Mechanical Stiffness Across Skin Layers in Humans: A Pilot Study

This pilot study used atomic force microscopy to measure the mechanical stiffness, or elastic modulus, of different skin layers in 6 participants (2 males and 4 females, aged 1 to 70 years). The findings revealed that the epidermis has the highest stiffness, followed by the papillary dermis, upper reticular dermis, lower reticular dermis, sebaceous gland, and subcutaneous tissue. These results enhance the understanding of skin's physical properties and provide a reference for future research on skin physiology and pathology.