Properties of adhesive tapes used for stratum corneum stripping

Abstract

The effectiveness of three adhesive tapes, 3M's No. 810, No. 845 and No. 850, in stripping stratum corneum from hairless mouse skin, was compared by measuring transdermal water loss (TEWL) and distribution profiles of a marker, minoxidil, from a solution formulation. While No. 850 tape failed to increase TEWL perceptively even after 24 strippings, both No. 810 and 845 tapes effectively removed the whole stratum corneum, at least as reflected in TEWL measurements. TEWL specifically increased incrementally from somewhere between 4 and 8 g/m2 per h to 120 g/m2 per h. From both TEWL measurements and distribution profiles of minoxidil in skin 2 h post-application of its formulation, it appears that the 3M No. 845 tape more efficiently removes stratum corneum than 3M No. 810 tape. The difference between No. 810 and No. 845 tapes in stripping formulation-treated skin held in a diffusion cell was application-time dependent, since the No. 845 tape harvested no more minoxidil than the No. 810 tape at 12 and 24 h following application of the formulation.