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Influence of the Sebum and the Hydrolipidic Layer in Skin Wettability and Friction

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Agache’s Measuring the Skin

Abstract

The wetting phenomenon occurs in many technological processes; the liquid can be a paint, dye, or ink. The solid may be regular and simple surface, but can be more complex, for example, a fiber, a porous medium, and the skin. The ability of the skin to be wetted by water is an important parameter for the application of cosmetic products and is also involved in the cutaneous ecosystem. The degree of spreading of the water is a good indicator of the affinity of the skin with water. Measurements of physicochemical parameters are wetting contact angle with water and wetting the critical energy and the free energy. They confirm the skin has a hydrophilic tendency on the sebaceous sites and a hydrophobic tendency on websites free of sebum. The effect of the degreasing with solvents or by washing with soap and water is also noted. The role of the hydrolipidic film of the wettability of the skin is clearly demonstrated. The frictional behavior of the skin while contacting (touching) different materials plays a critical role in the skin’s sensory perception of objects that we come into contact with. Friction is extremely important in our perception of cosmetic applications such as antiaging cream and moisturizers.

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Elkhyat, A., Fanian, F., Abdou, A., Amarouch, H., Humbert, P. (2015). Influence of the Sebum and the Hydrolipidic Layer in Skin Wettability and Friction. In: Humbert, P., Maibach, H., Fanian, F., Agache, P. (eds) Agache’s Measuring the Skin. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-26594-0_19-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-26594-0_19-1

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