QUANTIFICATION OF DRY (XEROTIC) SKIN BY IMAGE-ANALYSIS OF SCALES REMOVED BY ADHESIVE DISKS (D-SQUAMES)

Clinical grading of dry (xerotic) skin is unreliable, being influenced by several variables, especially ambient humidity. We utilized commer cially available adhesive-coated discs (D-Squames) to sample the outer portion of the stratum corneum. A procedure was then developed using image analysis to quantify the degree of scaling, using two parameters : 1) the percentage area covered by scales and 2) the distribution of scales according to five thickness levels. There two values were mathe matically integrated into one final value, the desquamation index. We showed that image analysis accurately distinguished the intensity of s caling among individuals whose legs were, respectively, non-dry, moder ately dry, and severely dry. The method was especially valuable for qu antifying the differing efficacies of three moisturizers evaluated by the regression procedure.