Is Human Sebum the Source of Skin Follicular Ultraviolet-Induced Red Fluorescence? A Cellular to Histological Study

The ultraviolet-induced red fluorescence (UVRF) from human skin follicles was suggested to be a result of Propionibacterium acnes and was used for the monitoring of acne. More recent studies suggested that the UVRF may be more related to sebum rather than to microorganisms.

To clarify whether human sebum or follicular microorganisms are the source of UVRF.

We examined the fluorescence of human-derived SZ95 sebocytes, human sebaceous glands, sebum extracted from the sebaceous glands, and bacteria isolated from human hair follicles under ultraviolet light.

SZ95 sebocytes, human sebaceous glands, and sebum do not emit UVRF. Two types of UVRF peaking at about 635 nm and at about 620 nm were detected in P. acnes and Staphylococcus epidermidis, respectively. This is the first report that S. epidermidis emits UVRF when it is anaerobically cultured and then exposed to air.

Human follicular UVRF is emitted by resident bacteria, not by sebum. Therefore, UVRF may be used to monitor certain species of skin microorganisms.