Study Highlights Demographic Factors Linked to Variability in Skin Barrier Function

Key Takeaways

• Older age, female sex, Black race, and higher BMI were each associated with at least one measure of improved skin barrier function, new study results suggest.
• Dynamic barrier function and recovery varied significantly by demographic factors in a cohort of adults aged 32 to 97 years.
• Protein expression analyses suggest biologic correlates linking barrier integrity with lower systemic inflammation.

Older age, female sex, Black race, and higher BMI were each associated with at least one measure of improved skin barrier function, according to new results published in JID Innovations. 

Investigators for the cross-sectional analysis of 286 participants from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging focused on associations between demographic characteristics and multiple measures of skin barrier function, including transepidermal water loss (TEWL), barrier integrity, dynamic barrier function, and barrier recovery. Participants ranged from 32 to 97 years of age, allowing for evaluation across a broad aging spectrum.

Multivariable analysis showed older age was associated with improved baseline barrier permeability and dynamic barrier function, with lower TEWL and favorable area-under-the-curve measurements. Female participants had enhanced dynamic barrier function and significantly greater barrier recovery at 24 hours following tape stripping. Black participants showed stronger barrier integrity and dynamic function compared with other racial groups. Higher body mass index was also associated with improved barrier integrity, although the magnitude of this association was modest.

A subset analysis of protein expression from tape-stripped samples showed individuals with above-median barrier function and lower C-reactive protein levels having higher expression of protein families involved in epidermal structure and response to environmental insult (P < 0.01). 

Source: Abuabara K, et al. JID Innovations. 2026. Doi:10.1016/j.xjidi.2026.100480