 healthy volunteers with an evaporimeter, to establish the usefulness of this technique and study the influence of sex, age and nail‐plate thickness. The median TOWL was 19.4 g/m 2 h −1 and it decreased with increasing age (R = 0.5I, P < 0.018). The median transepidermal water loss (TEWLHAND) from the back of the hand was 16.0 g/m2 h −1 and from the dorsal side of the underarm (TEWL ARM ) it was 5.6 g/m 2 h −1 . The TEWL ARM was significantly less than from any of the two other points studied (P < 0.01), while there was no significant difference between the values obtained on the hand and the nail. TEWL ARM had a median value of 6.4 g/m 2 h −1 in men and 4.3 g/m 2 h −1 in women (P < 0.05) in this study. No significant correlation between nail‐plate thickness, as measured by ultrasound 20 MHz A‐scan, and TOWL was found. Measurements of TOWL are of interest and should be age‐related. Further studies are needed to determine TOWL in various forms of nail pathology.