ORIGINAL ARTICLE Excretion Rate and Composition of Skin Surface Lipids on the Foreheads of Adult Males with Type IV

Aim: Most of the lipids of the skin surface come from the sebaceous glands, which secrete an oily substance called sebum. Some of the sebum lipids are synthesized by sebaceous cells while some are reported to be derived from the plasma. The role of blood lipoproteins in sebum secretion rate and composition is unclear. To this end, excretion rate and composition of skin surface lipids in normo- and type IV hyperlipoproteinemic adult male subjects were compared. Materials and Methods: Quantitative analysis of skin surface lipids of subjects with type IV hyperlipoproteinemia (n:21) and normolipoproteinemia (n:15) was performed by three successive samplings from left, middle and right zones of the forehead with a sebumeter. Skin surface lipid samples for the compositional analysis were collected from the forehead, extracted into n-hexane and analyzed by high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC). Results: Skin surface lipids from type IV hyperlipoproteinemic subjects contained a higher proportion of wax ester + cholesteryl ester compared with normolipoproteinemic subjects (p:0.004). However, skin surface lipid excretion rates of normo- and hyperlipoproteinemic subjects were found to be similar. Conclusions: Plasma triacylglycerol concentration may affect sebum wax ester+cholesteryl ester content. Key Words: Human, hyperlipoproteinemia, sebaceous gland, sebum lipi