Abstract
Background: Human skin surface has a physiologically acidic pH (pH ss). In cases of increased pH ss, the acidity of the skin can be restored by topical formulations. We tested a pH 5 oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion for pH ss regeneration and stabilization. Methods: We performed 2 experiments with 10 female study subjects in each. In both experiments, 2D imaging with luminescent sensor foils was used ...
Abstract
Background: Human skin surface has a physiologically acidic pH (pH ss). In cases of increased pH ss, the acidity of the skin can be restored by topical formulations. We tested a pH 5 oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion for pH ss regeneration and stabilization. Methods: We performed 2 experiments with 10 female study subjects in each. In both experiments, 2D imaging with luminescent sensor foils was used to determine pH ss. Alkalization was reached by washing the volar forearm with a soap bar and warm running tap water for 20 min. Experiment 1: after defining the baseline pH ss, we alkalized the respective area and measured pH ss over a duration of 5 h, while applying emulsion every hour. Experiment 2: study subjects used the emulsion twice daily for 1 week. Then, pH ss was measured before and after 5 min of washing a treated and an untreated area on the volar forearm. Results: (1) 5 h after alkalization, the treated arm showed a significantly lower pH ss than the untreated one (5.87 +/- 0.03 vs. 6.05 +/- 0.03); (2) after washing, the treated area had a significantly lower pH ss than controls (6.13 +/- 0.03 vs. 6.27 +/- 0.05). Conclusions: The tested pH 5 O/W emulsion seems to improve regeneration and stabilization of pH ss. (C) 2017 The Author(s) Published by S. Karger AG, Basel