Skin research and technology : official journal of International Society for Bioengineering and the Skin (ISBS) [and] International Society for Digital Imaging of Skin (ISDIS) [and] International Society for Skin Imaging (ISSI)
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Transepidermal water loss (TEWL) is an important parameter for the determination of skin barrier function. The open chamber method has been established as the technique of choice in most dermatological laboratories for measurements of TEWL. However, the influence of the probe temperature on TEWL measurements has been the subject of recent controversial debates. In this study the relationship between TEWL measured with the Tewameter and temperature of the measuring probe was therefore investigated by comparing two different measuring techniques. ⋯ The final TEWL value was reached after shorter intervals for the preheated probe compared to the unheated probe (2.5 min vs. 4 min) for some measurements. However, preheating of the probe resulted in greater variability of the measurement values. Therefore, measurements with a preheated Tewameter probe is not be recommended.