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Skin Moisture Levels
Imaging
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Electrical Capacitance
The stratum corneum (SC), the outmost layer of the skin, usually contains 15% water. This is much less than inside the body (70% water), but still vital to maintain a healthy skin barrier and healthy desquamation. Several different methods have been developed to measure SC hydration. These include gravimetric techniques, spectroscopic techniques, and electromagnetic techniques. Of these, electromagnetic measurements are probably the most popular class of tests in dermatology and are widely used in clinical testing.
The Corneometer CM820 (Courage & Khazaka) measures the electrical capacitance of the uppermost layers of the skin. It provides very rapid measurements of skin hydration and is not affected by occlusion effects. Unlike spectroscopy, which measures water levels directly and semi-quantitatively, the Corneometer can be sensitive to interference from electrolytes in the skin. It also only produces data on an arbitrary scale. However, its low cost, fast speed, and simplicity mean that it is very widely used in pre-clinical and clinical studies. Please contact us if you would like this measurement included in your skin tests.
The Corneometer CM820 (Courage & Khazaka) rapidly measures the electrical capacitance of the uppermost layers of the skin.
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