Comparison of the Friction Behavior of Occluded Human Skin and Synthetic Skin in Dry and Moist Conditions.

The goal of this work was to assess the suitability of a commercial synthetic skin to simulate occluded human skin friction behavior in dry and moist skin conditions and under different applied surface pressures, with the view to using this material as a tribological test bed for health care and personal care devices that are in direct contact with the skin during use. A flat rotating ring friction measurement device, in which one part of the skin surface is continuously covered (i.e., occluded), was used to compare the friction behavior of human skin and the synthetic skin in controlled nominally dry and nominally moist skin conditions. Three loading levels were tested, simulating light, medium, and high skin pressures typical of many lifestyle- and personal health-related applications. The results showed that the friction behavior of the synthetic skin tested was notably different to that of human skin in vivo in terms of the effects of skin hydration, sliding time, and applied surface pressure. It is concluded that, for use as a tribological test bed, the tested synthetic skin model does not provide an acceptable alternative to in vivo tests using human skin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]