Laser spectroscopic methods for the characterization of open and closed follicles

✍ Scribed by N. Otberg; H. Richter; A. Knuttel; H. Schaefer; W. Sterry; J. Lademann

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2004
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 136 KB
• Volume: 1
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1612-2011
• DOI: 10.1002/lapl.200310011

✦ Synopsis

Hair follicles have been assigned an increasingly
significant role in dermatopharmacology. Previous studies have
shown that the penetration of substances into the follicle depends
on its activity. Telogen follicles that were not producing sebum
were closed for follicular penetration. The present study uses
optical coherence tomography (OCT) to show that the orifices of
inactive follicles are blocked by plugs formed of corneocytes. The
follicular penetration of a fluorescent dye was analyzed by
cyanoacrylate surface biopsies in combination with laser scanning
microscopy. Surface exfoliation and cyanoacrylate surface peels
were used as a pre-treatment to remove the corneocyte plugs from
the follicular orifices and therefore to open up closed follicles.
It was shown that both procedures could increase the number of
open hair follicles significantly. The present experiments show
that OCT in combination with laser scanning microscopy is an
excellent non-invasive in vivo method for the investigation of
hair follicle properties and follicular penetration processes.