Age-related Changes On Cutaneous Microcirculation

Objective To evaluate whether skin aging and sex can affect cutaneous blood perfusion (CBP) and nail fold microcirculation ( NFM ) , and to dertermine whether age-related differences about CBP in some skin areas and some changes about NFM can be used as sensitive indices of skin aging on microcirculation.Methods PIM2-laser Doppler perfusion imaging (PIM2-LDPI) was used to compare CBP in 60 elderly and young normal volunteers, and the microcirculation microscope (MM) was used to observe microcirculation in the left hand ring finger nail fold (NF).Results For old group, their mean cutaneous blood flow in the forehead , the back of the left hand fingers(BLHF) and the acupoint of the gate of vitality (AGV) were as follows: 1.94 ± 0. 86V, 1. 92 ± 0. 52V and 0. 71±0. 19V. There were no significant differences in blood flow compared with the young group. The old men's mean CBP in AGV was higher significantly than the young men's(P<0. 05), the old women's CBP in the forehead was lower significantly than the young women's (P<0. 01). The density of nail fold cross blood capillary (DNFCBC) , 1.54+1.23 vessels/mm (young) versus 2.82+1.70 vessels/mm (old, P<0. 01) ; the vein plexuses under the derma papilla ( VPUDP)> the derma papilla (DP) and the integral around blood capillary(IABC) were significantly different between the young and the old . The men's mean CBP was higher compared with the same age women's. The velocity of blood fluid (VBF) was very significantly different in nail fold's blood capillary (NFBC) between the women and the men.Conclusions Consistently age-related differences in CBP could not be demonstrated, and the decrease of CBPcould not be used as sensitive index of skin aging. However, DNFCBC, VPUDP, DP, IABC can be used as sensitive indices of skin aging on microcirculation. There was a tendency to show higher blood perfusion values in men than that in women, and VBF of NFBC in men was quicker than that in women.