Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 20, 2026
Measuring Psoriasis Severity at Home
Published on: March 1, 2024
A simple method for the evaluation of epidermal thickness variations in psoriasis vulgaris
Murat Demiriz1, Zafer Kurumlu, Bülent Celasun
1Department of Pathology, Gülhane Military Medical Academy and School of Medicine, Etlik, Ankara, Turkey. mdemiriz@gata.edu.tr
Objective:
To evaluate the "variation" of the epidermal thickness and variables such as the mean, maximum, and minimum thickness for the diagnosis and follow-up of some skin diseases such as psoriasis.
Study Design:
A simple quantitative method is described. A series of psoriasis vulgaris cases is provided as an example. Biopsy samples taken before and after topical treatment were used.
Results:
The mean thickness was higher in lesions compared to the perilesional control skin (p < 0.001) and post-treatment lesional area (p < 0.001).
Conclusion:
The thickness of the epidermis varies due to a multitude of factors. Measuring the mean epidermal thickness may be important. However, this measurement may not be the best way for studies involving a series of patients and a variety of lesion sites. The natural variations in the thickness of the epidermis of different body sites and of different persons may prevent the usage of thickness measurements alone on a wider scale. It is hoped that this method can be used for evaluation of certain skin diseases affecting epidermal thickness where variation of the epidermal thickness is a potentially useful diagnostic and therapeutic variable.
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