CONTRACEPTION AND THE SKIN

The use of contraceptives gives rise to numerous skin diseases. Like all drugs, oral contraceptives seem capable of producing almost any skin problems, some being more common than others. Oral contraceptives also have the potential to improve some diseases including acne and hirsutism. Skin disease associated with mechanical or barrier contraceptives is infrequent. Allergies to rubber condoms and/or diaphragms have been reported, as have a variety of skin changes possibly related to copper in medicated intrauterine contraceptive devices.     

白癜风患者血清及皮肤组织液铜锌含量测定

本文用感应藕合等离子发射光谱仪,测定了27例白癜风患者和36例健康人血清中铜锌两种微量元素的含量,并对其中24例白癜风患者无病变部位和白斑部位的皮肤吸力水疱疱液进行了测定。结果显示白癜风患者血清中铜锌的含量均低于正常对照组,病人白斑部位组织液铜含量明显低于无病变部位,提示白癜风发病与铜锌两种微量元素有关。     

THE SKIN AND IMMUNOSUPPRESSION*

Of 135 kidney allograft recipients twenty one (15.5%) developed a total of 84 malignant skin tumours from 4 to 115 months after transplantation. Seven of these patients also developed a total of 12 keratoacanthomas. Skin lesions due to viral, fungal and opportunistic organisms were prevalent but serious pyogenic skin infections were not increased. In contrast, of 50 patients on immunosuppressive therapy for glomerulonephritis or collagen diseases, only two had skin tumours; none of which were squamous cell carcinomas.     

OBSERVATIONS ON THE SURFACE FLORA OF THE SKIN AND ON THE SKIN pH

SUMMARY. —The skin surface flora of 204 individuals was investigated quantitatively at 6 sites, using the Sellotape stripping method. In 51 of these individuals the skin pH was also measured.
There were significant differences between individuals in the number of bacteria recovered but not between sites.
Significantly greater numbers of bacteria were recovered from females than from males.
The skin pH readings showed small but significant differences between individuals and between sites, but no correlation could be demonstrated between pH and bacterial count.     

TKANSPORT INTO AND WITHIN THE SKIN

SUMMARY.— Developments in recent years permit us to state the following principles which relate to percutaneous absorption. (1) The entire stratum corneum junctions as the rate-limiting barrier in the skin. (2) For penetration from weak solutions, flux is directly proportional to the concentration of the penetrant in the solution which is presented to the cutaneous surface. (3) Flux increases as the solubility of the penetrant in the stratum corneum increases. (4) Flux increases as the mobility of the penetrant in the stratum corneum (diffusion constant) increases. (5) Flux decreases as the thickness of the membrane increases. (6) When concentrations in the presenting solution reach high values, flux is not proportional to concentration. (7) Flux through dermal tissue is much more rapid than flux through the stratum corneum.
For substances which penetrate relatively rapidly, the major pathway through the skin for steady-state conditions is directly through the cells of the stratum corneum. For very slowly penetrating substances, shunts, e.g., the appendages, may be the major pathway. Strongly polar and strongly non-polar molecules probably travel via different "molecular" pathways.
Even though many of these principles have evolved from in vitro experiments, it is reasonable to expect them to apply equally well to in vivo situations.