Lipids weaken skin-cell contacts

Researchers propose testing whether a treatment using layered lipids can slow outer-skin recovery after repeated friction and drying. The mechanism concerns contacts between corneocytes, cells in the outermost skin layer. After treatment removal, isolated human stratum corneum, the outer skin layer, would face repeated friction and drying at matched hydration, temperature and measured loading. The hypothesis predicts faster cracks between cells and fewer cycles before barrier failure. This tissue lacks living epidermis and immune cells. If the pattern persisted, it would favour mechanical fatigue of cell-to-cell contacts over an immune-repair explanation. The test could distinguish lower resting water permeability from resilience during everyday stress in middle age.