A Study on the Skin Thickness in Koreans by Computed Tomography

Park, Jin Sung; Cho, Baik Kee; Park, Seog Hee

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Several methods have been developed to measure skin thickness, including the use of the radiography, micrometer screw gauge, Harpenden's caliper, and ultrasound, but there are no reports to measure skin thickness using computed tomography.
OBJECTIVE
We measured skin thickness on the CT films retrospectively. This study was to investigaste variations of skin thickness by age, gender, and different sites.
METHODS
Skin thickness was measured on the CT films of 562 patients, including 357 males and 205 females who had undergone brain, chest, and abdominal CT in our hospital. Patients with endocrinologic, malignant, or collagen disease and those on antimetabolite or steroid therapy were excluded. Comparisons of histometric and computed tomographic methods weremade in 5 skin tumors and 1 localized lipodystrophy.
Results
1. The measurements of the skin thickness(mean) in examined sites varied from 0.84 to 3.07 milimeters : the posterior part at the level of the chest(aortic arch level) was the thickest and the anterior part at the level of the forehead(aortic arch level) was the thickest and the anterior part at the level of the forehead(frontal sinus level) was the thinnest. 2. Skin thickness in males wal generally thicker than in females : the anterior and lateral part at the level of the forehead(P<0.0001), the posterior part at the level of the bladder(P<0.2) were thicker in males than in females. 3. In each gender, the thickness of the skin increased with age of 40 or 60, and then decreased with age at every level. 4. Skin on posterior parts of the body was thicker than on other parts. 5. Unlike other levels, skin was thicker on the lateral parts than on the anterior parts at the levels of the forehead and bladder. 6. The measured skin thickness in about 7% greater in formalin fixed tissues than on CT films.
CONCLUSION
; Computed tomographic measurement of the skin thickness in a reliable method in the aquisition of normal values and their individual variations during cutaneous aging. Moreover, this method is useful in evaluating skin tumors and monitoring the response to therapy of inflammatory conditions.