The skin may be the largest and most visible organ in our body, but there’s still much we don’t know about it. How does the skin keep water inside our body and harmful microbes out? How does it stay strong and elastic despite the beatings it often endures, yet can also be soft, smooth, and oh so tender…
Over at the University of Bath in the UK, researchers have developed a new technique to learn more about the stratum corneum, the uppermost layer of the epidermis that measures between 10 and 20 micrometers in thickness. The technique utilizes a “nanoneedle” approximately 500 nm long and 30-80 nm in diameter to probe corneocytes (a type of skin cell) and observe them using atomic force microscopy (AFM). Up until now, only the surface of the stratum corneum could be studied; this new technique will allow researchers to study the skin’s structure beneath the surface and see how it changes with age, disease, and the environment.
Besides showing us more about our own skin, this technique could lead to new developments in skin care products and cosmetics. Perhaps we’ll also learn more about those nasty sunburns that tend to happen more frequently this time of year, at least here in the Northern Hemisphere!
Study: Mechanical Tomography of Human Corneocytes with a Nanoneedle
University of Bath: The new nanoneedle helping scientists uncover secrets under the skin…
