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Updated: May 21, 2026

Measuring and Modeling Contractile Drying in Human Stratum Corneum

Measuring and Modeling Contractile Drying in Human Stratum Corneum

Published on: March 1, 2017

Heterogeneous drying stresses in stratum corneum.

G K German¹, W C Engl, E Pashkovski

¹Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.

Biophysical Journal

|June 21, 2012

Summary

The skin

Area of Science:

Biophysics
Materials Science
Dermatology

Background:

The stratum corneum, skin's outer layer, acts as a crucial barrier.
Current models assume homogeneous skin properties, ignoring its complex structure.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the mechanical properties of stratum corneum during drying.
To quantify stress and deformation at the skin-substrate interface across multiple length scales.

Main Methods:

Utilized in-plane traction stress and deformation measurements.
Examined porcine stratum corneum samples on a deformable elastomer substrate.

Main Results:

Skin behaves as a homogeneous elastic material at scales >1 mm.

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Resolving Water, Proteins, and Lipids from In Vivo Confocal Raman Spectra of Stratum Corneum through a Chemometric Approach

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Measuring and Modeling Contractile Drying in Human Stratum Corneum

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Effect of Artificial Tear Formulations on the Metabolic Activity of Human Corneal Epithelial Cells after Exposure to Desiccation

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Resolving Water, Proteins, and Lipids from In Vivo Confocal Raman Spectra of Stratum Corneum through a Chemometric Approach

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Traction stresses become heterogeneous at smaller scales, influenced by stratum corneum structure.

A linear elastic model accurately describes macroscopic drying behavior.

Conclusions:

Stratum corneum's mechanical behavior is scale-dependent.
Heterogeneity in skin structure significantly impacts mechanical properties at micro-scales.
Understanding these properties is vital for barrier function research.