Abstract:
The effect of several storage conditions on the permeability of pig skin was investigated. Three different storage conditions were studied, each at two temps.: 4C and -15C. Skin was stored before dermatoming, after dermatoming, and after dermatoming and drying. The variability in the flux of water and salicylic acid (SA), and their ratios (water/SA) over time, served as indicators for the change in the barrier properties of skin. It was found that storing the skin after dermatoming at 4C kept the permeability of the skin unchanged for four weeks. Storing the skin at a temp. of -15C altered its permeation to water and SA significantly, however; when the skin was dried before storage, its stability at -15C was improved. Monitoring the fluxes of two compds. of different polarities and their flux ratios over time is a more rigorous way of testing retention of the barrier integrity of skin than studying the change in flux of one mol.