The influence of age and sex on skin thickness, skin collagen and density.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Cross-sectional observational study of normal human subjects.
PubMed 1220811 · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2133.1975.tb05113.x
What was done
Forearm skin collagen, dermal thickness, and collagen density were measured in a cohort described as a large number of normal subjects to establish reference values across age and sex.
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical measurements, sample sizes, or statistical values. Qualitatively, skin collagen decreased with age, was lower in females at all ages, and was directly related to dermal thickness.
Why it matters
It provides baseline reference observations indicating that forearm skin collagen decreases with age and differs by sex, while cautioning that dermal thickness alone is an imperfect proxy for collagen content in disease states.
Limits
The abstract provides no sample size, age range, specific measurement methods, or numerical findings. The cross-sectional design cannot track longitudinal decline within individuals, and the authors note that variations in collagen density limit the clinical utility of dermal thickness measurements.
Cited by
- supports Men lose approximately 1% of their skin collagen thickness per year starting in their mid-20s.