CUTANEOUS PERMEABILITY BARRIER REPAIR FOLLOWING VARIOUS TYPES OF INSULTS - KINETICS AND EFFECTS OF OCCLUSION

Previous studies have shown that acute disruption of the cutaneous per meability barrier by acetone results in an initial rapid phase of repa ir followed by a later, slower phase, In the present study, we demonst rate that manipulations which disrupt the barrier by other mechanisms, such as tape stripping or detergent treatment, have a similar pattern of barrier repair. In all three models, the return of lipid to the st ratum corneum parallels the normalization of barrier function, and occ lusion immediately after disrupting the barrier blocks both the return of lipid and the normalization of function, Moreover, occlusion begin ning 6-8 h following barrier disruption blocks the late, slower phase of repair, indicating that the late phase can be inhibited independent ly of the initial phase, Lastly, both severe and relatively minor pert urbations of the barrier elicit a repair response with a similar kinet ic pattern. In summary, the present study demonstrates that barrier re pair responses are similar regardless of the etiology or extent of bar rier disruption.