SKIN CARE (SKIN)
Research Area: Commercial Demonstrations
Expedition(s): 13, 14
Principal Investigator(s): ● Michael Massow, PhD, ISS Lab Ruhr GmbH, Dortmund,
Germany
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
Astronauts experience changes in their skin during spaceflight. SkinCare was designed to
examine these changes and use the data collected to create a model for skin aging. This model
can be used to create countermeasures to protect skin on Earth and in space.
RESULTS
Apart from itching and dryness of the skin
(possibly partly due to the special skin care
being used in the ISS), a thinning of the skin
and increased sensitivity combined with
delayed healing of wounds and also an
increased tendency to skin infections have
been reported after a long stay in space. A
pilot study, involving one subject, applied
non-invasive skin testing methods before,
during, and after a long-term mission using
single measuring parameters of the skin
and at the same time examined the effects
of a skin protection cream.Tests concerning the skin hydration, trans-epidermal water loss, and elasticity states were
carried out, and ultrasound measurement of the fine structure of the skin was also done.
Measurements were made on predetermined different skin areas on both inner forearms with
the right forearm being treated daily with a skin care emulsion. The measurements in the ISS,
performed by the trained crew member, were done in more or less stable environmental
conditions throughout the measuring period. However, before and after measurements, done
during the astronauts’ stay in different countries showed that local environmental conditions
can have extreme influence on the results. All skin elasticity parameters increased postflight,
from different to normal ageing of the skin, which indicates a clear loss of elasticity. Elasticity
measurements and especially the ultrasound images of the skin showed signs of a decrease of
density of the skin fiber system. Epidermal measurements provided evidence of a thinning of
the top skin layer and a prolonged molting time of the cells from the base layer toward the top.
These results correlated with the reports from astronauts about the state of the skin during
their stay in space. Comparison of the mean values of the hydration measurements before,
during, and after the mission showed that there were only minor differences between the sides
(right versus left). However, there was a clear hydration effect of the applied skin care
emulsion. Treatment with the emulsion over the course of the mission led to an improvement
The SkinCare Experiment is uploaded to the ISS during
ESA's Astrolab Mission with German ESA astronaut
Thomas Reiter. NASA/ESA image.