Measurement of skin mechanics: A study of inter- and intra-individual variation using the Dermaflex A

Skin mechanics may be affected by a number of dermatological and systemic conditions, and reliable quantification of skin distension may therefore be of considerable interest. This study was undertaken in order to assess the intra-and inter-individual variation of measurements of skin distensibil-ity when using Dermaflex A.

Dermaflex is a suction device that measures the deformation of the skin surface within a 10- mm cup following application of given suction. Three levels of suction were studied on the flexural side of the forearm in 19 healthy volunteers.

Increasing levels of suction produced significantly increasing skin distension (P<0.0001) with a significant non-linear trend (P=0.0310). Inter-individual variation (coefficient of variation range 15.43-27.88%) was significantly larger than intra-individual variation (coefficient of variation range 9.16-11.45%, P=0.0031) throughout the range of suction tested. There was no significant difference between the intra- and inter-individual coefficients of variation with different levels of suction.

The results suggest that measurements of skin distensibility can be a useful method for objective determination of skin mechanics.