The Physical Nature of the Skin

Section I — Organization and Dimensions of the Skin.
1 Skin under the microscope: the organization, kinetics and dimensions of skin.
2 Epidermal dimensions at the ultrastructural level.
3 Surface contour: variability, significance and measurement.
4 Skin imaging — a comparison of available techniques.
5 Making sense of numbers from the skin.
Section II — Barrier Properties of the Skin.
6 The skin as an immunological barrier.
7 The skin as a microbial barrier.
8 Do we need an artificial skin?.
9 The skin as a chemical barrier.
Section III — Interfacial Interactions.
10 A critical review of percutaneous penetration studies.
11 Percutaneous absorption: transdermal drug delivery systems.
12 Interaction of stratum corneum with water vapour.
Section IV — Channels of Communication in Skin.
13 Measurement of cutaneous blood flow.
14 The structure and pathophysiology of skin lymphatics.
15 The physical basis for cutaneous sensation.
Section V — Mechanical Properties.
16 The physical properties and function of nails.
17 Mechanical properties of stratum corneum: influence of water and lipids.
18 The architectural organization and function of the macromolecules in the dermis.
Section VI — Physical Properties.
19 Optical properties of skin: measurement of erythema.
20 The thermal properties of skin.
21 The acoustic properties of the epidermis and stratum corneum.
22 The electrical properties of skin.