DARK STEAM SKINS SKIN

The experiments showed that the water content of all skin layers already increases within the first 15 seconds. The researchers then investigated the water content of the different skin layers using Raman spectroscopy, an analytical method that permits conclusions to be drawn about material properties through the scattering of light.ДЄnd indeed, it turned out that when the skin is exposed to hot steam, the heat penetrates the underlying skin layers faster and deeper than with dry heat.

The scientists have investigated their thesis on pig skin, which often serves as a model for human skin thanks to its similar properties. Only there does the steam condense, thereby releasing its thermal energy directly onto the sensitive dermis - and thus directly triggers second-degree burns.' 'The steam penetrates through the skin pores onto the lower skin layer, the dermis. 'We were able to show that the uppermost skin layer, the epidermis, cannot properly perform its protective function against water vapour,' explains RenГ© Rossi, head of the research group. Researchers in Empa's Biomimetic Membranes and Textiles department have now solved this mystery.

Why the epidermis does not protect against steam So why is that? Until recently, there was no response to this question because, unlike dry heat burns, the exact mechanisms of steam burns are still poorly understood. Skin burns caused by water vapour are often particularly malicious: If the skin is only exposed to the hot vapour for a short time, it is possible that the burn looks harmless on the surface - while the lower skin layer is severely damaged.

Dark steam skins