RESUMO
BACKGROUND: In eczematous skin it is expected that altered defense mechanisms are employed against an injury, which mechanisms include alterations in the stratum corneum barrier function and lipid contents. OBJECTIVE: To investigaten aspect of pathophysiology of hand eczema by comparing the water holding capacities and transepidermal water loss(TEWL) after injuries on the skin and by comparing the epidermal lipid contents between hand eczema and normal subjects. METHODS: The water holding capacities were checked by corneometer, and the TEWL were checked after epidermal barrie! destruction with acetone or adhesive tapes. The epidermal lipids were extracted with acetone, ther (1: 1 v/v) mixture solvent and analysed by HP- TLC. RESULTS: The water holdingapacities were decreased in eczema of the palm, but the recoveries of TEWL and the lipid content did not differ between hand eczema and normal subjects. CONCLUSION: The water holding capacities were decreased in the eczematous skin. But there were no significant differencies in the recovery of destructed epidermal barrier and the epidermal lipid contents.