STUDY OF SKIN COMPATIBILITY TO ALCOHOL HA ND DISINFECTANTS

The effects of alcohol hand disinfectants on the human skin surface of healthy, volar forearms were studied. A cross-over study was done on 56 randomly chosen volunteers over a time period of eight months. The study started in September 1992 and ended in April 1993. The usage of the hand disinfectants was kept to an amount equivalent to its usage i n real life. The volunteers all employees of a pharmaceutical company, disinfected their forearm an average of seven times per working day, closely following the directions of hygienic hand disinfection (accord ing to the Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Hygiene und Mikrobiologie = Germa n Society for Hygiene and Microbiology [DGHM]). The untreated forearm served as a control. Treated areas were compared with the untreated ar eas. Evaluation of possible changes to the skin condition was determin ed from six non-invasive studies and epidermal examinations. The study was conducted to gain information about skin compatibility of alcohol hand disinfectants. Therefore, the following bioengineering measuring methods were used: desquamation, skin moisture, skin pH values, trans epidermal water loss (TEWL), skin surface temperature, and skin microt opography. The conclusions of the study helped to determine various sk in reactions to the usage of alcohol hand disinfectants. The structure of the study, based on comparison, allowed it to show the influence o f the given circumstances, i.e., seasonal changes in air temperature a nd air humidity, on the treated and untreated areas of the skin. Desqu amation was below the comparable measure for treated than untreated sk in at most times. Skin moisture was always lower in the treated skin, whereas TEWL was always higher in the treated areas.