Effects of aging on human skin innervation

To understand the effect of aging on human skin innervation, we investigated intraepidermal nerve fiber (IENF) density of skin biopsies. IENF densities of the distal leg were lower in elderly (> or = 60 years of age) than in young adults (19-39 years of age; 7.80 +/- 0.79 vs 13.55 +/- 0.85 fibers/mm, p < 0.01). A similar trend was also observed in the distal forearm (11.67 +/- 1.55 vs 19.39 +/- 1.60 fibers/ mm, p < 0.001). IENF densities were negatively correlated with age according to multiple linear regression analysis on the entire study population (age range: 19-78 years) with standardized coefficients of -0.462 (p < 0.001) in the distal leg and -0.335 (p = 0.005) in the distal forearm. These findings suggest a significant reduction in IENF densities with age.