Comparison of stratum corneum thickness in children and adults.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Comparative cross-sectional study on postmortem tissue
PubMed 6863621 · doi:10.1016/s0190-9622(83)70074-5
What was done
The authors compared the thickness of the stratum corneum from abdominal skin obtained at autopsy across three age groups: infants under 3 months of age, children between 3 months and 11 years, and adults. Measurements were taken on histologic sections using a filar micrometer eyepiece.
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical measurements or statistical figures. It reports that no significant differences were observed in stratum corneum thickness across the age groups.
Why it matters
This suggests that structural thickness of the stratum corneum does not account for differences in percutaneous absorption across age groups, pointing instead to surface-area-to-volume ratio or metabolic differences.
Limits
Sample size is not reported in the abstract, no quantitative data or p-values are given, the tissue was obtained postmortem and restricted to abdominal skin, and anatomical thickness does not directly quantify functional barrier properties.
Cited by
- context Young children's skin is significantly more absorbent to topically applied substances than older or adult skin.