ABSTRACT
While the epidermal barrier function depends largely on intercellular lipids in the stratum corneum, skin surface lipids are derived mainly from sebum. Sebum is an oily mixture of lipids, keratin, and cellular membrane structures excreted by the sebaceous glands. Sebaceous glands are holocrin glands—their excretion is formed through the transformation of whole cells into lipid-filled membrane containers. The excreted sebocytes are continually replaced by the mitotic activity of the basal layer. Dikstein collected a database of Sebumeter measurements in 150 healthy females and compared the quantitative Sebumeter results to a seborrhea grading as performed by experienced cosmetologists. A comparison between Sebutape and the Lipometre was performed in a study on the effect of topical corticosteroids on sebaceous gland function, and showed that the measurements obtained by the two methods correlated well.
